Wollongong

View of the town of Wollongong, Illawarra in 1857

The area was originally inhabited by the Dharawal (alternatively spelt Turuwal, Tharawal) 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 19th century as well, such as O'Briens Road and Rixons Pass. By 1856 Wollongong had a population of 864.

Wollongong Breakwater Lighthouse

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.

A painting of Queen of Nations by Richard Ball Spencer

In 1871 the old lighthouse was completed. Nevertheless, in 1881 a British clipper, Queen of Nations, ran ashore off the mouth of Towradgi Creek. Her cargo included 24,000 bottles of Hennessy Cognac. Local police and NSW Customs recovered at least 5,000 bottles, but others were looted by members of the public.[7]

The surviving part of the Queen of Nations wreck is only about 70 metres (230 ft) from the shore, in water only 3 to 5 metres (10 to 16 ft) deep. From time to time, a violent storm uncovers part of the wreck. After one such storm in 1991, looting resumed, including of the Cognac. The Commonwealth Government quickly issued an order protecting the wreck under the then Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976.[8] Since 2018 the Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018 has automatically protected the wreck and its contents, as they are more than 75 years old.

Wollongong N.S.W. 1887; Aerial view of Wollongong Harbour. From the "Illustrated Sydney News" of 15 October 1887.

Wollongong Head Lighthouse and the Flagstaff Hill Fort

In 1880 steam locomotives were introduced to haul coal 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.[9] 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. Survivors were treated at the "A. M. (Albert Memorial) Hospital",[10] which opened in 1864 and closed when the Wollongong Hospital opened in 1907[11] on Garden Hill. In 1916 the Wollongong High School was opened.

Wollongong in 1937

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 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. 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, a locomotive workshop, a coal export shipping terminal, a grain export shipping terminal and an industrial gases manufacturing plant.

Crown Street in the 1940s

In 1936, the new Wollongong Lighthouse was finished on Flagstaff Point.[12] 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 Illawarra Performing Arts Centre (IPAC), across the road on Burelli Street. IPAC was officially opened by Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1988. A sculpture recognizing Lawrence Hargrave was placed via \ 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/café 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.

Various meanings are given for the Aboriginal word ' Wollongong' including 'seas of the South', ' great feast of fish' , 'hard ground near water', 'song of the sea' ' sound of the waves' 'many snakes' and ' five islands'.

Former Post Office

Wollongong has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Church Street: St Michael's Cathedral[13]
• Cliff Road: North Beach Precinct[14]
• Cliff Road and Endeavour Drive: Wollongong Harbour Precinct[15]
• 87 Crown Street: 87 Crown Street[16]
• 91 Crown Street: Old Wollongong East Post Office[17]
• Darling Street: Elouera House[18]
• Illawarra railway: Wollongong railway station[19]
• 197 Keira Street: Regent Theatre[20]
• 11 Market Street: Old Wollongong Telegraph and Post Office[21]
• 31–33 Smith Street: Little Milton[22]

Scenic view of Wollongong's northern coastline from Bald Hill, overlooking Stanwell Park

The city of Wollongong has a distinct geography. It lies on a narrow coastal plain flanked by the Tasman Sea 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. South of the city centre but within the urban area is Lake Illawarra, a large lagoon. Although Wollongong sits on the immediate coast, it lies on the same longitude as Greater Western Sydney.

Cliff faces of Wollongong's coastline, from the Coalcliff Rock Pools

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 scenic protection zoning, and provides the visual backdrop to the city.

In the north the escarpment meets the coastline, and north of this the coastal road Lawrence Hargrave Drive hugs the cliff line. The unstable geology of the escarpment resulted in rockfalls, forcing the closure of the road. Subsequently, part of Lawrence Hargrave Drive was replaced in 2005 by the Sea Cliff Bridge just off the coast, crossing the submerged rock shelf. The bridge carries both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The Illawarra railway line must go through several tunnels to reach the Sydney metropolitan area. The Southern Freeway and 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.

Wollongong's coastline on the outskirts of the city

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 Fairy Creek (Para Creek), Cabbage Tree 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.

Lookout from the Illawarra escarpment above the Wollongong metropolitan area

Inner city

Wollongong city centre

The inner city area includes the suburbs of Wollongong and North Wollongong, extending from Fairy Creek in the north, west to include the Wollongong Hospital, and south to the Greenhouse Park. At the 2016 census, the suburb of Wollongong had a population of 18,442.[23]

The CBD is a major commercial hub containing many department stores and specialty shops, offices, and entertainment venues. It is centred on the Crown Street Mall and Wollongong Central, and approximates the area bounded by Market, Corrimal, and Burelli streets 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.

Wollongong Court House

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. This was later extended with the northern breakwater to create Wollongong Harbour. The area is the site of a historic colonial 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 used in the early 21st century. 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 Fairy lagoon and Puckeys Estate Reserve, and Wollongong City Beach, extending south from Flagstaff Point and into Coniston Beach.

