Wollongong, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra
region of New South Wales
, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment
and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres (51 mi) south of Sydney. Wollongong has a population of 292,190, making it the third largest city in New South Wales after Sydney and Newcastle
, and the ninth largest city in Australia.
The metropolitan area extends from Helensburgh
in the north to Gerroa in the south, and is administered by the Wollongong
, Shellharbour
and Kiama councils. Geologically, the city is located in the south-eastern part of the Sydney basin
, which extends from Newcastle to Nowra.
Wollongong is noted for its numerous surfing
beaches, scenic lookout
s and botanic gardens. It has two regional cathedrals, churches of many denominations and the Nan Tien Temple
, one of the largest Buddhist temples in the southern hemisphere. Wollongong is a city with a long history of mining and industry, with coal mines, a steelworks and an industrial port. The city attracts numerous tourists each year, and is a regional centre for the South Coast fishing industry. The local University of Wollongong
has around 22,000 students and is internationally recognised.
The name Wollongong is believed to mean "sound of the sea" in the local Aboriginal language, although other explanations have been offered, such as "great feast of fish", "hard ground near water", "song of the sea", "sound of the waves", "many snakes" and "five islands".
) to the east and a steep sandstone precipice known as the Illawarra Escarpment
to the west. The coastal plain is widest in the south and narrowest in the north, with the city centre
located about midway.
The escarpment ranges between 150 and 750 metres (490–2,460 ft) above sea level, with locally famous mountains such as Mount Keira
(464m), Mount Kembla
(534m), Broker's Nose
(440m) and Mount Murray (768m) to the south. It contains strata of coal measures, and the adit
entrances to many coal mines have been established along the slopes of the escarpment throughout Wollongong. Suburbia encroaches on the escarpment’s lower slopes in some areas, but the majority remains in a relatively natural state forested with dry sclerophyll
and pockets of temperate rainforest. The escarpment is largely protected by a State Conservation Area and local council zoning, and provides a scenic backdrop to the city.
In the north the coastal plain becomes so narrow that the coastal road Lawrence Hargrave Drive
once precariously hugged the cliffline until rock falls forced its closure. It was replaced in 2005 by the Sea Cliff Bridge
. The bridge carries both vehicular and pedestrian traffic just off the coast, crossing the submerged rock shelf. The South Coast railway line
must go through several tunnels to reach the Sydney metropolitan area. The Southern Freeway
and Old Princes Highway provide alternative inland routes, descending the escarpment further south at Bulli Pass
or at Mount Ousley
, entering just north of Wollongong's city centre.
To the south the plain reaches its maximum extent around Albion Park
where it incorporates a large coastal saltwater lagoon called Lake Illawarra
, separated from the Pacific Ocean by a long sandy spit.
The coastal strip consists of highly fertile alluvium
, which made Wollongong so attractive to agriculturists in the nineteenth century. It contains many hills including the foothills of the escarpment’s lower slopes, and while these generally do not exceed one hundred metres in height they give much of the city an undulating character. The coastal strip is traversed by several short but flood-prone and fast-flowing streams and creeks such as Para Creek, Allans Creek, Nostaw Ravine, Jimbob Creek, Mullet Creek and Macquarie Rivulet
.
The coastline consists of many beaches characterised by fine pale gold-coloured sands; however, these beaches are sometimes interrupted by prominent and rocky headlands, such as Tego Rock, jutting into the sea. In places these headlands have been excavated or extended to create artificial harbours at Wollongong, Port Kembla
, Shellharbour
and Kiama
. Just off the coast south of Wollongong centre, near Port Kembla, lies a group of five islands known collectively as The Five Islands
. The islands are a wildlife refuge.
, extending from Para Creek in the north, west to include the Wollongong Hospital, and south to the Greenhouse Park.
The CBD is a major commercial hub containing many department stores and speciality shops, offices and entertainment venues. It is centred around the Crown Street Mall, and approximates the area bounded by Market Street, Corrimal Street, Burelli Street and the railway line
. Surrounding the CBD lies a mixture of parks, reserves, light commercial property, houses and multi-story residential units. Multi-story housing is evident particularly on Smith’s Hill north-east of the CBD, reflecting the popularity of combining inner-city living, coastal views and a beachside lifestyle.
To the east of the city lies Flagstaff Point, a rocky headland with eroded low cliffs topped by a grassy hill. The northern side of the point was excavated by convict labour to form Belmore Basin, and later extended with the northern breakwater to create Wollongong Harbour. The area is the site of a historic fort
, several restored cannons and two lighthouses, a feature peculiar to the east coast of Australia. The older Wollongong Breakwater Lighthouse located at the harbour entrance was made of wrought iron plates in 1871 and has become an icon of the city. The newer Wollongong Head Lighthouse
was constructed in 1936 atop the Flagstaff Hill and is still in use today. Belmore Basin houses the commercial fishing fleet and Fisherman’s Co-op, while the main harbour shelters private vessels.
The main beaches of central Wollongong are North Wollongong (or simply North) Beach extending from the harbour up to the Para Creek lagoon and Puckeys Estate Reserve
, and Wollongong City Beach extending south from Flagstaff Point and into Coniston Beach.
(Köppen climate classification
Cfb), with average maximum temperatures varying from 17 °C in winter to 26 °C in summer tempered by sea breeze
s. The highest recorded temperature is 44.1 °C in January, and the lowest 0.8 °C in July.
Hot summer evenings are sometimes relieved by a front of rapidly moving cool air known as a southerly buster
.
Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the seasons, with a bias to the first half of the year. It is often associated with orographic lift
caused by the escarpment. Short high intensity rainfall events may happen at any time of the year and can lead to local flooding. A significant flood event occurred on 17 August 1998 when Wollongong recorded 316 mm of rainfall (the nearby suburb of Mt Ousley recorded in excess of 445 mm), mostly falling in a 3 hour period. Wollongong also experiences thunderstorm
s during the warmer months bringing lightning
, heavy rain and occasionally hail
.
Yearly rainfall is influenced by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation
.
July and August are known as the windy months, with westerly gales that can gust at over 100 km/h.
) Indigenous Australians
. The first Europeans to visit the area were the navigators George Bass
and Matthew Flinders
, who landed at Lake Illawarra in 1796. The first settlers in the region were cedar cutters in the early nineteenth century, followed by graziers in 1812. Charles Throsby established a stockman's hut in the area in 1815. The first land grants were made in 1816. In 1830, a military barracks was constructed near the harbour. Further settlers arrived and in 1834 a town was planned. On 26 November 1834, the town was first gazetted and George Brown erected the first court house. The main road down the Escarpment through Bulli Pass was built by convict labour in 1835-6, although other passes were built during the 1800s as well, such as O'Briens Road and Rixons Pass. By 1856 Wollongong had a population of 864.
In 1858, a court house was built. In 1861, a horse-drawn tramway from Mount Keira
to the harbour was completed. In 1862 a telegraph line was opened between Wollongong and Bellambi
. In 1865, the first gas supply in Wollongong was provided from a gas plant in Corrimal Street. In 1868 the extensions to the harbour were opened by Lady Belmore and named Belmore Basin. Patrick Lahiff established a coke works at Wollongong Harbour in the 1870s. He erected two beehive coke ovens between the north eastern end of the basin and Pulpit Rock. The ovens were demolished in 1892. The remains of the coke ovens were uncovered and recovered and are now preserved beneath the hill, with a plaque explaining their history.
In 1871, the old lighthouse was completed. In 1880, steam locomotives were introduced to haul coal loads from Mount Keira mine to the harbour. Gas street lighting was introduced in 1883. In 1885, a new court house was erected in Market Street. Like many Australian court houses, it was designed in a Classical Revival style considered appropriate for public buildings. It is now listed on the Register of the National Estate
. In 1886 the first town hall was erected. The Illawarra Railway to Wollongong was completed in 1887, and now continues as far south as the town of Bomaderry
on the Shoalhaven River. The navigator George Bass first documented the Illawarra coal deposits in 1797. There have been many coalmines in the district. Australia's worst coal mining disaster occurred in 1902, at the Mount Kembla
mine when an explosion killed 94 men and boys, the youngest aged 14, the oldest 69. Two other men died attempting to rescue survivors. In 1908 the Wollongong District Hospital was established on Garden Hill. In 1916 the Wollongong High School was opened.
Heavy industry was attracted to the region by the ready availability of coal. In 1928 Hoskins, later Australian Iron & Steel, started a steelworks at Port Kembla, a few kilometres south of Wollongong. The former Broken Hill Proprietary Company (now BHP Billiton
after merging with Billiton plc) acquired AI&S in 1935, but has since spun-out their steel division as a separate company, now known as BlueScope Steel
. The steelworks has grown to become a world-class flat rolled steel producer, operating as a fully integrated steel plant with a production of around 5 million tonnes per year. Other industries to have set up in the massive Port Kembla industrial complex—the largest single concentration of heavy industry in Australia—include a fertiliser plant, an electrolytic copper smelter (featuring the tallest chimney in Australia), a locomotive workshop, a coal export shipping terminal, a grain export shipping terminal and an industrial gases manufacturing plant.
In 1937 the new Wollongong Lighthouse was finished on Flagstaff Point. In 1942 Wollongong was proclaimed a City. In 1947 City of Greater Wollongong was formed. In 1954 the population of Wollongong was 90,852. In 1956 new Wollongong City Council Chambers were opened. In 1961 the Wollongong University College was established. In 1963 the Wollongong Teachers College was established. In 1965 the Westfield shopping centre at Figtree
opened.
In 1985 the railway line was electrified to Wollongong, and in 1993 to Dapto. In 1986 the Wollongong Mall was completed. For a short while trams (trackless trains) were used in the mall, though this ceased due to dangers involved. The mall was re-opened to traffic after the initial test but re-zoned a pedestrian area after and has remained one since.
In 1987 the council chambers and library building were completed, replacing the old council building at the present art gallery site. The Crown Gateway Shopping Centre was completed. Wollongong Mall was opened. In 1988 the current council administration building was completed, as well as the performing arts centre across Burelli Street. A sculpture recognising Lawrence Hargrave
was placed via a helicopter on the eastern foothills of Mount Keira
. In 1998 the 6000 seat Wollongong Entertainment Centre
was opened.
In 1999 the Gateway and Crown Central mall buildings were unified as Wollongong Central and a pedestrian walkway/cafe was built connecting the buildings in an above ground bridge. In 2000, as part of the Sydney Olympics, the Olympic torch was carried through Wollongong as part of its journey. In 2001 the population of Wollongong reached 181,612 people. In 2004 the Wollongong City Gallery celebrated its 25th anniversary. In 2005 Qantas
established a daily air service from Wollongong to Melbourne that lasted till 2008.
In 2006/2007 the library was renovated, including new facilities, as part of the tenth anniversary of the library's current site. Also at this time the beachfront was renovated with a new lookout and walkway upgrade. In June 2007 erosion was caused via storms to the beaches, the worst in 30 years.
Despite the decline of traditional manufacturing and blue-collar industries due to the abandonment of protectionist
economic policies in the 1980s, many of these industrial installations still exist. The city's economy is, however, on the rebound, thanks to diversification of economic activity including higher education, the fine arts, tourism, residential construction and eco-friendly electricity generation
; however, the city's economy still relies primarily on heavy industry, and will continue to in the near future.
in the north to Gerroa
in the south. With an estimated population of 292,190 as at 30 June 2010 it is the 3rd largest city in New South Wales and the 9th largest in Australia. Around 89% of the population reside in the built-up urban area extending from Clifton
to Shell Cove
.
