Coomba Park is a delightful area comprising of a small village of approx. 600 people on the edge of beautiful Wallis Lake, a 2 hour drive from the City of Newcastle. It is very quiet and peaceful, a place where community spirit has resulted in the culmination of most if not all, the town's facilities. The Community Hall, Tennis Courts, swimming baths, childrens' playground on the lake foreshore, all have been built by money raised by the local community. We spent 8 days there and found all those whom we spoke to very friendly and helpful.. all eager for us to enjoy our stay. We had Sunday Brunch @ The Community Hall and I wish now that I had bought the book on the local history, as I cannot find anything on the internet. With this exception... that the original Worimi people from the Great Lakes region of coastal New South Wales, Australia, before contact with settlers, extended from Port Stephens in the south to Forster/Tuncurry in the north and as far west as Gloucester.
The Worimi is made up of several tribes; Buraigal, Gamipingal and the Garawerrigal. The people of the Wallis Lake area, called Wallamba, had one central campsite which is now known as Coomba Park. Their descendants, still living today, used this campsite 'til 1843. Some pics were taken @ Elizabeth Beach and in the lake near the Forster-Tuncurry bridge. Many oyster leases are located between Coomba Park and Forster. Coomba Park is well worth a visit, but be aware, there are no streetlights! And that's the way the locals want it to remain!