Cronulla Sydney, New South Wales
Cronulla, New South Wales
Population:	16,754 (2006 Census)
Established:	1908
Postcode:	2230
Location:	26 km (16 mi) south of Sydney CBD
LGA:	Sutherland Shire
State electorate:	Cronulla
Federal Division:	Cook
Suburbs around Cronulla: Caringbah Kurnell Kurnell Woolooware Cronulla Bate Bay Burraneer Maianbar Bundeena

Cronulla is a beachside suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cronulla is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Sutherland Shire.

Cronulla is located on a peninsula framed by Botany Bay to the north, Bate Bay to the east, Port Hacking to the south, and Gunnamatta Bay to the west. The neighbouring suburb of Woolooware lies to the west of Cronulla, and Burraneer lies to the southwest. The Kurnell peninsula, the site of the first landfall on the eastern coastline made by Lt. (later Captain) James Cook in 1770, is reached by driving northeast out of Cronulla on Captain Cook Drive.

History[link]

Cronulla Theatre and Cronulla Plaza

Cronulla is derived from kurranulla, meaning ‘‘place of the pink seashells’’ in the dialect of the area's Aboriginal inhabitants, the Gweagal, who were a clan of the Tharawal (or Dharawal) tribe of Indigenous Australians. They were the traditional custodians of the southern geographic areas of Sydney. The beaches were named by Surveyor Robert Dixon who surveyed here in 1827-28 and by 1840, the main beach was still known as Karranulla.^[1]

Matthew Flinders and George Bass explored and mapped the coastline and Port Hacking estuary in 1796 and the southernmost point of Cronulla is named Bass and Flinders Point in their honour. John Connell received a grant of 380 acres (1.5 km²) in 1835. Thomas Holt (1811-88) owned most of the land that stretched from Sutherland to Cronulla in the 1860s. Holt built Sutherland House on the foreshore of Gwawley Bay in 1818, on the eastern side of Sylvania. The Cronulla area was subdivided in 1895 and land was offered for sale at 10 pounds per acre. In 1899, the government named the area Gunnamatta, which means sandy hills. On the 26th February 1908 it was officially changed to Cronulla and Gunnamatta was used for the name of the bay, on the western side.

Northies Hotel

After the Illawarra railway line was built to Sutherland in 1885, the area became popular for picnics and swimming. Steam trams operated between Cronulla and Sutherland from 1911. Many regulars rented beach houses at Cronulla every year for school holidays. The Oriental Hotel was built by Captain Spingall in 1888, on the present site of apartments behind the North Cronulla Hotel. The Cecil Hotel was located on the foreshore of South Cronulla and the Ritz Café was popular with holiday-makers. The Cecil Apartments were built on the former site of this hotel. The steam trams were replaced by the Cronulla branch of the Illawarra railway line when it opened in 1939.^[2]

The post office opened in January 1891, known as Cronulla Beach, but closed in 1893. It reopened in 1907 and the name was officially changed to Cronulla in 1929.

The Cronulla School of Arts was established in 1904. The original wooden building was demolished and replaced by the current School of Arts building in November 1912, and is now one of the oldest buildings in Cronulla.

Cronulla School of Arts building est. 1912

The first public school opened in 1910. From the 1950s, many of the guest houses began being replaced by high rise flats. Even though it developed as a residential area, Cronulla remained popular with beachgoers and tourists. Several hotels, motels and serviced apartments operate today. The Cronulla Bicentennial Plaza opened in February 1989.

In 2005, the beachfront at Cronulla was the scene of widely-publicised mob disturbances and violent confrontations.^[3] These incidents continued over a number of days and also spread to other areas in Sydney.^[4] See 2005 Cronulla riots.