The following table includes selected 2006 census figures for these areas, together with those for the central suburb of Wollongong.
Wollongong is continuing to grow with a population growth of 2.9% for the period 2001 to 2006, although the supply of new residential land is limited by the geography particularly in the northern suburbs. The west Dapto
area is a major centre of future growth with plans for 19,000 new dwellings and 50,000 people within 40 years. New residential areas are also being developed further south around the Albion Park
, Shell Cove
and Kiama
areas.
Wollongong has a distinctly multicultural population. Many migrants were attracted to the area by the job opportunities at the Port Kembla
steelworks in the post-war period, and settled in surrounding suburbs such as Cringila
, Warrawong
and Coniston
. By 1966 about 60% of the wage earners at the Australian Iron and Steel steelworks were born overseas coming from over 70 countries. These included British, Macedonians
, Hungarians, Portuguese Greeks
, Bosnians
, Croatians
, Serbians
, Germans
, Turks, and Chileans
. With the end of the White Australia policy
these were followed by Indo-Chinese refugees in the 1970s, Indians
, Filipinos, Chinese
, Malays and Pacific Islanders in the 1980s and 1990s. The university
continues to attract students and staff from all over the world, with around 5,000 overseas student enrolments.
In religion Wollongong is predominantly Christian. The major denominations are Catholic (29.2%) and Anglican (23.8%), while 14.8% of the population profess no religion.
Major sources of employment include education, steel and food service. Around 20,000 people commute daily to jobs in Sydney by road and rail
, making it one of the busiest commuter corridors in Australia.
, which was formerly part of the University of New South Wales
, and the Illawarra Institute of Technology, part of the State's system of TAFE colleges. The university was awarded the "Australian University of the Year" in two consecutive years (1999–2000, 2000–2001) by the Good Universities Guide.
Wollongong has a number of primary and high schools, including public, denominational and independent. Specialist high schools include the selective
Smith's Hill High School
, the Illawarra Sports High School, The Illawarra Grammar School and Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts
.
, Prime7 and Southern Cross Ten
. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation
(ABC) and the Special Broadcasting Service
(SBS) also broadcast television services to Wollongong. In addition to these channels, ten new channels broadcasting in digital transmission format only are also available in Wollongong and the greater Illawarra region. These channels include ABC2
, ABC3
, ABC News 24
, 7TWO
, 7mate
, GO!
, GEM HD, One HD, Eleven
and SBS Two. In some areas it is also possible to pick up Sydney channels including community station Television Sydney
. Subscription Television service Austar
is also available via satellite.
Of the three main commerical TV networks, WIN
(whose network base is located in Wollongong) produces a 30-minute local news bulletin for its local broadcast area and a late night statewide bulletin for southern New South Wales and the ACT each weeknight. Prime and Southern Cross Ten
also air short local news updates throughout the day.
The region receives four ABC radio services – ABC Classic FM
95.7, ABC Illawarra 97.3, Triple J
98.9, and Radio National
1431 AM. There are two commercial radio stations i98 FM
98.1 and WAVE FM 96.5, and two community radio
stations Vox FM
106.9 and Christian broadcaster 94.1 FM. Nowra's Power FM 94.9 also reaches the city, as do most Sydney commercial radio stations.
Wollongong is home to one daily newspaper The Illawarra Mercury issued Monday to Saturday, in addition to several free community newspapers including the Wollongong Advertiser
and Local Citizen.
-Yallah Southern Freeway
(formerly the F6). The freeway, part of National Route 1, descends the escarpment via Mount Ousley Road to enter the city near the University of Wollongong
and exits at its southern fringe. A second freeway, Memorial Drive (formerly the Northern Distributor), continues northward from the university to connect Wollongong's northern suburbs, Bulli Pass
and the scenic Lawrence Hargrave Drive
. The Illawarra Highway
connects Wollongong's southern suburbs to the Southern Highlands via Macquarie Pass
.
. Passenger rail services on this line connect the centres of Nowra
and Kiama
to the south and Sydney to the north. A branch line connects suburbs between the CBD and Port Kembla. A passenger rail service connecting Wollongong to the Southern Highlands
has since been replaced with a coach service. Freight services connect Sydney markets with Port Kembla and the Manildra factory at Bomaderry. The Southern Highlands line is used primarily for freight, providing an important bypass for Sydney's congested rail network.
. There is also a Free Shuttle Bus service that connects the CBD, University and the suburbs of North Wollongong, Fairy Meadow and Gwynneville.
, also known as the Wollongong Airport and the base for the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS). The Airport is located at Albion Park Rail
, in the Shellharbour City LGA.
There are multiple air charter businesses including NSW Air, EliteJet and Touchdown Helicopters.
Wollongong maintains an active arts scene. In the area of music the city is home to the Wollongong Symphony Orchestra
, BlueScope Steel Youth Orchestra, a jazz club and various groups and ensembles. The Wollongong Conservatorium of Music
provides musical tuition for instruments and voice in classical, jazz and contemporary styles. It is one of the largest regional conservatorium in Australia and located in the historic Gleniffer Brae Manor House, part of the Wollongong Botanic Gardens
.
Local theatre groups include the Arcadians, Roo Theatre, Merrigong and Wollongong Workshop Theatre.
The annual Wollongong Eisteddfod showcases local talent in music, theatre and dance.
The Wollongong City Gallery houses a significant collection of the art of the Illawarra, contemporary Australian, Aboriginal and Asian art. In addition there are a number of private galleries, particularly in Wollongong's northern seaside suburbs.
The popular 1990s stoner rock band Tumbleweed
were formed and based in Wollongong.
, many restaurants and cafes, the town cinemas and the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre. Adjacent to WIN Stadium
, the home ground of the NRL team St. George Illawarra Dragons, is the WIN Entertainment Centre
: a multipurpose venue which hosts concerts and sporting events (including Southern Stars, basketball and motocross stunt shows). There are numerous city nightclubs, pubs & Registered Clubs, including HostageX, The Illawarra Master Builders Club, The Grand Hotel (back to its original name, after being called Cooney's for a few years), The Glasshouse Tavern, One Five One (Formerly Bourbon St and originally Cousins), Castros (Formerly Rusty's), The Illawarra Hotel, The Harp Hotel, and The North Wollongong Hotel. The iconic Oxford Hotel closed in 2010, which meant the demise of a well-known live music venue, home in years past to acts such as Tumbleweed in their formative days. Most suburbs also have their own hotels, each with individual character. The Headlands Hotel at Austinmer is heritage-listed.
Wollongong has 17 seasonally-patrolled local beaches: Stanwell Park, Coalcliff, Austinmer, Thirroul, Sandon Point, Bulli, Woonona, Bellambi, Corrimal, Towradgi, Fairy Meadow, North Wollongong, Wollongong City, Port Kembla and Windang. Surfing, rock fishing, swimming, skimboarding are common activities. The Wollongong to Thirroul Bike Track
, a thirteen kilometre Heart Foundation walking/biking pathway which runs northwards adjacent to the Illawarra
coastline starting at Wollongong Beach, is frequented by walkers, joggers, skaters and bicycle riders. Bushwalking on nearby Mount Keira
and Mount Kembla
, and motorbike riding at the Motocross Track on the escarpment west of Wollongong, are also popular activities.
Wollongong has many parks. In the city centre is MacCabe Park
, featuring a playground, the local youth centre, a war memorial, community hall, a sculpture called "Nike" and a brick amphitheatre. Lang Park, adjacent to the city beach, has a number of shelters built in the 1950s. These were subject for demolition but were saved by a community vote. Stuart Park, to the coastal north of the city but south of Fairy Lagoon and Puckeys Estate Reserve
, is well known as a landing spot for skydivers as well as a place for outdoor recreation and social gatherings. Stuart Park is also distinctive for its Norfolk Island
Pines, planted during the North Wollongong tourism boom in the 1920s. J.J.Kelly Park to the south is used by circuses, as well as a protected area of creek leading to the Greenhouse Park north of the Port Kembla Steelworks, containing a revegetated area of once waste and a lookout, as well as the small remnants of Tom Thumb Lagoon, which once stretched north to Swan Street. Beaton Park in Gwynneville
is home to Tennis Wollongong and the Leisure Centre with an athletics complex, indoor heated swimming pool, gymnasium and multipurpose sports hall.
represent the city in the National
Rugby League
(NRL)
competition. The club was formed in a merger between the St. George Dragons
and the Illawarra Steelers
in 1999, and continues to play some home games at WIN Stadium
. They won the 2010 NRL Grand Final against the Sydney Roosters. Prior to the merger the Illawarra Steelers had represented the area in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership
and NRL between 1982 and 1998. Rugby league has been played in Wollongong since 1911, and the area has produced at least 41 international players. At the local level league continues to have a strong following with a number of teams playing in the Illawarra Rugby League
and Group 7 Rugby League
competitions.
Trent Johnston
, captain of Ireland at the 2007 Cricket World Cup
, is a native of Wollongong. He grew up in Dapto
and left Australia in 2004. He played his 100th game for Ireland against England in August 2009.
The Illawarriors
are a rugby union
club based in the Illawarra, who contest the Shute Shield
NSW club competition. The club play some of their home games at WIN Stadium.
The Wollongong Hawks
basketball team play in the National Basketball League
and are the only NBL club (as of 2009/10) to have competed in every season since the league's inception in 1979. Home games are played at the WIN Entertainment Centre
, known as "The Sandpit" in the NBL
Wollongong F.C. is the region's football (soccer)
club who compete in the New South Wales Premier League
. Scott Chipperfield
, a Wollongong native who became a professional football player in Europe, along with Tim Cahill
, has recently expressed an interest in being involved in a Wollongong football club in the A-League
, as well as the Sydney club playing some promotional games in Wollongong. Great South Football is a consortium preparing the Illawarra's South Coast A-League bid
. In late 2008, the club folded due to debt incurred over the past season. It is proposed that a new community-based entity will take on the Football NSW licence previously held by Wollongong FC.
The Illawarra Cycling Club holds road cycle races almost every week of the year. During the summer, velodrome racing is also promoted at the Unanderra Velodrome on the Princes Highway. A recent focus within the club has seen a shift to encompass a stronger emphasis on youth development programs alongside its already strong commitment to competitive under 19's, 23's and adult road racing. The club is represented at a state and national level regularly and has had several riders compete at international levels.
The Wollongong Lions Australian Football Club play in the Sydney AFL
competition. The club was established in 1971 as the Swans and in 1989 joined the Sydney AFL as the Lions.
The club also has junior teams playing in the AFL Illawarra Juniors competition.
The Gong Scorpions are the local Floorball team from the Wollongong area. The Club plays socially at the Wollongong University and has recently been re-established in order to compete in the NSW Elite Series.
Baseball has been played in the region with structured competitions conducted since 1938. The Illawarra District Baseball Association was the governing body from this year until 1991 when the Illawarra Baseball League was created.
The Illawarra Junior Baseball League was inaugurated in 1984 to accommodate a growing number of juniors that peaked at around 950 players in 1995.
Eight regional clubs from four Local Government Areas play in the I B L.
A regional club, the Illawarra Flame Baseball Club, fielded teams in four grades in the New South Wales Baseball League Sydney Major League from 1994 to 2007. The first grade team made the Grand Final in their inaugural season. The Club won a total of four premierships while participating.
The IFBC played their inaugural games against the All Kawasaki Baseball Club in August 1994 the games being the first sporting exchange between the Sister Cities, Wollongong and Kawasaki.
