Wollongong Central
Encyclopedia
Wollongong 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
(GPT). It is of local importance and is used by much of the Illawarra
community as a social and shopping centre. It is situated in the western half of the Crown Street Mall.
department store, a 3-floored Myer
, and approximately 140 stores in the centre itself. In addition, there are also around 300 other retail outlets in the adjacent Crown Street Mall, which Wollongong Central is part of.
The Crown Gateway building has three floors. Mini-major Rebel Sport occupies the underground level, which opens to Burelli Street to the south at ground level and Crown Street to the north via escalators. The next storey is the ground floor which contains specialty stores, fashion outlets, restaurants and cafes. The next level, level two, contains much the same. Myer occupies all three stories.
The Crown Tower building has two floors, and unlike Gateway is at street level to Crown Street Mall. The first floor features mini-major electronics store JB Hi-Fi
, and a small campus of the David Jones anchor department store, and the second floor features another mini-major, Best & Less clothing store (formerly a Franklins
supermarket).
The main campus of the David Jones store is in a separate building connected to Crown Tower via a pedestrian bridge. The main campus is not part of Wollongong Central.
At Christmas, Easter and other festivities the mall is decorated, and flagpoles show banners in the mall below. The food courts are both in the Crown Tower building, with only a few cafes in Crown Gateway remaining.
Crown Gateway has little plans announced, although the GPT Group has confirmed that it will undergo delayed $30 million interior renovations similar to that of Crown Tower.
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, 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
General Property Trust
General Property Trust Limited , trading as GPT Group, is an Australian company that is a property investor and manager in Australia, Europe and the United States...
(GPT). It is of local importance and is used by much of 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...
community as a social and shopping centre. It is situated in the western half of the Crown Street Mall.
Centre Information
Wollongong Central is made up of two shopping centre buildings, originally individually run but in the late 1990s bought by the GPT Group and joined by an pedestrian bridge: Crown Gateway and Crown Tower. At this point the two centres became Wollongong Central. Also during the early 2000s the Gateway food court was replaced by a medical centre and later by Allens. The centre currently features part of a David JonesDavid Jones Limited
David Jones Limited , colloquially known as DJs, is a high-end Australian department store chain.David Jones was founded in 1838 by David Jones, a Welsh immigrant, and is claimed to be the oldest continuously operating department store in the world still trading under its original name. It...
department store, a 3-floored Myer
Myer
Myer is Australia's largest department store chain, retailing a broad range of merchandise including women's, men's and children's clothing, footwear and accessories; cosmetics and fragrance; homewares; electrical; furniture and bedding; toys; books and stationery; food and confectionery; and...
, and approximately 140 stores in the centre itself. In addition, there are also around 300 other retail outlets in the adjacent Crown Street Mall, which Wollongong Central is part of.
The Crown Gateway building has three floors. Mini-major Rebel Sport occupies the underground level, which opens to Burelli Street to the south at ground level and Crown Street to the north via escalators. The next storey is the ground floor which contains specialty stores, fashion outlets, restaurants and cafes. The next level, level two, contains much the same. Myer occupies all three stories.
The Crown Tower building has two floors, and unlike Gateway is at street level to Crown Street Mall. The first floor features mini-major electronics store JB Hi-Fi
JB Hi-Fi
JB Hi-Fi is an Australian CD, DVD, Blu-ray disc, video game and consumer electronics chain store.-History:JB Hi-Fi was established in Melbourne suburb of Keilor East by John Barbuto in 1974...
, and a small campus of the David Jones anchor department store, and the second floor features another mini-major, Best & Less clothing store (formerly a Franklins
Franklins
Franklins is a discount supermarket chain selling packaged groceries and perishables throughout New South Wales, Australia. It owns the No Frills brand of generic products, promoted by their mascot, "Red Sock". It is known as "Australia's Original Discount Grocer"...
supermarket).
The main campus of the David Jones store is in a separate building connected to Crown Tower via a pedestrian bridge. The main campus is not part of Wollongong Central.
At Christmas, Easter and other festivities the mall is decorated, and flagpoles show banners in the mall below. The food courts are both in the Crown Tower building, with only a few cafes in Crown Gateway remaining.
Future Plans
Wollongong Central is going through a huge $300 million redevelopment, at the same time as the Crown Street Mall facelift. However, completion dates are unclear, as work was delayed after Crown Tower's renovations, and is yet to resume. The redevelopment will expand the centre's GLA (Gross Lettable Area) from 38900 m² (418,716 sq ft) to 80270 m² (864,019 sq ft), making it the largest shopping centre in the Illawarra region.Crown Tower Renovations
In 2009, Crown Tower underwent extensive $20 million interior renovations which completely revamped the interior of the building, giving it a much more modern and classier look. The renovations were met with positive feedback.West Keira
The GPT Group proposed a new, six-storey (including three stories of retail) building as an extension in April 2008, however in September 2008 announced the project was shelved until 2010.. West Keira was once again proposed by the GPT Group in August 2010, and was approved by the NSW State Government Minister for Planning.Crown Tower and Crown Gateway Redevelopments
Crown Tower will be extensively modified on its south-west corner to accommodate a pedestrian bridge linking it to the new West Keira building, and strip retail along Keira Street. The exterior of the shopping centre will also be completely modified to match the West Keira building.Crown Gateway has little plans announced, although the GPT Group has confirmed that it will undergo delayed $30 million interior renovations similar to that of Crown Tower.
See also
- 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...
- Stockland Corrimal
- Stockland ShellharbourStockland ShellharbourStockland Shellharbour is one of the largest shopping centres in the Illawarra area, located on Lake Entrance Road at Shellharbour City Centre, approximately 20 km south of Wollongong. It is owned and managed by Stockland, a property developer...
- Westfield FigtreeWestfield FigtreeWestfield Figtree is a major shopping centre, located in Figtree, a suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.-History and development:Westfield Figtree was opened on 23 September 1965 and started life as a neighbourhood shopping centre....
- Westfield WarrawongWestfield WarrawongWestfield Warrawong is a major shopping centre located in Warrawong, a suburb of Wollongong. With a retail floor area of , it is currently the largest shopping centre in the Illawarra region.-History and Development:...