Beaches[link]

People on North Cronulla Beach

Cronulla is a popular tourist attraction and attracts many beachgoers from all over Sydney. Cronulla Beach features a long stretch of sand that runs from Boat Harbour to North Cronulla, followed by rock pools and another sandy beach at South Cronulla. The beaches of Cronulla from north to south are: Boat Harbour, Wanda Beach, Elouera Beach, North Cronulla Beach, Cronulla Beach, Blackwoods Beach, Shelly Beach and Oak Park. Local names also apply to various parts of the beach, such as The Alley, between Cronulla Beach and North Cronulla, The Wall, between North Cronulla and Elouera and Green Hills, to the north of Wanda, Sandshoes, near the mouth of the Port Hacking estuary, Voodoo Reef and The Point. The beaches are perfect recreational areas for swimming, surfing, bodyboarding, bodysurfing and other water sports.

Shark Island, just off Cronulla Beach, is a famous surfing and bodyboarding spot, and the site of the annual Shark Island Challenge bodyboarding contest. Gunnamatta Bay provides protected swimming at the baths off Gunnamatta Park. Port Hacking is a popular location for such water sports as waterskiing and wakeboarding.

Parks[link]

Dunningham Park, North Cronulla

• Bass & Flinders Point is the southernmost part of Cronulla and features a monument to explorers George Bass and Matthew Flinders, who explored the Port Hacking estuary.
• Darook Park, Gunnamatta Park and Tonkin Park are all located on Gunnamatta Bay.
• Cronulla Park is located behind the beach at South Cronulla.
• Dunningham Park sits behind the beach at North Cronulla, shaded by large Norfolk Island Pines. It features a children's playground, picnic tables and a kiosk.
• Monro Park, featuring the Cronulla War Memorial, is located opposite Cronulla railway station.
• Cronulla Recreational Reserve is located beside the car park at Wanda Beach, popular for sport and recreational activities such as flying kites.
• Shelly Park sits behind Shelley Beach.

Commercial area[link]

The main shopping strip runs along Cronulla Street, which has been partly converted into a pedestrian mall known as Cronulla Plaza. It also extends along the Kingsway, Gerrale Street and other surrounding streets. Cronulla has developed a café culture, with some cafés and restaurants located along the North Cronulla foreshore and Cronulla Plaza. Tourists can choose from a number of hotels, motels and serviced apartments. Cronulla has many attractions including an independent cinema, nightclubs, pubs and bars. Northies is a well-known pub, near North Cronulla Beach.

Transport[link]

Cronulla Ferry Wharf

Trains terminate at Cronulla railway station on the Cronulla branch of the Illawarra line, on the City Rail network. Cronulla Tunnel Gallery is just north of the station, linking Cronulla Street to Tonkin Street.

Cronulla and National Park Ferry Cruises runs passenger services around Port Hacking and a regular route between Cronulla and Bundeena, on the edge of the Royal National Park. The Cronulla Ferry wharf sits on Gunnamatta Bay, beside Tonkin Park.

Veolia Transport NSW has several bus routes that stop at Cronulla Railway Station. These are the 969 Sutherland via Miranda and North Caringbah, 962 Bankstown via Sutherland and Illawong, 971 to Hursville via Sylvania, 988 to Miranda via Wooloware and 987 Kurnell via North Cronulla.

Sport[link]

Cronulla Beach and rock pool

• The local National Rugby League football club is the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. The Cronulla-Sutherland League's Club and home ground, Endeavour Field, are located on Captain Cook Drive at Woolooware.
• Surf lifesaving clubs are located along the beach at Wanda, Elouera, North Cronulla and South Cronulla.
• Many soccer clubs are located in the Cronulla district, the most prominent being Cronulla Seagulls and the Cronulla RSL clubs.
• Surfing plays a major role in Cronulla. Famous professional surfer and 1999 world champion Mark Occhilupo ('Occy') grew up surfing in Cronulla. Many surfboard shapers hand craft their surfboards in Cronulla and the Sutherland Shire.
• The annual Shark Island Challenge bodyboarding contest and the annual Shark Island Swim Challenge are held at Cronulla Beach.
• The "Cronulla International Cycling Grand Prix" has been held in Cronulla since 2006. In 2009 it was also the Australian National Criterium Championships.^[5][6]

Events[link]

• Cronulla Spring Festival is held every year on the second weekend of September. It includes free entertainment, food and many variety stalls.

