Bombo Quarry

Bombo Quarry is a heritage-listed former basalt quarry on Bombo Headland near Kiama on the New South Wales South Coast. It is renowned for its spectacular columnar basalt formations of the Gerringong Volcanics. Operated from the 1880s, the quarry supplied blue metal for construction. Now part of the Bombo Headland Reserve, it is a protected geological site valued for its natural, historic and educational significance.

Visitors can expect an open coastal headland with dramatic hexagonal basalt columns, sheer quarry walls, and ocean views. The site is accessed via gravel walking tracks and viewing areas with interpretive signage explaining the geology and quarrying history. The landscape is exposed and treeless with rocky ground, grassy headland and views to Bombo Beach and the Pacific Ocean. There are no buildings or commercial facilities within the quarry itself.

Bombo Quarry was established in the 1880s to extract Permian basalt (approximately 260-270 million years old) from the Gerringong Volcanics for blue metal aggregate used in road construction and building in Sydney and regional NSW. Operated by various companies including Kiama Quarries Ltd, it was a major industry for Kiama until quarrying ceased in the mid-20th century. The site demonstrates historic quarrying techniques and was listed on the NSW State Heritage Register in 2009 as the Bombo Headland Quarry Geological Site for its geological and industrial heritage values.

The headland lies within Dharawal Country and holds significance for Aboriginal people. For the broader community it is valued as an iconic geological education site illustrating columnar jointing and volcanic processes, and as a landmark of Kiama's quarrying heritage that shaped the town's development.