Maroubra ( ) is a beachside suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 10 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Randwick.

Maroubra is the largest suburb within Randwick City Council by both area and population. Maroubra Junction is a locality in the centre of the suburb.

History 1700s At the time of British colonisation, the area was inhabited by the Indigenous Australian Murro-ore-dial clan of the Eora people. Maroubra is derived from the name of a clan leader, Moorooboora (muru, meaning pathway and boora, meaning initiation ground). In particular, his name refers to the pathway that went to the initiation ground that was at Boora Point which is now the site of a national park.

1800s In 1861, the first British house was built in the area by Humphrey McKeon,Deaths: McKeon, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Saturday, 29 July 1882), p.1. after whom McKeon Street was named.Keep, Georgina (2023/2024),"Shipwrecks to Marauders", Randwick Scene, (Summer 2023/2024), pp.16-17. A number of other settlers arrived on the land in the 1870s to work on the wool scouring works located at the northern end of the bay.The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia , page 164.

The Hereward

The suburb first made headlines on 6 May 1898, when the Hereward, a fully rigged iron ship weighing 1,513 tons was caught by the gale-force winds and shipwrecked at the northern end of Maroubra Beach while heading north toward Newcastle.Wreck of the Hereward: Ashore at Maroubra Bay: A Wild Night at Sea, The Daily Telegraph, (Saturday, 7 May 1898), p.9; The Mate's Story: Rockets Fired Without Avail: How the Crew Landed, The Daily Telegraph, (Saturday, 7 May 1898), p.9.The Hereward Wreck: Sunday at Maroubra Beach: Thousands of Spectators, The (Sydney) Evening News, (Tuesday, 10 May 1898), p.3; Last Week's Disastrous Gale, The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, (Saturday, 14 May 1898), pp.1018, 1019, 1040.Maroubra Bay—Prospects of Floating Off The Hereward, The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, (Saturday, 21 May 1896), p.1072. The shipwreck remained on the beach for a number of years until a failed attempt to refloat it was made by building a coffer dam around the wreck.

The wreck was slowly washed out to sea afterwards; and by 1937 only a triangle dorsal fin was visible above sea level.Hereward—Unpopular Wreck Rutherford, R.L., "Hereward—Unpopular Wreck". The Sydney Morning Herald, (Saturday, 13 December 1947), p.12. In 1950, Randwick Council feared the danger that the remains posed, especially to surfers and swimmers, and had the remains blasted; such that by 1967 it appeared that there was nothing left of the ship.The Hereward is gone at last, The World's News, (Saturday, 5 December 1953), p.20.

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. In March 2013 after large seas, extensive portions of the ship's metal hull, along with mast and engine pieces were exposed to a greater extent than they ever had been before.

Hereward Street in Maroubra is named after the event.

1900s Major residential development only began in the 1910s after Herbert Dudley, a real estate developer, subdivided the land into residential blocks. Herbert Dudley also 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. In 1918 sixty-five allotments on Crown Lands bordered by Maroubra Bay Road, Cooper Street and Broad Road were auctioned by Stanton and Son Limited.Maroubra subdivision plan, 12 January 1918, Stanton Auctioneers, State Library of New South Wales Z/SP/M8 The tram line was extended to Maroubra Beach in 1921.

Between 1925 and 1934, the Maroubra Speedway (officially, Olympia Motor Speedway) was located in South Maroubra at the corner of Anzac Parade and Fitzgerald Avenue. However, due to the dangerous nature of the concrete track, a number of deaths occurred and it was closed after only nine years of operation. Coral Sea Park and surrounding estates was announced on the site in 1947 and formally completed in 1961. The name of the estates and the park commemorate the 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea.Also, streets in the area — e.g., Astoria Circuit (USS Astoria), Chicago Avenue (USS Chicago), Lexington Place (USS Lexington), Morris Place (USS Morris), Neosho Way (USS Neosho), Perkins Street (USS Perkins), Sims Lane and Sims Grove (USS Sims) — were named after Allied ships that had been engaged in the Battle of the Coral Sea (see Randwick City Council: Historic Street & Place Names )

2000s In 2005, Maroubra was named as one of the suburbs involved in the Cronulla Riots, after more than 100 cars were vandalised in relation to the riots between Middle Eastern and Anglo youth. In 2006, Maroubra Beach became the second Australian beach to be named a National Surfing Reserve (the first beach being Bells Beach in Victoria).Maroubra beach declared national surfing reserve – ABC World Today It is also a popular place for people learning to surf due to its, sometimes, beginner friendly conditions.

2010s Maroubra Junction and surrounding areas Maroubra Junction is one of the main shopping areas in the district and is home to Pacific Square shopping centre (built on the area once known as Stockland Mall, Maroubra). Commercial developments are also found along Anzac Parade, Maroubra Road and surrounding streets, including Dudley's Emporium which was the first shopping centre in Maroubra Junction built in 1912 and has been recently redeveloped.

