Thirroul, which was known as Robbinsville until 1891, was named after Frederick Robbins, a local land owner. The name Thirroul was adopted from the "Thurrural" tribe of Aborigines who lived in the area before white settlement.
Although there is a number of different ways of spelling the name, its translation is "the place or valley of the cabbage tree palms". Inspired by its beauty, Author D H Lawrence wrote the novel "Kangaroo" while living in the area in the 1920s.
Thirroul is now a great place to visit, with its beautiful beach, Olympic-sized pool and many shops, cafes and restaurants. The village is divided into two areas separated by a bridge over the railway line.
Many services are available for visitors. There are excellent cafes including Oskar’s Wild Book Store & Cafe in the Anita’s Theatre Complex where you can eat fabulous food and browse through their eclectic range of books (ph 4267 2580), try Bistro 345 serving delicious lunches and dinners (ph 4268 3345) and for takeaway fish and chips drop into Jolly Roger Fresh & Cooked Seafood on McCauley Street (ph 4268 2421).
There are a number of boutiques including The Plume Boutique (ph 4268 5691), Boutique Thirroul (ph 4268 5424) newly relocated to 293 Lawrence Hargrave Drive and Scarletts of Thirroul (ph 4267 1108), and homewares stores including Nest Emporium (ph 4267 2122).
Thirroul also has a few clubs and pubs. Try Ryan’s Hotel on Phillip Street which has comfortable accommodation and great food (ph 4267 1086) or The Beaches Hotel which offers good food and entertainment (ph 4267 2288).
If you feel like a bit of a lift, Thirroul Natural Healing Centre has a number of complementary health practitioners who can help put the zing back into your life (ph 4268 3399)
Thirroul also has an annual arts festival in April, The Thirroul Seaside and Arts Festival. For details on the festival click on www.thirroulfestival.com.
And if you are an art lover, visit Beach Art on Lawrence Hargrave Drive. They have a great display of local artwork and art supplies (ph 4268 1007).
For the adventurous, call Canoe & Kayak Adventures (ph 0421 786 252) and “experience the South Coast as you never have before”.
When staying in Thirroul, try Central 2515, a self-contained modern apartment in the heart of the village (ph 0421 346 765), Bean near the Beach (ph 0434 039 156) or Thirroul Beach Motel (ph 4267 2333).
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