Other popular sports in the Illawarra include rock climbing, surfing, cup stacking, triathlon and mountain biking.
Kawasaki
, Japan, formally established 1988 Ohrid
, Republic of Macedonia, established 1981, lapsed, formally re-established 1999 Longyan
, People's Republic of China (friendship city), formally established 2001
Illawarra
Illawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the Shoalhaven or South Coast region. It encompasses the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and the town of Kiama. The central region contains Lake...
region of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment
Illawarra escarpment
The Illawarra Escarpment is the fold created cliffs and plateau eroded outcrop mountain range west of the Illawarra coastal plain south of Sydney, Australia, enclosing the region known as the Illawarra which stretches from Stanwell Park in the north to Kiama, Gerringong and the Shoalhaven river in...
and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres (51 mi) south of Sydney. Wollongong has a population of 292,190, making it the third largest city in New South Wales after Sydney and Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, and the ninth largest city in Australia.
The metropolitan area extends from Helensburgh
Helensburgh, New South Wales
Helensburgh is a small town in New South Wales, Australia. Helensburgh is located 45 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and north of Wollongong. Helensburgh is in the local government area of Wollongong City Council and marks the northern end of the Illawarra region...
in the north to Gerroa in the south, and is administered by the Wollongong
City of Wollongong
The City of Wollongong is a Local Government Area in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Freeway and the South Coast railway line....
, Shellharbour
City of Shellharbour
City of Shellharbour is a Local Government Area located in the Illawarra region, on the east coast of Australia, about 100 km south of Sydney...
and Kiama councils. Geologically, the city is located in the south-eastern part of the Sydney basin
Sydney Basin
The Sydney Basin is a sedimentary basin on the east coast of New South Wales, Australia consisting of Permian and Triassic sedimentary rocks...
, which extends from Newcastle to Nowra.
Wollongong is noted for its numerous surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
beaches, scenic lookout
Lookout
A lookout or look-out is a person on a ship in charge of the observation of the sea for hazards, other ships, land, etc. Lookouts report anything they see and or hear. When reporting contacts, lookouts give information such as, bearing of the object, which way the object is headed, target angles...
s and botanic gardens. It has two regional cathedrals, churches of many denominations and the Nan Tien Temple
Nan Tien Temple
Nan Tien Temple is a Buddhist temple complex located in the industrial suburb of Berkeley, on the southern outskirts of the Australian city of Wollongong, approximately 80 km south of Sydney...
, one of the largest Buddhist temples in the southern hemisphere. Wollongong is a city with a long history of mining and industry, with coal mines, a steelworks and an industrial port. The city attracts numerous tourists each year, and is a regional centre for the South Coast fishing industry. The local University of Wollongong
University of Wollongong
The University of Wollongong is a public university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney...
has around 22,000 students and is internationally recognised.
The name Wollongong is believed to mean "sound of the sea" in the local Aboriginal language, although other explanations have been offered, such as "great feast of fish", "hard ground near water", "song of the sea", "sound of the waves", "many snakes" and "five islands".
Geography
The city of Wollongong has a distinct geography. It lies on a narrow coastal plain flanked by the Pacific Ocean (or Tasman SeaTasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
) to the east and a steep sandstone precipice known as the Illawarra Escarpment
Illawarra escarpment
The Illawarra Escarpment is the fold created cliffs and plateau eroded outcrop mountain range west of the Illawarra coastal plain south of Sydney, Australia, enclosing the region known as the Illawarra which stretches from Stanwell Park in the north to Kiama, Gerringong and the Shoalhaven river in...
to the west. The coastal plain is widest in the south and narrowest in the north, with the city centre
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
located about midway.
The escarpment ranges between 150 and 750 metres (490–2,460 ft) above sea level, with locally famous mountains such as Mount Keira
Mount Keira
Mount Keira is a 464 metre high mountain lying 4 kilometres northwest of the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Its distinctive shape and proximity to Wollongong make it a major local landmark. It is noted for the views of the city from the popular summit lookout and its history of...
(464m), Mount Kembla
Mount Kembla
Mount Kembla is a mountain in New South Wales, Australia, as well a semi-rural township of Wollongong, which gets its name from the mountain.Kembla is an Aboriginal word meaning "plenty of game"....
(534m), Broker's Nose
Broker's Nose
Brokers Nose or Mount Corrimal is the name of an outcrop of the Illawarra Escarpment west of Corrimal, New South Wales. Its summit is 440 metres above sea level and there is a television transmission tower atop it...
(440m) and Mount Murray (768m) to the south. It contains strata of coal measures, and the adit
Adit
An adit is an entrance to an underground mine which is horizontal or nearly horizontal, by which the mine can be entered, drained of water, and ventilated.-Construction:...
entrances to many coal mines have been established along the slopes of the escarpment throughout Wollongong. Suburbia encroaches on the escarpment’s lower slopes in some areas, but the majority remains in a relatively natural state forested with dry sclerophyll
Sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is the term for a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon ....
and pockets of temperate rainforest. The escarpment is largely protected by a State Conservation Area and local council zoning, and provides a scenic backdrop to the city.
In the north the coastal plain becomes so narrow that the coastal road Lawrence Hargrave Drive
Lawrence Hargrave Drive
Lawrence Hargrave Drive is a scenic coastal road and popular tourist drive connecting the northernmost suburbs of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia to both Wollongong and Sydney....
once precariously hugged the cliffline until rock falls forced its closure. It was replaced in 2005 by the Sea Cliff Bridge
Sea Cliff Bridge
The Sea Cliff Bridge is a balanced cantilever bridge located in the northern Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The $52 million bridge links the coastal villages of Coalcliff and Clifton...
. The bridge carries both vehicular and pedestrian traffic just off the coast, crossing the submerged rock shelf. The South Coast railway line
South Coast railway line, New South Wales
The South Coast Line is in the intercity region of Sydney's CityRail services. It serves the coastal region to the south of the Sydney metropolitan area including the Illawarra region, most notably the regional city of Wollongong, and extended services reach as far as Nowra in Shoalhaven.- Line...
must go through several tunnels to reach the Sydney metropolitan area. The Southern Freeway
Southern Freeway
Southern Freeway is a freeway linking Sydney to Wollongong. It currently is designated as part of National Route 1, however was formerly signposted as F6 under a former route numbering system, and is commonly known by this latter name...
and Old Princes Highway provide alternative inland routes, descending the escarpment further south at Bulli Pass
Bulli Pass
Bulli Pass is a mountain pass northwest of Bulli, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated on the Illawarra Escarpment west of the Illawarra coastal plain. It was built during the 19th century for use by loggers and locals transporting goods to and from Sydney...
or at Mount Ousley
Mount Ousley, New South Wales
Mount Ousley is a residential suburb situated on the foothills of Mount Keira about four kilometres northwest from the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It is also the name of the road which crosses the nearby Illawarra Escarpment and is adjacent to the University of Wollongong. Mount...
, entering just north of Wollongong's city centre.
To the south the plain reaches its maximum extent around Albion Park
Albion Park, New South Wales
Albion Park is a suburb in the City of Shellharbour, which is in turn one of the three local government areas that comprise the Wollongong Metropolitan Area, New South Wales, Australia...
where it incorporates a large coastal saltwater lagoon called Lake Illawarra
Lake Illawarra
Lake Illawarra is a large coastal lagoon located in the city of Wollongong about 100 km south of Sydney, New South Wales.The lake receives runoff from the Illawarra escarpment through Macquarie Rivulet and Mullet Creek, and has a narrow tidal entrance to the sea at Windang...
, separated from the Pacific Ocean by a long sandy spit.
Alluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
, which made Wollongong so attractive to agriculturists in the nineteenth century. It contains many hills including the foothills of the escarpment’s lower slopes, and while these generally do not exceed one hundred metres in height they give much of the city an undulating character. The coastal strip is traversed by several short but flood-prone and fast-flowing streams and creeks such as Para Creek, Allans Creek, Nostaw Ravine, Jimbob Creek, Mullet Creek and Macquarie Rivulet
Macquarie Rivulet
Macquarie Rivulet is a river in New South Wales which is 23 kilometres long. It rises near Robertson, New South Wales and drains the eastern edge of the Southern Highlands plateau and part of the Illawarra escarpment. It flows through Albion Park Rail, then goes into Lake Illawarra and indirectly...
.
The coastline consists of many beaches characterised by fine pale gold-coloured sands; however, these beaches are sometimes interrupted by prominent and rocky headlands, such as Tego Rock, jutting into the sea. In places these headlands have been excavated or extended to create artificial harbours at Wollongong, Port Kembla
Port Kembla, New South Wales
Port Kembla is a suburb of Wollongong 8 km south of the CBD and part of the Illawarra region of New South Wales. The suburb comprises a seaport, industrial complex , a small harbour foreshore nature reserve, and a small commercial sector. It is situated on the tip of Red Point, first sighted...
, Shellharbour
Shellharbour, New South Wales
Shellharbour is a southern beachside suburb of Wollongong, located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It also gives its name to the Local Government Area, City of Shellharbour....
and Kiama
Kiama, New South Wales
-Transport:The town is served by Kiama Station on the South Coast Line. It is served by road in the form of the Princes Highway and the Kiama Bypass.-Attractions:...
. Just off the coast south of Wollongong centre, near Port Kembla, lies a group of five islands known collectively as The Five Islands
Five Islands Nature Reserve
Five Islands Nature Reserve is a 26 ha reserve comprising five islands close to Port Kembla, New South Wales, Australia. The islands - Flinders Islet , Bass Islet, Martin Islet, Big Island and Rocky Islet - lie between 0.5 and 3.5 km off the coast...
. The islands are a wildlife refuge.
Inner City
The inner city area includes the suburbs of Wollongong and North WollongongNorth Wollongong, New South Wales
North Wollongong is the immediate northern coastal suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. North Wollongong is used to refer to the northern area of Wollongong as well as North Wollongong by locals, despite the official suburb not including the northern apartment areas of Wollongong and...
, extending from Para Creek in the north, west to include the Wollongong Hospital, and south to the Greenhouse Park.
The CBD is a major commercial hub containing many department stores and speciality shops, offices and entertainment venues. It is centred around the Crown Street Mall, and approximates the area bounded by Market Street, Corrimal Street, Burelli Street and the railway line
South Coast railway line, New South Wales
The South Coast Line is in the intercity region of Sydney's CityRail services. It serves the coastal region to the south of the Sydney metropolitan area including the Illawarra region, most notably the regional city of Wollongong, and extended services reach as far as Nowra in Shoalhaven.- Line...
. Surrounding the CBD lies a mixture of parks, reserves, light commercial property, houses and multi-story residential units. Multi-story housing is evident particularly on Smith’s Hill north-east of the CBD, reflecting the popularity of combining inner-city living, coastal views and a beachside lifestyle.
To the east of the city lies Flagstaff Point, a rocky headland with eroded low cliffs topped by a grassy hill. The northern side of the point was excavated by convict labour to form Belmore Basin, and later extended with the northern breakwater to create Wollongong Harbour. The area is the site of a historic fort
Flagstaff Hill Fort
Flagstaff Hill Fort, was a fort at Flagstaff Point, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.-History:Constructed between 1890-1891, the fort was built with a disappearing gun emplacement. The fort was dug-out of the hill using face brick walls and then earth was placed over the tunnels...
