NameWentworth Cottage ParkTypePark/ReserveGeolocation[1] AddressPioneer Drive, BlackbuttDescriptionWentworth Cottage was a lovely home built by the great grandson of original Shellharbour land owner D’Arcy Wentworth.
John E Reddall built the cottage on Tongarra Road (now Pioneer Drive) on a rise overlooking Shellharbour with 360º views of the surrounding landscape. In the days before housing development you could see from Shellharbour Village to Port Kembla and beyond.
Reddall built the beautiful brick cottage and trimmed it with iron lace and cedar.
In 1914 the Carmody family took over the cottage and farmed there until 1978 when the land was resumed and the cottage demolished to make way for the planned Lake View housing commission project, which never eventuated.
The Tongarra Heritage Society in consultation with Ray Carmody who grey up on the farm, lobbied to have the cottage site retained as a reserve. In 2002 Wentworth Cottage Park was handed over to Shellharbour City Council by Landcom (owners).
The Reserve features a lookout with a plaque dedicated to the Carmody family and cottage. A hedge maze was planted to represented the original floor space and rooms of the cottage.
Officially recorded 8th of September, 2017-NSW GNB