• Opera On the Beach is an event commonly held at Cronulla as part of the nation's Australia Day celebrations.^[7]

Popular culture[link]

• Puberty Blues is a book and movie about the surfing culture in the Sutherland Shire.
• An episode of the popular science-fiction TV series Farscape was filmed in Cronulla.
• The Australia's Next Top Model (Cycle 4) house was situated on Gunnamatta Bay.
• The Shire, is a reality T.V. Show began being filmed in early 2012, having Cronulla as its main setting.

Population[link]

Demographics[link]

According to the 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population, there were 16,502 people usually resident in Cronulla. 15.6% stated they were born overseas with the top countries of birth being United Kingdom 4.7%, New Zealand 2.2% and South Africa 0.5%. English was stated as the only language spoken at home by 83.1% of residents and the most common other languages spoken were Greek 1.0%, Italian 0.8% and Spanish 0.6%. The most common responses for religious affiliation were Catholic 29.3%, Anglican 25.3% and Uniting Church 4.1%.^[8]

Socioeconomics[link]

Bass and Flinders Point

Cafes

The Australian Bureau of statistics found that 23.5% of residents were employed in professional positions, 41% were employed in technical and trade or administrative positions. The average individual income was $68,757, and mean family income was $122,698 according to the 2006 Australian Census. Unemployment amongst people under 29 is above the state average in 2006 ABS Census data.

Notable residents[link]

• Luke Baines, actor, singer and model.
• Nathan Beves, model, runner-up of the fourth season of The Mole.
• Lara Bingle, model, former partner of cricketer Michael Clarke.
• Brendan Cowell, actor, appeared on Love My Way.
• Daniel MacPherson, Australian actor, TV presenter, notable for being in City Homicide.
• Chris McCormack, ironman, triathlete.
• Toni Pearen, TV presenter, actress.
• Myles Pollard, actor, appeared on McLeod's Daughters.
• Ricky Ponting, former captain of the Australian national cricket team.
• Jason Stevens, former Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks player.
• Cheyenne Tozzi and her model/actress sister Tahyna Tozzi.
• Sharni Vinson, actress, appeared on Home and Away.

Schools[link]

Cronulla is home to a number of primary and secondary schools:

• Cronulla High School
• De La Salle College
• Our Lady of Mercy College
• Cronulla Public School
• South Cronulla Public School
• St Francis De Sales
• Burraneer Bay Public School
• St Aloysius Catholic Primary School

Churches[link]

St Andrews Anglican Church, St Aloysius Catholic Church, Cronulla Baptist Church, Cronulla Uniting Church, Presbyterian War Memorial Church.

See also[link]

• Electoral district of Cronulla, a seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
• Cronulla railway station
• 2005 Cronulla riots
• Wanda Sand dunes

References[link]

• Our Shire
• Beautiful Images by Chris Dixon, a young Cronulla based photographer

Media related to Cronulla, New South Wales at Wikimedia Commons Coordinates: 34°03′27″S 151°09′08″E / 34.05744°S 151.15219°E / -34.05744; 151.15219

Junior dos Santos
Born	(1984-09-12) September 12, 1984 (age 27) Caçador, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Other names	Cigano ("Gypsy") JDS
Residence	Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Nationality	Brazilian
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	108.4 kg (239 lb; 17 st 1 lb)
Division	Heavyweight (265 lb)
Reach	77 in (196 cm)
Style	Mixed Martial Arts
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Team	Team Nogueira
Rank	Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[1]
Years active	2006–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	16
Wins	15
By knockout	11
By submission	2
By decision	2
Losses	1
By submission	1
Website	http://www.juniordossantos.com.br/
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: November 23, 2011