, several restored cannons and two lighthouses, a feature peculiar to the east coast of Australia. The older Wollongong Breakwater Lighthouse located at the harbour entrance was made of wrought iron plates in 1871 and has become an icon of the city. The newer Wollongong Head Lighthouse
Wollongong Head Lighthouse
Wollongong Head Lighthouse, also known as Flagstaff Lighthouse or Flagstaff Point Light, is an active lighthouse located in Wollongong, a coastal city south of Sydney, New South Wales. It overlooks the Tasman Sea from the top of Flagstaff Point, directly east of the city centre...
was constructed in 1936 atop the Flagstaff Hill and is still in use today. Belmore Basin houses the commercial fishing fleet and Fisherman’s Co-op, while the main harbour shelters private vessels.
The main beaches of central Wollongong are North Wollongong (or simply North) Beach extending from the harbour up to the Para Creek lagoon and Puckeys Estate Reserve
Puckeys Estate Reserve
Puckey's Estate Reserve is a coastal nature reserve in Wollongong, Australia. It is mainly she-oak forest, but also has sand dune and wetland areas, including areas along Para Creek...
, and Wollongong City Beach extending south from Flagstaff Point and into Coniston Beach.
Climate
Wollongong experiences an oceanic climateOceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
(Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Cfb), with average maximum temperatures varying from 17 °C in winter to 26 °C in summer tempered by sea breeze
Sea breeze
A sea-breeze is a wind from the sea that develops over land near coasts. It is formed by increasing temperature differences between the land and water; these create a pressure minimum over the land due to its relative warmth, and forces higher pressure, cooler air from the sea to move inland...
s. The highest recorded temperature is 44.1 °C in January, and the lowest 0.8 °C in July.
Hot summer evenings are sometimes relieved by a front of rapidly moving cool air known as a southerly buster
Southerly
Southerly is the name of a storm or front of air coming from the south. In the Southern Hemisphere these can be cold and have bad weather. In Wellington, New Zealand these storms are normally short and frequently have winds gusting between 120 km/h and 160 km/h though higher speeds are...
.
Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the seasons, with a bias to the first half of the year. It is often associated with orographic lift
Orographic lift
Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and create clouds and, under the right conditions,...
caused by the escarpment. Short high intensity rainfall events may happen at any time of the year and can lead to local flooding. A significant flood event occurred on 17 August 1998 when Wollongong recorded 316 mm of rainfall (the nearby suburb of Mt Ousley recorded in excess of 445 mm), mostly falling in a 3 hour period. Wollongong also experiences thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
s during the warmer months bringing lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
, heavy rain and occasionally hail
Hail
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is referred to as a hail stone. Hail stones on Earth consist mostly of water ice and measure between and in diameter, with the larger stones coming from severe thunderstorms...
.
Yearly rainfall is influenced by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation
El Niño-Southern Oscillation
El Niño/La Niña-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, is a quasiperiodic climate pattern that occurs across the tropical Pacific Ocean roughly every five years...
.
July and August are known as the windy months, with westerly gales that can gust at over 100 km/h.
History
The area was originally inhabited by the Dharwal (or TuruwalTuruwal
The Turuwal people were an Aboriginal sub-group of the Dharuk language nation based in New South Wales, Australia. The word boomerang comes from their language.-References:*...
) Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
. The first Europeans to visit the area were the navigators George Bass
George Bass
George Bass was a British naval surgeon and explorer of Australia.-Early years:He was born on 30 January 1771 at Aswarby, a hamlet near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, the son of a tenant farmer, George Bass, and a local beauty named Sarah Nee Newman. His father died in 1777 when Bass was 6...
and Matthew Flinders
Matthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
, who landed at Lake Illawarra in 1796. The first settlers in the region were cedar cutters in the early nineteenth century, followed by graziers in 1812. Charles Throsby established a stockman's hut in the area in 1815. The first land grants were made in 1816. In 1830, a military barracks was constructed near the harbour. Further settlers arrived and in 1834 a town was planned. On 26 November 1834, the town was first gazetted and George Brown erected the first court house. The main road down the Escarpment through Bulli Pass was built by convict labour in 1835-6, although other passes were built during the 1800s as well, such as O'Briens Road and Rixons Pass. By 1856 Wollongong had a population of 864.
In 1858, a court house was built. In 1861, a horse-drawn tramway from Mount Keira
Mount Keira
Mount Keira is a 464 metre high mountain lying 4 kilometres northwest of the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Its distinctive shape and proximity to Wollongong make it a major local landmark. It is noted for the views of the city from the popular summit lookout and its history of...
to the harbour was completed. In 1862 a telegraph line was opened between Wollongong and Bellambi
Bellambi, New South Wales
Bellambi is a suburb of Wollongong in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It has a station on the CityRail South Coast line.Bellambi is situated directly north of Corrimal and east of Russell Vale...
. In 1865, the first gas supply in Wollongong was provided from a gas plant in Corrimal Street. In 1868 the extensions to the harbour were opened by Lady Belmore and named Belmore Basin. Patrick Lahiff established a coke works at Wollongong Harbour in the 1870s. He erected two beehive coke ovens between the north eastern end of the basin and Pulpit Rock. The ovens were demolished in 1892. The remains of the coke ovens were uncovered and recovered and are now preserved beneath the hill, with a plaque explaining their history.
In 1871, the old lighthouse was completed. In 1880, steam locomotives were introduced to haul coal loads from Mount Keira mine to the harbour. Gas street lighting was introduced in 1883. In 1885, a new court house was erected in Market Street. Like many Australian court houses, it was designed in a Classical Revival style considered appropriate for public buildings. It is now listed on the Register of the National Estate
Register of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...
. In 1886 the first town hall was erected. The Illawarra Railway to Wollongong was completed in 1887, and now continues as far south as the town of Bomaderry
Bomaderry, New South Wales
Bomaderry is a town in the Shoalhaven council district area of New South Wales, Australia. In 2006, it had a population of 6,601 people. It is on the north shore of the Shoalhaven River, across the river from Nowra, the major town of the Shoalhaven,of which Bomaderry is locally regarded as being...
on the Shoalhaven River. The navigator George Bass first documented the Illawarra coal deposits in 1797. There have been many coalmines in the district. Australia's worst coal mining disaster occurred in 1902, at the Mount Kembla
Mount Kembla
Mount Kembla is a mountain in New South Wales, Australia, as well a semi-rural township of Wollongong, which gets its name from the mountain.Kembla is an Aboriginal word meaning "plenty of game"....
mine when an explosion killed 94 men and boys, the youngest aged 14, the oldest 69. Two other men died attempting to rescue survivors. In 1908 the Wollongong District Hospital was established on Garden Hill. In 1916 the Wollongong High School was opened.
Heavy industry was attracted to the region by the ready availability of coal. In 1928 Hoskins, later Australian Iron & Steel, started a steelworks at Port Kembla, a few kilometres south of Wollongong. The former Broken Hill Proprietary Company (now BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
after merging with Billiton plc) acquired AI&S in 1935, but has since spun-out their steel division as a separate company, now known as BlueScope Steel
BlueScope Steel
BlueScope Steel is a flat product steel producer with operations in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the Pacific and North America. It was spun off from BHP Billiton in 2002 as BHP Steel and renamed BlueScope Steel on 17 November 2003...
. The steelworks has grown to become a world-class flat rolled steel producer, operating as a fully integrated steel plant with a production of around 5 million tonnes per year. Other industries to have set up in the massive Port Kembla industrial complex—the largest single concentration of heavy industry in Australia—include a fertiliser plant, an electrolytic copper smelter (featuring the tallest chimney in Australia), a locomotive workshop, a coal export shipping terminal, a grain export shipping terminal and an industrial gases manufacturing plant.
In 1937 the new Wollongong Lighthouse was finished on Flagstaff Point. In 1942 Wollongong was proclaimed a City. In 1947 City of Greater Wollongong was formed. In 1954 the population of Wollongong was 90,852. In 1956 new Wollongong City Council Chambers were opened. In 1961 the Wollongong University College was established. In 1963 the Wollongong Teachers College was established. In 1965 the Westfield shopping centre at Figtree
Figtree, New South Wales
Figtree is an inner western suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It is southwest of West Wollongong and connected to Wollongong by the Princes Highway and The Avenue....
opened.
In 1985 the railway line was electrified to Wollongong, and in 1993 to Dapto. In 1986 the Wollongong Mall was completed. For a short while trams (trackless trains) were used in the mall, though this ceased due to dangers involved. The mall was re-opened to traffic after the initial test but re-zoned a pedestrian area after and has remained one since.
In 1987 the council chambers and library building were completed, replacing the old council building at the present art gallery site. The Crown Gateway Shopping Centre was completed. Wollongong Mall was opened. In 1988 the current council administration building was completed, as well as the performing arts centre across Burelli Street. A sculpture recognising Lawrence Hargrave
Lawrence Hargrave
Lawrence Hargrave was an engineer, explorer, astronomer, inventor and aeronautical pioneer.- Early life :Hargrave was born in Greenwich, England, the second son of John Fletcher Hargrave and was educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmorland...
was placed via a helicopter on the eastern foothills of Mount Keira
Mount Keira
Mount Keira is a 464 metre high mountain lying 4 kilometres northwest of the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Its distinctive shape and proximity to Wollongong make it a major local landmark. It is noted for the views of the city from the popular summit lookout and its history of...
. In 1998 the 6000 seat Wollongong Entertainment Centre
WIN Entertainment Centre
WIN Entertainment Centre is a multi-purpose indoor arena, located in downtown Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia....
was opened.
In 1999 the Gateway and Crown Central mall buildings were unified as Wollongong Central and a pedestrian walkway/cafe was built connecting the buildings in an above ground bridge. In 2000, as part of the Sydney Olympics, the Olympic torch was carried through Wollongong as part of its journey. In 2001 the population of Wollongong reached 181,612 people. In 2004 the Wollongong City Gallery celebrated its 25th anniversary. In 2005 Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
established a daily air service from Wollongong to Melbourne that lasted till 2008.
In 2006/2007 the library was renovated, including new facilities, as part of the tenth anniversary of the library's current site. Also at this time the beachfront was renovated with a new lookout and walkway upgrade. In June 2007 erosion was caused via storms to the beaches, the worst in 30 years.
Despite the decline of traditional manufacturing and blue-collar industries due to the abandonment of protectionist
Protectionism
Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between states through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other government regulations designed to allow "fair competition" between imports and goods and services produced domestically.This...
economic policies in the 1980s, many of these industrial installations still exist. The city's economy is, however, on the rebound, thanks to diversification of economic activity including higher education, the fine arts, tourism, residential construction and eco-friendly electricity generation
Electricity generation
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric energy from other forms of energy.The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday...
; however, the city's economy still relies primarily on heavy industry, and will continue to in the near future.
Demographics
The Wollongong metropolitan area includes the suburbs, outlying towns and rural localities stretching from HelensburghHelensburgh, New South Wales
Helensburgh is a small town in New South Wales, Australia. Helensburgh is located 45 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and north of Wollongong. Helensburgh is in the local government area of Wollongong City Council and marks the northern end of the Illawarra region...
in the north to Gerroa
Gerroa, New South Wales
Gerroa is a coastal town in the Municipality of Kiama, in the Illawarra Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 133 kilometres south of Sydney. Nearby towns are Gerringong, Kiama and Berry....
in the south. With an estimated population of 292,190 as at 30 June 2010 it is the 3rd largest city in New South Wales and the 9th largest in Australia. Around 89% of the population reside in the built-up urban area extending from Clifton
Clifton, New South Wales
Clifton is a village on the coast of New South Wales, Australia, between Sydney and Wollongong. Along with nearby Coalcliff, the village began life as a coal-mining centre. It is situated on a narrow area between the sea and the Illawarra escarpment...
to Shell Cove
Shell Cove, New South Wales
Shell Cove is a southern seaside suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It includes Bass Point, the Killalea State Park and the Shellharbour Links Golf Course....
