dapto
History
The name Dapto is said to be an Aboriginal word either from Dabpeto meaning "water plenty", or from tap-toe which described the way a lame Aboriginal elder walked. The suburb was officially founded in 1834, when George Brown transferred the Ship Inn from Wollongong to Mullet Creek Farm, in an area now named in his honour as Brownsville. After an unsuccessful attempt at wheat growing in the 1850s, Dapto embraced the dairy industry. In 1887 the railway opened and a butter factory was established. This began a transformation of Dapto and the town centre shifted south to where the new station was located. A large smelting works was subsequently established and employed over 500 men. By 1903 the Commissioner for Railways declared that Dapto was the most valuable station on the Illawarra line, its traffic being double that of Wollongong.
Real Estate
In general, people in Dapto work in a trades occupation. In 1996, 70% of the homes in Dapto were owner-occupied compared with 74% in 2001. Currently the median sale price of houses in the area is $293,000.
Shopping
The Dapto Mall extension and refurbishment has been completed and is located in the Dapto CBD. It has a Coles, Woolworths, Australia Post, Big W, Fashion Boutiques, Gloria Jeans, Bakers Delight, Bush's Meats, Dapto Mall Fish Market, Mitchell's Fruit, Dick Smith Electronics, Home Manchester, News Xpress Dapto, Price Mart, EB Games, Just Cuts, Rock Factory, Food court up stairs, Harvey World Travel and a Surf store. Alongside the building of the Mall, a large car park has been built.
Location
Dapto is located on the western shore of Lake Illawarra and covering an area 7.15 square kilometres in size. It is considered the southernmost suburb of the industrial city of Wollongong. According to the 2001 ABS Census, the suburb (including Horsley) currently has a total population of 10,796. The size of Dapto is approximately 9 kmē. It has 22 parks covering nearly 9% of the total area.
Transport
The South Coast line electric rail services Dapto and buses run regularly north & south.
Education
There are 5 schools and 2 childcare centres located in Dapto.
Sport
Perhaps the area's most famous attraction is the Dapto Greyhound Racing Club, colloquially and affectionately known as the 'Dapto Dogs'. Race meetings occur from 6pm to 11pm every Thursday evening. The Dapto football team is known as 'The Canaries' and compete in the local Tooheys League. They last held the premiership when they won 3 titles consecutively from 2000-2002.