Junior dos Santos Almeida (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʒũnjoʁ dus ˈsɐ̃tus]), also known as Junior Cigano ("Gipsy"; born September 12, 1984), is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is ranked as the number one heavyweight fighter in the world by numerous media outlets.^[2][3][4]

Mixed martial arts career[link]

Dos Santos started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Yuri Carlton for fitness reasons. After some time he was invited to join an MMA practice, where he met his boxing coach Luiz Carlos Dórea, and after roughly a year he made his debut fight.^[5][6]

Early career[link]

Dos Santos became professional in 2006 at the age of 21. He fought in small promotions in Brazil, such as Demo Fight, Extreme Fighting Championship, Minotauro Fights and Mo Team League. He won 6 out of his first 7 bouts, suffering his only loss to Joaquim Ferreira, a fighter he'd previously beaten.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (2008–present)[link]

Debut (2008–2010)[link]

Dos Santos debuted for the UFC on October 25, 2008 at UFC 90. Considered a major underdog,^[7] dos Santos knocked out top contender Fabricio Werdum at a minute and twenty-one seconds of the first round with a strong uppercut,^[8][9] earning himself a "Knockout of the Night" award.^[10]

Dos Santos returned on February 21, 2009 at UFC 95 and fought promotional newcomer Stefan Struve defeating him at fifty-four seconds of the first round by TKO.^[11]

On September 19, 2009, Dos Santos continued his winning streak and defeated Mirko Filipović at UFC 103.^[12] During the third round, dos Santos dominated Filipović in the clinch with knee strikes and punches. A knee from the clinch and a right uppercut left Cro Cop unable to see causing him to verbally submit.^[13]

Dos Santos was supposed to fight Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 108. However, Gonzaga pulled out of the bout on November 25, 2009, due to a staph infection.^[14] Instead on January 2, 2010, dos Santos fought Gilbert Yvel,^[15] winning the fight via TKO at two minutes and seven seconds of the first round.^[16]

Dos Santos defeated Gabriel Gonzaga on March 21, 2010, at UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones by knockout in the first round.^[17] Earning Dos Santos his second "Knockout of the Night" award.^[18]

Heavyweight title contender (2010–2011)[link]

Dos Santos faced Roy Nelson on August 7, 2010, at UFC 117.^[19] The fight saw Dos Santos use a variety of strikes and, for the first time, a successful takedown.^[20] Despite dos Santos' striking ability, Nelson was able to stay in the fight,^[21] resulting in the fight going to decision.^[22] Dos Santos won via unanimous decision (30–26, 30–27, 30–27).^[23] Following the win Dos Santos was expected to challenge Cain Velasquez for the heavyweight title. However a torn rotator cuff suffered by Velasquez sidelined the champion for nearly a year.^[24]

Junior Dos Santos in action against Shane Carwin in the main event of UFC 131.

On January 11, 2011, it was revealed that Dos Santos would be one of the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter Season 13, opposite to Brock Lesnar.^[25] They were scheduled to face each other on June 11, 2011, at UFC 131,^[26] but Lesnar pulled out of the bout due to a recurrence of diverticulitis and was replaced by Shane Carwin.^[27] Dos Santos dominated Carwin and defeated him via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26),^[28] relying predominantly on his boxing skills,^[29] but showed more variety in his game by landing a couple of kicks and completing two takedowns in the third round.^[30][31]

UFC Heavyweight Champion (2011–present)[link]

Junior Dos Santos with the UFC Heavyweight Title Belt.