.
The following table includes selected 2006 census figures for these areas, together with those for the central suburb of Wollongong.
| Selected 2006 Census Statistics | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Area | Urban Area | Inner City | ||||||||
| Area | Helensburgh to Kiama Kiama, New South Wales -Transport:The town is served by Kiama Station on the South Coast Line. It is served by road in the form of the Princes Highway and the Kiama Bypass.-Attractions:... |
Clifton Clifton, New South Wales Clifton is a village on the coast of New South Wales, Australia, between Sydney and Wollongong. Along with nearby Coalcliff, the village began life as a coal-mining centre. It is situated on a narrow area between the sea and the Illawarra escarpment... to Shell Cove Shell Cove, New South Wales Shell Cove is a southern seaside suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It includes Bass Point, the Killalea State Park and the Shellharbour Links Golf Course.... |
Wollongong Suburb | |||||||
| Population | 263,535 | 234,482 | 14,363 | |||||||
| Indigenous persons | 4,744 | 1.8% | 4,415 | 1.9% | 183 | 1.3% | ||||
| Age Groups | 0–4 years | 16,478 | 6.3% | 14,780 | 6.3% | 540 | 3.8% | |||
| 5–14 | 36,435 | 13.8% | 32,020 | 13.7% | 887 | 6.2% | ||||
| 15–24 | 36,329 | 13.8% | 32,590 | 13.9% | 3,055 | 21.3% | ||||
| 25–54 | 106,038 | 40.2% | 94,564 | 40.3% | 6,100 | 42.5% | ||||
| 55–64 | 28,447 | 10.8% | 25,167 | 10.7% | 1,427 | 9.9% | ||||
| 65+ | 39,806 | 15.1% | 35,361 | 15.1% | 2,355 | 16.4% | ||||
| People born overseas | 53,102 | 20.1% | 49,501 | 21.1% | 4,151 | 28.9% | ||||
| Country of birth | 1 |  Australia |
194,197 | 73.7% | Australia |
170,058 | 72.5% | Australia |
8,579 | 59.7% |
| 2 |  Kingdom of England |
12,964 | 4.9% | Kingdom of England |
11,503 | 4.9% | Kingdom of England |
437 | 3.0% | |
| 3 |  Republic of Macedonia |
4,276 | 1.6% | Republic of Macedonia |
4,261 | 1.8% |  Mainland China |
409 | 2.8% | |
| 4 |  Italy |
3,746 | 1.4% | Italy |
3,613 | 1.5% | Republic of Macedonia |
329 | 2.3% | |
| 5 |  Kingdom of Scotland |
2,681 | 1.0% | Kingdom of Scotland |
2,452 | 1.0% |  Independent State of Croatia |
220 | 1.5% | |
| 6 |  New Zealand |
2,358 | 0.9% | New Zealand |
2,051 | 0.9% | Italy |
195 | 1.4% | |
| Language Spoken At Home | 1 |  United Kingdom English only |
215,079 | 81.6% | United Kingdom English only |
187,944 | 80.2% | United Kingdom English only |
9,308 | 64.8% |
| 2 | Republic of Macedonia Macedonian |
6,857 | 2.6% | Republic of Macedonia Macedonian |
6,814 | 2.9% | Republic of Macedonia Macedonian |
522 | 3.6% | |
| 3 | Italy Italian |
5,275 | 2.0% | Italy Italian |
5,097 | 2.2% | Mainland China Mandarin |
389 | 2.7% | |
| 4 |  Spain Spanish |
2,456 | 0.9% | Spain Spanish |
2,390 | 1.0% |  Serbia Serbian |
371 | 2.6% | |
| 5 |  Greece Greek |
2,353 | 0.9% | Greece Greek |
2,272 | 1.0% | Italy Italian |
320 | 2.2% | |
| 6 | Serbia Serbian |
1,782 | 0.7% | Serbia Serbian |
1,738 | 0.7% | Greece Greek |
311 | 2.2% | |
| Religious Affiliation | 1 | Catholic | 76,875 | 29.2% | Catholic | 68,751 | 29.3% | Catholic | 3,453 | 24.0% |
| 2 | Anglican | 62,640 | 23.8% | Anglican | 54,694 | 23.3% | No Religion | 2,462 | 17.1% | |
| 3 | No Religion | 38,901 | 14.8% | No Religion | 34,070 | 14.5% | Anglican | 2,236 | 15.6% | |
| 4 | Eastern Orthodox | 14,199 | 5.4% | Eastern Orthodox | 13,910 | 5.9% | Eastern Orthodox | 1,459 | 10.2% | |
| 5 | Uniting Church | 14,060 | 5.3% | Uniting Church | 12,073 | 5.1% | Uniting Church | 516 | 3.6% | |
| Total labour force | 119,542 | 105,316 | 7,110 | |||||||
Wollongong is continuing to grow with a population growth of 2.9% for the period 2001 to 2006, although the supply of new residential land is limited by the geography particularly in the northern suburbs. The west Dapto
Dapto, New South Wales
Dapto is a southern suburb of Wollongong in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the western side of Lake Illawarra and covering an area 7.15 square kilometres in size...
area is a major centre of future growth with plans for 19,000 new dwellings and 50,000 people within 40 years. New residential areas are also being developed further south around the Albion Park
Albion Park, New South Wales
Albion Park is a suburb in the City of Shellharbour, which is in turn one of the three local government areas that comprise the Wollongong Metropolitan Area, New South Wales, Australia...
, Shell Cove
Shell Cove, New South Wales
Shell Cove is a southern seaside suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It includes Bass Point, the Killalea State Park and the Shellharbour Links Golf Course....
and Kiama
Kiama, New South Wales
-Transport:The town is served by Kiama Station on the South Coast Line. It is served by road in the form of the Princes Highway and the Kiama Bypass.-Attractions:...
areas.
| Wollongong Population Growth 1947–2006 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Population | Increase | Growth |
| 1947 | 70,135 | ||
| 1954 | 100,725 | 30,590 | 43.6% |
| 1961 | 150,387 | 49,662 | 49.3% |
| 1966 | 177,432 | 27,045 | 18.0% |
| 1971 | 202,800 | 25,368 | 14.3% |
| 1976 | 222,250 | 19,450 | 9.6% |
| 1981 | 231,400 | 9,150 | 4.1% |
| 1986 | 232,240 | 840 | 0.4% |
| 1991 | 244,930 | 12,690 | 5.5% |
| 1996 | 255,740 | 10,810 | 4.4% |
| 2001 | 256,095 | 355 | 0.1% |
| 2006 | 263,535 | 7,440 | 2.9% |
| Source: 1947–1996 2001 2006 | |||
Wollongong has a distinctly multicultural population. Many migrants were attracted to the area by the job opportunities at the Port Kembla
Port Kembla, New South Wales
Port Kembla is a suburb of Wollongong 8 km south of the CBD and part of the Illawarra region of New South Wales. The suburb comprises a seaport, industrial complex , a small harbour foreshore nature reserve, and a small commercial sector. It is situated on the tip of Red Point, first sighted...
steelworks in the post-war period, and settled in surrounding suburbs such as Cringila
Cringila, New South Wales
Cringila is a densely populated southern suburb in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, about 4 km along Springhill Road. The suburb is bounded by Berkeley, Unanderra, Lake Heights and Warrawong....
, Warrawong
Warrawong, New South Wales
Warrawong is a suburb of Wollongong, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It is situated on the northeast corner of Lake Illawarra.Warrawong is home to Westfield Warrawong, one of three major regional shopping centres...
and Coniston
Coniston, New South Wales
Coniston is a suburb of Wollongong in New South Wales.Coniston has one public primary school, east of the railway, and its main street is Gladstone Avenue which is the business center of the suburb. The suburb has a beach, Coniston Beach, to the east of Wollongong Golf Course, and Coniston railway...
. By 1966 about 60% of the wage earners at the Australian Iron and Steel steelworks were born overseas coming from over 70 countries. These included British, Macedonians
Macedonian Australian
Macedonian Australians are Australians of ethnic Macedonian descent. Many have their origins in the 1920s and 1930s although larger numbers came to Australia after World War II and the Greek Civil War...
, Hungarians, Portuguese Greeks
Greek Australian
Greeks are the seventh-largest ethnic group in Australia, after those declaring their ancestry simply as "Australian". In the 2006 census, 365,147 persons declared having Greek ancestry, either alone or in conjunction with another ethnicity....
, Bosnians
Bosnian Australian
Bosnian Australians or Australian Bosnians are people of Australia who are of Bosnian ancestry or come from Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 2006 Australian census 26,630 Australians were born in Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Immigration:...
, Croatians
Croatian Australian
Croatia has been a source of migrants to Australia, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2006, 128,051 persons resident in Australia identified themselves as having Croatian ancestry.- History :...
, Serbians
Serbian Australian
Serbian Australians are citizens of Australia who are of Serbian ancestry. According to the 2006 census, there are 95,364 people in Australia who are of Serbian ancestry. Serbs have migrated to Australia in various waves during the 20th century...
, Germans
German Australian
German religious refugees represented the first major wave of German settlement in Australia, arriving in South Australia in 1838. Some were active as missionaries and explorers in Australia from early in the 19th century, and German prospectors were well-represented in the 1850s gold rushes...
, Turks, and Chileans
Chilean Australian
Chilean Australians are Australians of Chilean descent or Chileans who have obtained Australian citizenship. In Australia, Chilean Australians are the biggest group of Latin American origin residing in the nation. The biggest Chilean Australian communities are primarily found in Sydney and Melbourne...
. With the end of the White Australia policy
White Australia policy
The White Australia policy comprises various historical policies that intentionally restricted "non-white" immigration to Australia. From origins at Federation in 1901, the polices were progressively dismantled between 1949-1973....
these were followed by Indo-Chinese refugees in the 1970s, Indians
Indian Australian
An Indian Australian is an Australian of Indian heritage. They include both those who are Australian by birth, and increasingly, those born in India or elsewhere in the Indian diaspora...
, Filipinos, Chinese
Chinese Australian
Chinese Australian is an Australian of Chinese heritage. In the 2006 Australian Census, 669,890 Australian residents identified themselves as having Chinese ancestry, either alone or with another ancestry....
, Malays and Pacific Islanders in the 1980s and 1990s. The university
University of Wollongong
The University of Wollongong is a public university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney...
continues to attract students and staff from all over the world, with around 5,000 overseas student enrolments.
In religion Wollongong is predominantly Christian. The major denominations are Catholic (29.2%) and Anglican (23.8%), while 14.8% of the population profess no religion.
Major sources of employment include education, steel and food service. Around 20,000 people commute daily to jobs in Sydney by road and rail
South Coast railway line, New South Wales
The South Coast Line is in the intercity region of Sydney's CityRail services. It serves the coastal region to the south of the Sydney metropolitan area including the Illawarra region, most notably the regional city of Wollongong, and extended services reach as far as Nowra in Shoalhaven.- Line...
, making it one of the busiest commuter corridors in Australia.
Education
Wollongong has one university, the University of WollongongUniversity of Wollongong
The University of Wollongong is a public university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney...
, which was formerly part of the University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, and the Illawarra Institute of Technology, part of the State's system of TAFE colleges. The university was awarded the "Australian University of the Year" in two consecutive years (1999–2000, 2000–2001) by the Good Universities Guide.
