The iconic reserve at Stanwell Tops has undergone a major facelift in recent months, as part of a multimillion-dollar upgrade. 

What was once just a grassy section of land, overlooking Stanwell Park and offering unspoiled views of the Illawarra coastline, now boasts an array of new amenities.  

A kiosk offers visitors the chance to grab a coffee and bite to eat, while a new viewing platform allows them an even better vantage point to take in the view. 

Parking and vehicular access has also been improved, thanks to a new roundabout on Otford Road and more parking spaces across two levels.

More than 3000 people visit the reserve during busy weeks and Wollongong lord mayor Gordon Bradbery said the “renewed and refreshed” Bald Hill would serve visitors for years to come.

“It was a very well-visited location with appalling parking and traffic arrangements around there,” Cr Bradbery said.

“What we have now is a much more accessible site, with better car parking for buses and large vehicles, a new coffee spot, better seating and new amenities.

The site is used for hang gliding and paragliding, and has an added international significance as the site of Lawrence Hargrave’s historic box kite experiments in 1894.

Maintaining the site’s ‘bald’ character, protecting gliding activity zones and enhancing heritage features were among the project’s guiding principles.

“We’ve turned it into a first-class tourist destination stopover,” Cr Bradbery said. 

The project, worth $8.8 million, began in March 2015.

It received $2.9 million from the NSW government’s Illawarra Infrastructure Fund, set up in 2013 to distribute the proceeds from the long term lease of the Port Kembla port, with additional contributions from Wollongong City Council and the federal government.

Parliamentary secretary for the Illawarra Gareth Ward said the reserve’s upgrade was “long overdue” and it was now a “beautiful beacon” for visitors to start their journey through the region.

“We’ve gone from something that was detracting from the view to something that complements ... the view,” Mr Ward said.

“A world-class view deserved a world-class platform and that’s what we’ve given Bald Hill.”