Dos Santos faced Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1 for the UFC Heavyweight Championship on November 12, 2011.^[32] Dos Santos defeated Velasquez in 1 minute and 4 seconds of the first round via KO to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship title.^[33] Dos Santos dropped Velasquez with an overhand right and finished him off with a series of punches.^[34] The performance also earned Dos Santos his third "Knockout of the Night" award.^[35] After the fight, it was revealed that he had a torn meniscus in his knee,^[36] he subsequently underwent a successful knee surgery.^[37]

Dos Santos was scheduled to face Alistair Overeem on May 26, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at UFC 146.^[38] On April 4, 2012, the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced Overeem had failed a pre-fight drug test.^[39] Overeem's "A" sample was found to have a elevated T/E ratio of 14:1, the NSAC's allowable ratio is 6:1, Overeem had the opportunity to request a test on his "B" sample.^[40][41] A NSAC hearing on the issue was held on April 24, 2012.^[42] At the hearing Overeem's request for a license was denied.^[43] On April 20, 2012, Dana White the UFC president announced Frank Mir would be replacing Overeem.^[44] Junior dos Santos dominated the fight showing his superior boxing skills, resulting in a TKO in the second round.

Personal life[link]

Dos Santos is married. Moreover, he states that Antônio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira is his hero.^[45] In addition to his native Portuguese, Dos Santos speaks English and has stated his intention to learn Spanish.^[46] He received his nickname "Cigano" by showing up to practice with long hair placed in a ponytail,^[47] Cigano meaning Gypsy in Portuguese.^[45] The name is an allusion to a character from an old Brazilian soap opera, addressing the culture of the gypsies in Brazil.^[47] He is a Roman Catholic.^[7] He has also stated that as a child he hated soccer.^[48]

Championships and accomplishments[link]

Mixed Martial Arts[link]

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Heavyweight Championship (One time; Current)
  • Knockout of the Night (Three times)^[10][18][35]

• FIGHT! Magazine
  • 2008 Upset of the Year vs. Fabricio Werdum on October 25

Mixed martial arts record[link]

See also[link]

• List of current mixed martial arts champions
• List of UFC champions
• List of current UFC fighters

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Junior dos Santos on Twitter
• Professional MMA record for Junior dos Santos from Sherdog
• Official UFC Profile

Beau Ryan

Ryan in 2009
Personal information
Born	(1985-05-11) 11 May 1985 (age 27)
Height	186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	85 kg (13 st 5 lb)
Playing information
Position	Wing, Centre, Fullback
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2007–	Wests Tigers	90	43	0	0	172
As of 19 May 2012
Source: League Central Rugby League Project

Beau Ryan (born 11 May 1985) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League. He plays primarily in the backs.

Playing career[link]

Ryan played junior football with Wests Illawarra. In 2003, Ryan was selected to represent in the New South Wales Schoolboys team. In 2005 he won a premiership with the St. George Illawarra Dragons Jersey Flegg Cup team^[1] under coach Steve Price, but left the club as he was behind centres Matt Cooper, Mark Gasnier and Wes Naiqama.^[2]

Making his NRL debut in round 16 of 2007, Ryan played a further 2 games that year, scoring a try in his second appearance. The next season, he played in 15 games.

From 2009 onwards, Ryan was a regular on the wing for the Wests Tigers. He scored a personal best 13 tries that year, including seven tries in the last 4 games. Soon after, Ryan signed a contract to remain with the Tigers until the end of the 2012 season.^[3]

Injury hampered Ryan's season in 2011, and he didn't take his regular position on the wing until round 14. He scored 8 tries in the remaining 13 games, including the last try of the qualifying final match against St George as the Wests Tigers came from 12-6 down at half time to win 21-12.

Television career[link]

From 2009, Ryan began making regular comedic appearances on The Footy Show,^[4] and in 2010 started his own comedy segment, "Beau Knows...".^[5] He has also created two popular characters; DJ Yallah, an Egyptian-Australian DJ from Bankstown and Donnie Palmer, a Titans trainer who is obsessed with doing stretches.

Coach Tim Sheens said of Ryan's television appearances, "Some players play golf on their day off. He goes and has some fun doing some television. At the moment, TV is his interest and good luck to him as long as it doesn't overtake his football."^[6]

Career highlights[link]

• First Grade Debut – Round 16, 2007 vs Canberra Raiders at Canberra Stadium.

Footnotes[link]

External links[link]

• Beau Ryan at Wests Tigers
• Beau Ryan at the Rugby League Project