Wollongong has a number of primary and high schools, including public, denominational and independent. Specialist high schools include the selective
Selective school (New South Wales)
Selective schools in New South Wales, Australia are government high schools operated by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training, that have accepted their students based upon their academic merit...
Smith's Hill High School
Smith's Hill High School
Smith's Hill High School is the only academically selective school in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the heart of Wollongong city.120 year 6 students get offered a place at the school for the next year after sitting a test.-History:...
, the Illawarra Sports High School, The Illawarra Grammar School and Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts
Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts
Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts is a specialist co-educational, government secondary school located in Fairy Meadow, a suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, run by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training. It was founded in 1916.The school enrolls both...
.
Media
Wollongong and the Illawarra region is serviced by three commercial television networks – WIN TelevisionWIN Television
WIN Television is an Australian television network owned by the WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single Wollongong-only station, and has since expanded to 24 owned-and-operated stations with transmissions covering a...
, Prime7 and Southern Cross Ten
Southern Cross Ten
Southern Cross Ten is an Australian television channel broadcast by the Macquarie Media Group in Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and South Australia. The channel is owned by the Macquarie Media Group as is affiliated to Network Ten...
. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
(ABC) and the Special Broadcasting Service
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
(SBS) also broadcast television services to Wollongong. In addition to these channels, ten new channels broadcasting in digital transmission format only are also available in Wollongong and the greater Illawarra region. These channels include ABC2
ABC2
ABC2 is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 7 March 2005, it is the responsibility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television division, and is available nationally to digital television viewers in Australia...
, ABC3
ABC3
-Future shows:Programming confirmed for future broadcast will include:* After School Care * Bindi's Boot Camp * Bushwacked! * Dance Academy * Dancing Down Under...
, ABC News 24
ABC News 24
ABC News 24 is an Australian 24-hour news channel launched and owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The channel replaced the former ABC High Definition simulcast of ABC1 and commenced broadcasting at 7:30pm 5:30 on Thursday, 22 July 2010.-Pre-launch:The ABC announced in January 2010...
, 7TWO
7Two
7TWO is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel which was launched by the Seven Network on Sunday 1 November 2009 at 12pm....
, 7mate
7mate
7mate is an Australian free-to-air high definition digital television channel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010.The network stated that 7mate would contain sport and regular programs aimed primarily at a male audience, with programming drawn from a combination of new...
, GO!
Go! (Australian TV channel)
GO! is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel launched by the Nine Network on Sunday 9 August 2009.-Origins:...
, GEM HD, One HD, Eleven
Eleven (TV channel)
Eleven is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel, which was launched by ElevenCo, on 11 January 2011.-Joint venture:...
and SBS Two. In some areas it is also possible to pick up Sydney channels including community station Television Sydney
Television Sydney
TVS, or Television Sydney , is a free-to-air community television station broadcasting in Sydney, Australia.-History:Transmissions officially commenced on analogue UHF channel 31 in February 2006 after three months of technical trials...
. Subscription Television service Austar
Austar
Austar is an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity is Subscription Television but it is also involved with internet access and mobile phones...
is also available via satellite.
Of the three main commerical TV networks, WIN
WIN (TV station)
WIN is a television station serving southern New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. It is the flagship station of the WIN Television network.-WIN News:WIN News produces four regional news bulletins for the area markets covered by WIN....
(whose network base is located in Wollongong) produces a 30-minute local news bulletin for its local broadcast area and a late night statewide bulletin for southern New South Wales and the ACT each weeknight. Prime and Southern Cross Ten
CTC (TV station)
CTC is a television station in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The station was the tenth to begin transmission in regional Australia, and the 26th station in Australia as a whole.-Origins:...
also air short local news updates throughout the day.
The region receives four ABC radio services – ABC Classic FM
ABC Classic FM
ABC Classic FM is a classical music radio station available in Australia, and internationally online. It is operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation . It was established in 1976 as "ABC-FM", and later for a short time was known as "ABC Fine Music" , before adopting its current name...
95.7, ABC Illawarra 97.3, Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
98.9, and Radio National
Radio National
ABC Radio National is an Australia-wide non-commercial radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Radio National broadcasts national programming in areas that include news and current affairs, the arts, social issues, science, drama and comedy...
1431 AM. There are two commercial radio stations i98 FM
WIN Corporation
The WIN Corporation is a Wollongong based media company, that owns the WIN Television network, NWS, and STW in Australia.It began broadcasting in Wollongong with one station in 1963. Bruce Gordon acquired control of the company in 1979 and initiated a period of growth which has seen the Network...
98.1 and WAVE FM 96.5, and two community radio
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
stations Vox FM
VOX FM
VOX FM is a community radio station in Wollongong, New South Wales, broadcasting on the FM band. The station's FM frequency is 106.9....
106.9 and Christian broadcaster 94.1 FM. Nowra's Power FM 94.9 also reaches the city, as do most Sydney commercial radio stations.
Wollongong is home to one daily newspaper The Illawarra Mercury issued Monday to Saturday, in addition to several free community newspapers including the Wollongong Advertiser
Wollongong Advertiser
The Wollongong Advertiser is a free newspaper for the residents of Wollongong and the Illawarra region, New South Wales, Australia.It has a circulation of 100,000, ranging from Helensburgh to Gerringong...
and Local Citizen.
Transport
Road
The main road connecting Wollongong is the WaterfallWaterfall, New South Wales
Waterfall is a small suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Waterfall is located 38 kilometers south of the Sydney central business district in the Sutherland Shire....
-Yallah Southern Freeway
Southern Freeway
Southern Freeway is a freeway linking Sydney to Wollongong. It currently is designated as part of National Route 1, however was formerly signposted as F6 under a former route numbering system, and is commonly known by this latter name...
(formerly the F6). The freeway, part of National Route 1, descends the escarpment via Mount Ousley Road to enter the city near the University of Wollongong
University of Wollongong
The University of Wollongong is a public university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney...
and exits at its southern fringe. A second freeway, Memorial Drive (formerly the Northern Distributor), continues northward from the university to connect Wollongong's northern suburbs, Bulli Pass
Bulli Pass
Bulli Pass is a mountain pass northwest of Bulli, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated on the Illawarra Escarpment west of the Illawarra coastal plain. It was built during the 19th century for use by loggers and locals transporting goods to and from Sydney...
and the scenic Lawrence Hargrave Drive
Lawrence Hargrave Drive
Lawrence Hargrave Drive is a scenic coastal road and popular tourist drive connecting the northernmost suburbs of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia to both Wollongong and Sydney....
. The Illawarra Highway
Illawarra Highway
Illawarra Highway connects Wollongong to NSW Southern Highlands. It links Princes Highway and Hume Highway and signed as National Route 48.It is named after the geographical area it crosses, the Illawarra region...
connects Wollongong's southern suburbs to the Southern Highlands via Macquarie Pass
Macquarie Pass
Macquarie Pass is a 8 kilometre long section of the Illawarra Highway passing through Macquarie Pass National Park. It was opened in 1898.Macquarie Pass links the Southern Highland town of Robertson to the coastal town of Albion Park, descending the Illawarra Escarpment via a very narrow bitumen...
.
Rail
Wollongong is served by the South Coast railway lineSouth Coast railway line, New South Wales
The South Coast Line is in the intercity region of Sydney's CityRail services. It serves the coastal region to the south of the Sydney metropolitan area including the Illawarra region, most notably the regional city of Wollongong, and extended services reach as far as Nowra in Shoalhaven.- Line...
. Passenger rail services on this line connect the centres of Nowra
Nowra, New South Wales
Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located SSW and approximately by road south of the state capital of Sydney, it has an estimated population together with its twin-town of Bomaderry of 34,479. It is also the seat and commercial centre of the City of Shoalhaven...
and Kiama
Kiama, New South Wales
-Transport:The town is served by Kiama Station on the South Coast Line. It is served by road in the form of the Princes Highway and the Kiama Bypass.-Attractions:...
to the south and Sydney to the north. A branch line connects suburbs between the CBD and Port Kembla. A passenger rail service connecting Wollongong to the Southern Highlands
Unanderra-Moss Vale railway line, New South Wales
The Unanderra – Moss Vale railway line is a cross country railway line in New South Wales, Australia. The line branches from the Illawarra railway line at the town of Unanderra and winds west over the Illawarra escarpment to the Southern Highlands town of Moss Vale...
has since been replaced with a coach service. Freight services connect Sydney markets with Port Kembla and the Manildra factory at Bomaderry. The Southern Highlands line is used primarily for freight, providing an important bypass for Sydney's congested rail network.
Bus
Bus services in Wollongong are provided by Premier Illawarra, Dions Bus Service, Greens Northern Coaches and other bus companies. Wollongong railway station serves as the network's hub. Services connect Wollongong suburbs to Shellharbour, Lake Illawarra and the Royal National ParkRoyal National Park
Royal National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 29 km south of Sydney CBD.Founded by Sir John Robertson, Acting Premier of New South Wales, and formally proclaimed on 26 April 1879, it is the world's second oldest purposed national park, the first usage of the term...
. There is also a Free Shuttle Bus service that connects the CBD, University and the suburbs of North Wollongong, Fairy Meadow and Gwynneville.
Air
Wollongong is serviced by Illawarra Regional AirportIllawarra Regional Airport
Illawarra Regional Airport is an airport located 18 km southwest of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.-Airport features:...
, also known as the Wollongong Airport and the base for the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS). The Airport is located at Albion Park Rail
Albion Park Rail, New South Wales
Albion Park Rail is a suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia in the Local Government Area of Shellharbour. The South Coast railway line was opened to the railway station and Bombo in 1887. At the time the nearest town was Albion Park, several kilometres away...
, in the Shellharbour City LGA.
There are multiple air charter businesses including NSW Air, EliteJet and Touchdown Helicopters.
Arts
Wollongong Symphony Orchestra
The Wollongong Symphony Orchestra was formed in 2004 as a collaboration between conductor Carlos Alvarado and Wollongong Conservatorium of Music. The orchestra gives regular concerts at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre in Wollongong, New South Wales...
, BlueScope Steel Youth Orchestra, a jazz club and various groups and ensembles. The Wollongong Conservatorium of Music
Wollongong Conservatorium of Music
Wollongong Conservatorium of Music is a centre for music education and performance serving the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the English Tudor style Gleniffer Brae Manor House and grounds, part of the Wollongong Botanic Gardens in the suburb of Keiraville. Andrew...
provides musical tuition for instruments and voice in classical, jazz and contemporary styles. It is one of the largest regional conservatorium in Australia and located in the historic Gleniffer Brae Manor House, part of the Wollongong Botanic Gardens
Wollongong Botanic Gardens
The Wollongong Botanic Garden is located in the Wollongong suburb of Keiraville at the foot of Mount Keira in New South Wales, Australia. It is the local botanical gardens of the Illawarra and was opened in September 1970...
.
Local theatre groups include the Arcadians, Roo Theatre, Merrigong and Wollongong Workshop Theatre.
The annual Wollongong Eisteddfod showcases local talent in music, theatre and dance.
The Wollongong City Gallery houses a significant collection of the art of the Illawarra, contemporary Australian, Aboriginal and Asian art. In addition there are a number of private galleries, particularly in Wollongong's northern seaside suburbs.
The popular 1990s stoner rock band Tumbleweed
Tumbleweed (band)
Tumbleweed are a Wollongong-based rock group in Australia, popular during the grunge years of the 1990s. As an opening band for Nirvana on their 1992 tour of Australia, Tumbleweed reached out into the mainstream with their crunchy-psychedelica...
were formed and based in Wollongong.
