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The traditional owners of the land are the Gadigal and Bidjigal people. Maroubra is a local Aboriginal word meaning place of thunder, referencing the crashing waves for which the suburb is famous for.

In 1861, the first house was built in the area by Humphrey McKeon. Other settlers joined to the area to work on the wool scouting works in 1870.

The suburb first made headlines on 6 May 1898, when the Hereward, a fully rigged iron ship weighing 1,513 tons was caught by gale force winds and shipwrecked at the northern end of Maroubra Beach while heading north toward Newcastle.

After a failed attempt to move the shipwreck, it remained on the beach for a number it years. By 1937 it had slowly washed out to sea with only a triangle dorsal fin visible above sea level.

Hereward Shipwreck Circa 1898

By 1967 it appeared that nothing was left of the ship, after Randwick council had the remains blasted in 1950 due to the danger the wreck possessed to swimmers and surfers.

In recent times, on various occasions, due to large swells and sweeping currents, large amounts of sand had moved off the sea floor and had exposed extensive portions of the Hereward which were once thought to be destroyed and lost forever.

Hereward Shipwreck

Major residential development only began in the 1910s after Herbert Dudley, a real estate developer, subdivided the land into residential blocks. He lobbied for the extension of the tramline to Maroubra Junction in 1912, where he had built Dudley’s Emporium which has just recently been redeveloped.

More crown land was released for residential use in the 1920s and the tram line was extended to Maroubra Beach in 1921.

Today, Maroubra is the largest suburb in Randwick council in area and population.

Maroubra is the ideal place to be for those who want the best of both beach and city living, located just 10km from the Sydney CBD.

Surf and turf reign supreme in the sunny eastern suburb and has emerged as a family favourite, making a splash with watersport enthusiasts and toddlers alike, while the well-catered shopping district keep the locals and visitors keen.

 

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