Residents on Cliff Road have multi-million dollar views, but recently some decidedly less savoury neighbours have moved in.
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A rat colony has established itself between 78 and 72 Cliff Road, and residents have plead for the Department of Housing to do something about the furry ferals.
The colony has set up a series of burrows in the gardens of 72-74 Cliff Road.
During a quick visit this reporter had to concentrate to avoid stepping on a rat - and instead felt the ground collapse into a burrow underfoot.
At 11am dozens of rats were seen going about their business, hopping over the low brick wall to grab a bite from one of the six bins provided to the large Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) complex next door.
Despite rubbish collection the day before, the bins are already overflowing, and clearly inadequate for the number of residences.
"It's not the residents' fault," neighbour Fran Talib said.
"There's just not enough receptacles. They've tried putting out rat baits, and a tenant's dog died after eating one. It made no difference to the rats."
With Wollongong set to host the 2022 UCI Road World Championships, it may well be that participants have the "ride of their life" dodging rodents along Cliff Road.
"We're hosting an international cycling event next year, and this is on our main road," Mrs Talib said. "It's horrendous."
The DCJ were contacted about the issue, and said they were engaging a contractor to dispose of the rubbish.
"DCJ take health and safety matters seriously," a statement read.
"[We] are urgently addressing this issue with the contractor to ensure rubbish is disposed of properly."
Tony Khoury is executive director of the Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association of NSW, and also lives above the rat utopia.
He says the problem will not be solved by a one-time cleanup.
"We deal with these situations in multi-unit dwellings all the time, and this is no different," he said.
"This is an older-style building, and waste management wasn't a consideration when it was built.
"The best thing that could happen is they do a full waste-management audit and develop a waste management plan, which should include a dedicated bin area.
"Members of the public also put their waste their, which is unfair to the residents. There should be a secure, 140-litre red-bin capacity per dwelling."
There was one 280-litre red bin and two 140-litre red bins visible at the front of dozens of apartments.
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