Entertainment and Nightlife
Entertainment venues include the Crown Street MallCrown Street, Wollongong
Crown Street is the main street in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales.It was created in the early 19th century from a cattle track which follows a ridge from Mount Keira to the first farm house in the area, and quickly became the "main" street of the then town.Today Crown Street is the main...
, many restaurants and cafes, the town cinemas and the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre. Adjacent to WIN Stadium
WIN Stadium
Wollongong Showground is a rectangular multi-purpose stadium located in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. From 1982 until 1998 it played host to every home match for the Illawarra Steelers NRL team...
, the home ground of the NRL team St. George Illawarra Dragons, is the WIN Entertainment Centre
WIN Entertainment Centre
WIN Entertainment Centre is a multi-purpose indoor arena, located in downtown Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia....
: a multipurpose venue which hosts concerts and sporting events (including Southern Stars, basketball and motocross stunt shows). There are numerous city nightclubs, pubs & Registered Clubs, including HostageX, The Illawarra Master Builders Club, The Grand Hotel (back to its original name, after being called Cooney's for a few years), The Glasshouse Tavern, One Five One (Formerly Bourbon St and originally Cousins), Castros (Formerly Rusty's), The Illawarra Hotel, The Harp Hotel, and The North Wollongong Hotel. The iconic Oxford Hotel closed in 2010, which meant the demise of a well-known live music venue, home in years past to acts such as Tumbleweed in their formative days. Most suburbs also have their own hotels, each with individual character. The Headlands Hotel at Austinmer is heritage-listed.
Recreation
Wollongong to Thirroul Bike Track
The Wollongong to Thirroul Bike Track is a walking, jogging and bicycle track running from Wollongong City to Thirroul, a northern suburb of Wollongong, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia....
, a thirteen kilometre Heart Foundation walking/biking pathway which runs northwards adjacent to the Illawarra
Illawarra
Illawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the Shoalhaven or South Coast region. It encompasses the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and the town of Kiama. The central region contains Lake...
coastline starting at Wollongong Beach, is frequented by walkers, joggers, skaters and bicycle riders. Bushwalking on nearby Mount Keira
Mount Keira
Mount Keira is a 464 metre high mountain lying 4 kilometres northwest of the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Its distinctive shape and proximity to Wollongong make it a major local landmark. It is noted for the views of the city from the popular summit lookout and its history of...
and Mount Kembla
Mount Kembla
Mount Kembla is a mountain in New South Wales, Australia, as well a semi-rural township of Wollongong, which gets its name from the mountain.Kembla is an Aboriginal word meaning "plenty of game"....
, and motorbike riding at the Motocross Track on the escarpment west of Wollongong, are also popular activities.
Wollongong has many parks. In the city centre is MacCabe Park
McCabe Park
MacCabe Park is a small park located in the City of Wollongong, Australia. It is commonly misspelt McCabe Park, though the sign has since been changed to its correct name...
, featuring a playground, the local youth centre, a war memorial, community hall, a sculpture called "Nike" and a brick amphitheatre. Lang Park, adjacent to the city beach, has a number of shelters built in the 1950s. These were subject for demolition but were saved by a community vote. Stuart Park, to the coastal north of the city but south of Fairy Lagoon and Puckeys Estate Reserve
Puckeys Estate Reserve
Puckey's Estate Reserve is a coastal nature reserve in Wollongong, Australia. It is mainly she-oak forest, but also has sand dune and wetland areas, including areas along Para Creek...
, is well known as a landing spot for skydivers as well as a place for outdoor recreation and social gatherings. Stuart Park is also distinctive for its Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
Pines, planted during the North Wollongong tourism boom in the 1920s. J.J.Kelly Park to the south is used by circuses, as well as a protected area of creek leading to the Greenhouse Park north of the Port Kembla Steelworks, containing a revegetated area of once waste and a lookout, as well as the small remnants of Tom Thumb Lagoon, which once stretched north to Swan Street. Beaton Park in Gwynneville
Gwynneville, New South Wales
Gwynneville is an inner city suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia located approximately 2 km north west of the city centre.It was originally named Gwynne Ville after the Gwynne family who owned the property. It was sold it two large lots, both of which were subdivided...
is home to Tennis Wollongong and the Leisure Centre with an athletics complex, indoor heated swimming pool, gymnasium and multipurpose sports hall.
Sport
The St George Illawarra DragonsSt George Illawarra Dragons
The St George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing the St. George and Illawarra regions. They have competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 as a joint venture between Sydney's historic St. George Dragons club and 1982 expansion club, the...
represent the city in the National
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
Rugby League
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
(NRL)
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
competition. The club was formed in a merger between the St. George Dragons
St. George Dragons
The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
and the Illawarra Steelers
Illawarra Steelers
The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level Rugby League competition from 1982, when they, along with the Canberra Raiders, were admitted into the then New South Wales Rugby Football...
in 1999, and continues to play some home games at WIN Stadium
WIN Stadium
Wollongong Showground is a rectangular multi-purpose stadium located in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. From 1982 until 1998 it played host to every home match for the Illawarra Steelers NRL team...
. They won the 2010 NRL Grand Final against the Sydney Roosters. Prior to the merger the Illawarra Steelers had represented the area in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership
New South Wales Rugby League premiership
The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League from 1908 until 1994, the premiership was the state's and later the country's elite rugby league competition...
and NRL between 1982 and 1998. Rugby league has been played in Wollongong since 1911, and the area has produced at least 41 international players. At the local level league continues to have a strong following with a number of teams playing in the Illawarra Rugby League
Illawarra Rugby League
The Illawarra Rugby League is a rugby league competition in Wollongong, NSW. It is one of the oldest rugby league competitions in Australia, founded in 1911 with five clubs ....
and Group 7 Rugby League
Group 7 Rugby League
South Coast Group 7 Rugby League is the divisional boundary drawn from the Southern Illawarra and South Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia and is governed by the NSWCRL...
competitions.
Trent Johnston
Trent Johnston
David Trent Johnston usually known as Trent Johnston is an Australian-born Irish cricketer...
, captain of Ireland at the 2007 Cricket World Cup
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
, is a native of Wollongong. He grew up in Dapto
Dapto, New South Wales
Dapto is a southern suburb of Wollongong in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the western side of Lake Illawarra and covering an area 7.15 square kilometres in size...
and left Australia in 2004. He played his 100th game for Ireland against England in August 2009.
The Illawarriors
Illawarriors
The Illawarriors are a new rugby union franchise based in the Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia. Although being inducted into the Sydney Tooheys Shute Shield competition in 2006, it wasn't until 2007 that they played their first full season....
are a rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club based in the Illawarra, who contest the Shute Shield
Shute Shield
The Shute Shield is a rugby union competition in Sydney, New South Wales. It is the premier grade rugby trophy in NSW rugby. The Shute Shield is awarded at the end of the Sydney Club Rugby season to the team that wins the Grand Final...
NSW club competition. The club play some of their home games at WIN Stadium.
The Wollongong Hawks
Wollongong Hawks
The Wollongong Hawks are a team competing in Australia's National Basketball League , based in the New South Wales city of Wollongong. They won the NBL championship in 2001 and finished as runners-up in 2005 and 2010...
basketball team play in the National Basketball League
National Basketball League (Australia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
and are the only NBL club (as of 2009/10) to have competed in every season since the league's inception in 1979. Home games are played at the WIN Entertainment Centre
WIN Entertainment Centre
WIN Entertainment Centre is a multi-purpose indoor arena, located in downtown Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia....
, known as "The Sandpit" in the NBL
Wollongong F.C. is the region's football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club who compete in the New South Wales Premier League
New South Wales Premier League
The New South Wales Premier League is the highest state-level men's soccer competition in New South Wales, Australia. Nationally, it is considered one grade lower than the A-League...
. Scott Chipperfield
Scott Chipperfield
Scott Kenneth Chipperfield is an Australian international football player who currently plays as a midfielder for FC Basel in the Swiss Super League.-Personal life:...
, a Wollongong native who became a professional football player in Europe, along with Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill
Timothy Filiga "Tim" Cahill is an football player of Australian nationality who plays for Everton and the Australian national football team...
, has recently expressed an interest in being involved in a Wollongong football club in the A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
, as well as the Sydney club playing some promotional games in Wollongong. Great South Football is a consortium preparing the Illawarra's South Coast A-League bid
South Coast A-League bid
South Coast Football is a New South Wales community based group bidding to enter a team in the Hyundai A-League for the 2010-11 season. The bid, led by local businessman Eddy De Gabriele, aims to represent a population of 500,000 in the South Coast, New South Wales region, taking in the Wollongong,...
. In late 2008, the club folded due to debt incurred over the past season. It is proposed that a new community-based entity will take on the Football NSW licence previously held by Wollongong FC.
The Illawarra Cycling Club holds road cycle races almost every week of the year. During the summer, velodrome racing is also promoted at the Unanderra Velodrome on the Princes Highway. A recent focus within the club has seen a shift to encompass a stronger emphasis on youth development programs alongside its already strong commitment to competitive under 19's, 23's and adult road racing. The club is represented at a state and national level regularly and has had several riders compete at international levels.
The Wollongong Lions Australian Football Club play in the Sydney AFL
Sydney AFL
The "AFL Sydney" is an Australian rules football League, based in metropolitan Sydney, Australia.The AFL Sydney competition comprises 21 clubs playing across 5 senior divisions with 2 under 18 competitions.-History:...
competition. The club was established in 1971 as the Swans and in 1989 joined the Sydney AFL as the Lions.
The club also has junior teams playing in the AFL Illawarra Juniors competition.
The Gong Scorpions are the local Floorball team from the Wollongong area. The Club plays socially at the Wollongong University and has recently been re-established in order to compete in the NSW Elite Series.
Baseball has been played in the region with structured competitions conducted since 1938. The Illawarra District Baseball Association was the governing body from this year until 1991 when the Illawarra Baseball League was created.
The Illawarra Junior Baseball League was inaugurated in 1984 to accommodate a growing number of juniors that peaked at around 950 players in 1995.
Eight regional clubs from four Local Government Areas play in the I B L.
A regional club, the Illawarra Flame Baseball Club, fielded teams in four grades in the New South Wales Baseball League Sydney Major League from 1994 to 2007. The first grade team made the Grand Final in their inaugural season. The Club won a total of four premierships while participating.
The IFBC played their inaugural games against the All Kawasaki Baseball Club in August 1994 the games being the first sporting exchange between the Sister Cities, Wollongong and Kawasaki.
Other popular sports in the Illawarra include rock climbing, surfing, cup stacking, triathlon and mountain biking.
Reference in popular culture
- Wollongong has received its share of attention from novelists, songwriters and filmmakers over the years. English author D. H. LawrenceD. H. LawrenceDavid Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
penned the novel KangarooKangaroo (novel)Kangaroo is a novel by D. H. Lawrence, first published in 1923. It is set in Australia.-Description:Kangaroo is an account of a visit to New South Wales by an English writer named Richard Lovat Somers, and his German wife Harriet, in the early 1920s...
while staying in the northern suburb of ThirroulThirroul, New South WalesThirroul is a northern seaside suburb of the city of Wollongong, Australia, with the name supposedly Aboriginal for "Valley of Cabbage Tree Palms". Situated between Austinmer and Bulli, it is approximately 13 kilometres north of Wollongong, and 69 km south of Sydney...
.