The Wollongong metropolitan area includes the suburbs, outlying towns and rural localities stretching from Helensburgh in the north to Kiama in the south. According to the 2016 census, it had a population of 285,678 people.

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 2.9% of the population.
• 74.1% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 4.2%, North Macedonia 1.3%, China 1.1%, Italy 1.1% and New Zealand 1.0%.
• 80.4% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Macedonian 2.2%, Italian 1.5%, Mandarin 1.1%, Arabic 1.1% and Spanish 0.8%.
• The most common responses for religion were No Religion 27.2%, Catholic 26.1% and Anglican 17.9%.
• 4.2% of employed people worked in Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals). Other major industries of employment included Aged Care Residential Services 2.6%, Higher Education 2.6%, Supermarket and Grocery Stores 2.4% and Cafes and Restaurants 2.4%.[29]

• 
  St Michael's Cathedral
• 
  St Francis Xavier Cathedral
• 
  Nan Tien Temple

It is the third largest city in New South Wales and the tenth largest in Australia. Using 2006 ABS geography, around 89% of the statistical district's population reside in the built-up urban centre extending from Clifton to Shell Cove.[30][31][32]

The following table includes selected 2006 census figures for these areas, together with those for the central suburb of Wollongong.

Wollongong City Council

Wollongong is continuing to grow with a population growth of 3.1% 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.[36][37] 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 100 countries.[38] These included British, Irish, Macedonians, Spaniards, Portuguese, Greeks, Italians, Arabs, Russians, Bosnians, Croatians, Serbians, Germans, Turks, Chileans and Brazilians.[38] With the end of the White Australia policy these were followed by Indo-Chinese refugees in the 1970s, Indians, Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, Malaysians, Singaporeans, Koreans and Pacific Islanders in the 1980s and 1990s.[38] The University of Wollongong continues to attract students and staff from all over the world, with around 5,000 overseas student enrolments.[6]

Around 20,000 people commute daily to jobs in Sydney by road and rail, making it one of the busiest commuter corridors in Australia.[40]

Wollongong has one daily newspaper, The Illawarra Mercury published and issued Monday to Saturday by Australian Community Media (ACM). Additionally, ACM publishes several free community newspapers including the Advertiser incorporating Lake Times and Kiama Independent.[42]

Wollongong and the Illawarra region are serviced by three commercial television networks – WIN Television, Prime7 and Southern Cross 10. 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 are also available in Wollongong and the greater Illawarra region. These channels include ABC HD, ABC TV Plus, ABC Me, ABC News, Prime7HD, 7two, 7mate, 7flix, 9HD, 9Go!, 9Gem, 9Life, 10 HD, 10 Bold, 10 Peach and SBS Viceland. In some areas it is also possible to pick up Sydney channels. Subscription Television service Foxtel (formerly Austar) is also available via satellite.

Of the three main commercial networks:

• WIN Television airs a half-hour local WIN News each weeknight at 5:30pm, produced and broadcast from the network's headquarters in the city.
• Southern Cross 10 airs short news & weather updates of 10 News First throughout the day from Hobart.
• Prime7 airs short local news and weather updates throughout the day, produced and broadcast from its Canberra studios.

The region receives five ABC radio services – ABC Illawarra 97.3FM, Triple J 98.9, and Radio National 1431 AM, ABC Classic FM 95.7 and Newsradio 90.9FM. There are two commercial radio stations i98FM 98.1 and WAVE FM 96.5 – formerly 2WL, and two community radio stations Vox FM 106.9 and Christian broadcaster 94.1 FM.[43]

On the 17th of November 2021 the board game Monopoly launched a 'Wollongong' Edition.[44] It showcases a number of Wollongong attractions including: Nan Tien Temple, Mount Keira, and the Sea Cliff Bridge.[44]

Pier at the Wollongong Foreshore Park

In addition to numerous swimming, skate spots and surfing beaches, major visitor attractions to Wollongong City include:

Wollongong has sister city and friendship city arrangements with:[55]

• Kawasaki, Japan, formally established 1988
• Ohrid, North Macedonia, established 1981, lapsed, formally re-established 1999
• Longyan, People's Republic of China (friendship city), formally established 2001

• List of Wollongong suburbs
• Norman Gunston and Aunty Jack Sings Wollongong
• HMAS Wollongong
• Newcastle
• Geelong

Look up Wollongong in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wollongong.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Wollongong".

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Wollongong.

• Wollongong City Council
• "Illawarra From Above" – Satellite and Aerial Video
• Tourism Wollongong
• Wollongong – Visit NSW
• Wollongong Advertiser incorporating Lake Times
• Kiama Independent
• Merrigong Theatre Company
• Wollongong Town Hall
• Wollongong TV Guide – All channels currently broadcasting in the Wollongong and surrounding areas