Maroubra Beach and surrounds There are also a handful of shopping districts besides Maroubra Junction including the areas surrounding Maroubra Beach. McKeon Street and Marine Parade are home to multiple cafes and restaurants, and other retail facilities such as surf shops, yoga schools, a chemist and newsagent, the Maroubra Seals Club.

South Maroubra South Maroubra Shopping Village, known as "The Village", is located in South Maroubra and is home to many well-known shops including a late night pharmacy as well as a supermarket.

Hotels

Current Glasshouse (Since 1947) – The licence of the Golden Grove Hotel was transferred from Darlington to new premises on the corner of Anzac Parade and Boyce Road, Maroubra Junction in February 1947. The hotel has more recently changed its name to the Glasshouse Hotel.Sydney Morning Herald, 22 February 1947 The Sands Hotel (Since 1972) – A hotel in South Maroubra alongside South Maroubra Shopping Village. Now rebranded to Southend Hotel though many locals still call it the Sands. Maroubra Junction Hotel (Since 1926) — A hotel in Maroubra Junction across Maroubra Road from Pacific Square.New Hotels, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Tuesday, 21 July 1925), p.6; Liquor Licenses, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Tuesday, 2 March 1926), p.6. Ocean View Tavern (Since 2010) – In an attempt to popularise the mostly vacant area surround Maroubra Beach, the Maroubra Bay Hotel premises was revitalised and re-opened under the name of the Ocean View Tavern. Since recalled the Bay Hotel circa 2017. Juniors @ The Junction (Since 2009) – The result of a merger with South Sydney Junior Rugby League Club (Kingsford) and the struggling Maroubra Returned and Services League (RSL) Club. The club is on the site of the former Maroubra RSL club on Anzac Parade and Haig Street.

Former Maroubra Bay Hotel (1926–2010) – Popular after World War I due to the extension of the tram line to the beach, the construction of a promenade and bathing sheds. Due to a downturn in trade the hotel closed in early 2010. Reopened as the Bay Hotel, nearby is the Maroubra Seals surf club (pub, gaming and restaurant). Trade Winds (1984–2002) – Maroubra Junction on Maroubra Road. 2002 saw the former Flag Inns hotel converted into apartments. It was one of the many hotels that catered to the visiting Maroubra crowd on a global scale during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, being one of the major accommodation hotels in the Sydney region at the turn of the century. The Trade Winds Brasserie is all that is left of the old hotel. Maroubra RSL (2000–2009) – The struggling Maroubra Returned and Services League (RSL) Club merged with South Sydney Junior Leagues Club in order to keep the premise open due to poor income. It was reopened under the name "Juniors @ The Junction".

Transport Roads

The CBD is located 10 kilometres north-west from Maroubra via Anzac Parade, via Kensington, Kingsford and Moore Park.

Buses Regular bus services through Maroubra are operated by Transdev John Holland.Eastern and south eastern suburbs public transport network Transport for NSW

Trams

The former Maroubra tram line opened from Anzac Parade to Maroubra Bay in 1921. The line branched off the main line to La Perouse at the intersection of Anzac Parade and Maroubra Road, travelling east along Maroubra Road, Cooper Street, French Street and Mons Avenue before terminating in a balloon loop in Marine Parade at Maroubra Bay Beach. The line was double track throughout, and passed through several tram reservations on its descent down to the beach. Direct services operated from Circular Quay and Railway Square. The line closed in 1961.

Heritage listings Due to the age of the suburb, there are 34 sites formally recognised by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage as providing a "sense of continuity and belonging to the place where we live". None of these sites, however, have been protected under Section 136 of the NSW Heritage Act.

Media Maroubra is within the reporting and circulation boundaries of the South-Eastern Suburbs newspaper; "Southern Courier" which is owned and distributed by News Limited.

Maroubra is also within the reporting and circulation boundaries of The Beast, a monthly magazine for the beaches and bays of Sydney's east. It covers local news, sport and the arts and each month. It features a different local celebrity on the cover.

Maroubra was home to the set of the television series Heartbreak High which was filmed at Maroubra Bay High School after its closure. The suburb also features in the 2022 Netflix reboot with South Sydney High School serving as a primary filming location.

The German electronic musician Edgar Froese included a track called Maroubra Bay on his 1975 album Epsilon in Malaysian Pale, which was influenced by a visit to Maroubra during Tangerine Dream's 1975 Australian tour.

In 1963 "Little Pattie" reached No. 2 on the Australian Top40 with her hit EP singles "Stomping at Maroubra" and "He's My Blonde-Headed, Stompie Wompie, Real Gone Surfer Boy"

In 1983, the music video and cover artwork for Come Said the Boy by Mondo Rock were filmed in Maroubra.

The opening sequence of Everything in Between (2022) was filmed at Mistral Point, Maroubra.

Sport and recreation