Historical Images of the Kioloa Base Site and of Bawley Point
Marine Rescue Kioloa Base is located at O'Hara head on a site occupied in the early 20th century by the Kioloa steam powered sawmill. Timber harvested in surrounding forests was delivered to the Kioloa mill by horse and bullock-drawn wooden tramways. Small coastal steamers anchoring between O'Hara Head and Belowla Island loaded the timber for transportation to Sydney. Loading, managed with the use of gantries was often performed in difficult sea conditions. The Kioloa mill, in association with a sister mill at Bawley Point was highly productive. At one point in the late 19th century mills on the south coast of New South Wales were providing up to 20% of the world's hardwood. The Kioloa mill was burnt down in 1926 never to be rebuilt. The following images, courtesy of Australian National University and its Kioloa Coastal Campus provide a vivid portrayal of early life around Kioloa, an area with high significance for Aboriginal culture and of historical importance to European settlement in Australia. For a larger image click on each picture below.