Wollongong's history of murder, disasters and corruption is set be exposed in a new bus tour, dedicated to laying bare the region's underbelly.
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Tapping into the growing demand for "dark tourism", passengers will be able to have their photo taken at the site of the notorious Table of Knowledge, view the house where former lord mayor Frank Arkell was murdered and visit the site of the Mt Kembla mine disaster.
The three-hour tour will cap off the Australian History Association's annual conference, to be held at the University of Wollongong in July.
Organiser and historian Dr Glenn Mitchell said the tour was not designed to be "tourism porn" but rather to offer a "warts and all" view of the region.
"We're interested in portraying a representation of Wollongong that covers the good, the bad and the ugly," he said.
"We wanted a balanced, mature, reflective view that doesn't sanitise or airbrush away the cellulite - we wanted the region's history in its full, naked, glory."
Narrowing the tour to just a dozen stops was difficult for the organisers, given the Illawarra has been quite the hotbed of crime, providing the backdrop for more than 20 murders, along with corruption scandals and disastrous industrial accidents in the coalmines and in other industries.
"We really do have a fascinating and important history," Dr Mitchell said.
"I am constantly finding ways to open up history to a broader audience.
"This is about presenting history with a funky, sexy soundtrack; if that's what it takes to get people interested in their city, then I'm up for it."
Dr Mitchell is keen to run the tour regularly and has considered extending the route and adding new stops as fresh scandals, crime and incidents emerge.
"People are attracted to the dark side [of life] in a safe way," he said.
"They want to be able to touch, see and experience places and events that have historical importance from the safety of a tourist bus.
"Time has long passed and they are not actually seeing the event so there is definitely scope to go further."
Tickets for the tour are $25 and include a booklet, map and a souvenir T-shirt. Anyone interested can email gmitchel@uow.edu.au.