- Wollongong is the home of a professional QuidditchQuidditchQuidditch is a fictional sport developed by British author J. K. Rowling for the Harry Potter series of novels. It is described as an extremely rough, but very popular, semi-contact sport, played by wizards and witches around the world...
team, the Woollongong Warriors, that operates within the Harry Potter universeHarry Potter universeThe fictional universe of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of fantasy novels comprises two separate and distinct societies: the wizarding world and the Muggle world...
.
- The original (Australian) version of the song "I've Been EverywhereI've Been EverywhereThe song "I've Been Everywhere" was written by Geoff Mack in 1959 and made popular by the singer Lucky Starr in 1962.The song listed Australian towns...
" mentions Wollongong and its suburb UnanderraUnanderra, New South WalesUnanderra is a suburb of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 10 km south-west of the Wollongong CBD. It is bordered to the west by Farmborough, Cordeaux Heights and Farmborough Heights in the Mount Kembla foothills, the north by Figtree, the east by Berkeley...
in its list of places visited.
- The city was famously lampooned in the 1970s ABC-TVAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
comedy series The Aunty Jack ShowThe Aunty Jack ShowThe Aunty Jack Show was a Logie Award–winning Australian television comedy series that ran from 1972 to 1973. Produced by and broadcast on ABC-TV, the series attained an instant cult status that persists to the present day....
. The show's characters included a gormless local TV reporter Norman GunstonNorman GunstonNorman Gunston was a satirical TV character performed by Australian actor and comedian Garry McDonald. Norman Gunston was primarily well known in his native Australia, and to a lesser extent, the United States during the mid to late 1970s.- Early years :...
, described as a Wollongong media non-personality, who presented a segment "What's On In Wollongong" and subsequently went on to have his own spin-off series and 'career'. Another spin-off from the show was the album Aunty Jack Sings WollongongAunty Jack Sings WollongongAunty Jack Sings Wollongong is an album released in 1974, as a spin-off from the cult ABC Television show Aunty Jack. It contains a mixture of songs, and sketches, and along with the single Farewell Aunty Jack is the only audio release from the Aunty Jack crew.-Track listing:The album follows the...
, a mixture of sketches and songs loosely based around a visit to Wollongong.
- In the episode Unnatural LoveUnnatural Love"Unnatural Love" is the fifth episode of the second season of the HBO comedy series Flight of the Conchords. This episode first aired in the United States on February 15, 2009...
from the New Zealand/American television series Flight of the ConchordsFlight of the Conchords (TV series)Flight of the Conchords is an American television comedy series that debuted on HBO on June 17, 2007. The show follows the adventures of Flight of the Conchords, a two-man band from New Zealand, as its members seek fame and success in New York City. The show stars the real-life duo, Jemaine Clement...
, Bret pretends to be Jemaine's Australian girlfriend in a message on their answering machineAnswering machineThe answering machine or message machine, also known as the telephone answering machine in the UK and some Commonwealth countries) and previously known as an ansaphone, ansafone, or telephone answering device is a device for answering telephones and recording callers' messages.Unlike voicemail,...
, saying that she has moved back to Wollongong. Jemaine corrects Bret, telling him she is actually from Woolloomooloo.
Attractions
In addition to numerous swimming and surfing beaches, major visitor attractions to the Wollongong region are:- Wollongong Botanic GardensWollongong Botanic GardensThe Wollongong Botanic Garden is located in the Wollongong suburb of Keiraville at the foot of Mount Keira in New South Wales, Australia. It is the local botanical gardens of the Illawarra and was opened in September 1970...
- Cockatoo Run scenic train ride from Wollongong to RobertsonRobertson, New South WalesRobertson is a small town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. The town is located on the edge of an elevated plateau about 35 km from the coast. At the 2006 census, Robertson had a population of 1,206 people.Robertson is known for its high annual...
- Cycling to Sandon Point from North WollongongWollongong to Thirroul Bike TrackThe Wollongong to Thirroul Bike Track is a walking, jogging and bicycle track running from Wollongong City to Thirroul, a northern suburb of Wollongong, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia....
- Wollongong Harbour (Belmore Basin), Wollongong Breakwater Lighthouse, Wollongong Head LighthouseWollongong Head LighthouseWollongong Head Lighthouse, also known as Flagstaff Lighthouse or Flagstaff Point Light, is an active lighthouse located in Wollongong, a coastal city south of Sydney, New South Wales. It overlooks the Tasman Sea from the top of Flagstaff Point, directly east of the city centre...
and surrounding foreshores - Historical Aircraft Restoration Society located at the Illawarra Regional AirportIllawarra Regional AirportIllawarra Regional Airport is an airport located 18 km southwest of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.-Airport features:...
- Illawarra Light Railway Museum, with light and miniature train rides
- Illawarra Museum
- Jamberoo Action Park
- Kiama BlowholeKiama BlowholeThe Kiama Blowhole is a blowhole in the town of Kiama, New South Wales, Australia. It is the town's major tourist attraction. Under certain sea conditions, the blowhole can spray water up to 25 metres in the air, in quantities that thoroughly drench any bystanders...
- Lookouts at Bald Hill, Bulli Tops (Sublime PointSublime PointSublime Point is a feature of the Illawarra Escarpment west of Austinmer. It is a summit on the plateau edge where the escarpment turns to go in a more northerly direction from a more northeasterly direction....
and Cliffhanger Restaurant), Mount KeiraMount KeiraMount Keira is a 464 metre high mountain lying 4 kilometres northwest of the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Its distinctive shape and proximity to Wollongong make it a major local landmark. It is noted for the views of the city from the popular summit lookout and its history of...
, Port KemblaPort Kembla, New South WalesPort Kembla is a suburb of Wollongong 8 km south of the CBD and part of the Illawarra region of New South Wales. The suburb comprises a seaport, industrial complex , a small harbour foreshore nature reserve, and a small commercial sector. It is situated on the tip of Red Point, first sighted...
(Illowra Battery), Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk, Saddleback MountainSaddleback Mountain (New South Wales)Saddleback Mountain is a mountain in New South Wales, Australia which rises to about 600 metres above sea level and has spectacular views of Noorinan Mountain, 662 metres above sea level, and Barren Grounds Plateau to the west and south to Coolangatta Mountain and Pigeon House Mountain to... - Minnamurra Rainforest Centre and Minnamurra Falls
- Motorlife Museum
- Nan Tien TempleNan Tien TempleNan Tien Temple is a Buddhist temple complex located in the industrial suburb of Berkeley, on the southern outskirts of the Australian city of Wollongong, approximately 80 km south of Sydney...
- Port KemblaPort Kembla, New South WalesPort Kembla is a suburb of Wollongong 8 km south of the CBD and part of the Illawarra region of New South Wales. The suburb comprises a seaport, industrial complex , a small harbour foreshore nature reserve, and a small commercial sector. It is situated on the tip of Red Point, first sighted...
steelworks and Australia’s Industry World tours - Science Centre and Planetarium
- Sea Cliff BridgeSea Cliff BridgeThe Sea Cliff Bridge is a balanced cantilever bridge located in the northern Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The $52 million bridge links the coastal villages of Coalcliff and Clifton...
- Skydiving at North Wollongong Beach
- Five Islands Brewery
- Symbio Wildlife Park
Sister city and Friendship city relationships
Wollongong has sister city and friendship city arrangements with:Kawasaki
Kawasaki, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, between Tokyo and Yokohama. It is the 9th most populated city in Japan and one of the main cities forming the Greater Tokyo Area and Keihin Industrial Area....
, Japan, formally established 1988 Ohrid
Ohrid
Ohrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...
, Republic of Macedonia, established 1981, lapsed, formally re-established 1999 Longyan
Longyan
Longyan is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Fujian province, China.-Geography:It is situated in the upper reaches of the Jiulong and Tingjiang rivers...
, People's Republic of China (friendship city), formally established 2001
See also
- The Aunty Jack ShowThe Aunty Jack ShowThe Aunty Jack Show was a Logie Award–winning Australian television comedy series that ran from 1972 to 1973. Produced by and broadcast on ABC-TV, the series attained an instant cult status that persists to the present day....
, Norman GunstonNorman GunstonNorman Gunston was a satirical TV character performed by Australian actor and comedian Garry McDonald. Norman Gunston was primarily well known in his native Australia, and to a lesser extent, the United States during the mid to late 1970s.- Early years :...
and Aunty Jack Sings WollongongAunty Jack Sings WollongongAunty Jack Sings Wollongong is an album released in 1974, as a spin-off from the cult ABC Television show Aunty Jack. It contains a mixture of songs, and sketches, and along with the single Farewell Aunty Jack is the only audio release from the Aunty Jack crew.-Track listing:The album follows the... - Church StreetChurch Street, WollongongChurch Street is a main north-south running street in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It contains many of Wollongong's well known and lesser known attractions and historic sites...
- Crown StreetCrown Street, WollongongCrown Street is the main street in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales.It was created in the early 19th century from a cattle track which follows a ridge from Mount Keira to the first farm house in the area, and quickly became the "main" street of the then town.Today Crown Street is the main...
- Greenhouse Park
- HMAS WollongongHMAS WollongongThree ships of the Royal Australian Navy have been named HMAS Wollongong, for the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, a Bathurst class corvette launched in 1941 and sold to the Royal Netherlands Navy in 1946, a Fremantle class patrol boat launched in 1981, and decommissioned in 2005, an Armidale...
- Illawarra EscarpmentIllawarra escarpmentThe Illawarra Escarpment is the fold created cliffs and plateau eroded outcrop mountain range west of the Illawarra coastal plain south of Sydney, Australia, enclosing the region known as the Illawarra which stretches from Stanwell Park in the north to Kiama, Gerringong and the Shoalhaven river in...
- The Illawarra RegionIllawarraIllawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the Shoalhaven or South Coast region. It encompasses the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and the town of Kiama. The central region contains Lake...
- Mount KeiraMount KeiraMount Keira is a 464 metre high mountain lying 4 kilometres northwest of the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Its distinctive shape and proximity to Wollongong make it a major local landmark. It is noted for the views of the city from the popular summit lookout and its history of...
- Mount KemblaMount KemblaMount Kembla is a mountain in New South Wales, Australia, as well a semi-rural township of Wollongong, which gets its name from the mountain.Kembla is an Aboriginal word meaning "plenty of game"....
- Nan Tien templeNan Tien TempleNan Tien Temple is a Buddhist temple complex located in the industrial suburb of Berkeley, on the southern outskirts of the Australian city of Wollongong, approximately 80 km south of Sydney...
- Port Kembla
- Puckeys Estate ReservePuckeys Estate ReservePuckey's Estate Reserve is a coastal nature reserve in Wollongong, Australia. It is mainly she-oak forest, but also has sand dune and wetland areas, including areas along Para Creek...
- List of songs about the Illawarra
- List of Wollongong suburbs
- South Coast Railway LineSouth Coast railway line, New South WalesThe South Coast Line is in the intercity region of Sydney's CityRail services. It serves the coastal region to the south of the Sydney metropolitan area including the Illawarra region, most notably the regional city of Wollongong, and extended services reach as far as Nowra in Shoalhaven.- Line...
- University of WollongongUniversity of WollongongThe University of Wollongong is a public university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney...
- Wollongong Botanic Garden
- Wollongong CentralWollongong CentralWollongong Central is a major shopping centre in the Illawarra region, located in the CBD of Wollongong, approximately 90 kilometres south of Sydney. It is operated and managed by Australian property investment company, General Property Trust . It is of local importance and is used by much of the...
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