Lawrence Hargrave Memorial
Located at Bald Hill is a memorial to British-born Australian engineer, explorer, astronomer, inventor and aeronautical pioneer Lawrence Hargrave. Associated with Hargrave’s first attempt to fly, Bald Hill is the perfect place to remember his achievements, as well as providing fantastic views.
On November 12, 1894, Hargrave linked four of his box-kites together, added a sling seat, and flew approximately 5 metres. By demonstrating a safe and stable flying machine, Hargrave opened the door to other inventors and pioneers. The Hargrave-designed box kite, with its improved lift-to-drag ratio, was to provide the wing model of the first generation of European and American aeroplanes.
Hargrave has two memorials here, one at each end of the car park. The primary one, is at the southern end, which has relief of him carrying a model of his box-kite. At the north end a memorial wall lists his achievements. The carpark itself has plenty of parking available, while toilets are available at the north end.
Depicted on the old style $20 note, Hargrave’s importance to aviation was on display to Australians from 1966 to 1994, when it was replaced.
While visiting the memorials, check out the amazing views, which are amazing. This is one of the best places to admire the coast around Wollongong. The views were great, despite the rainy day we had.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
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