This September, Wollongong is expecting tens of thousands of visitors who will come to the city to watch the 2022 UCI Road World Championships.
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So, if you're new here we'd like to say welcome!
If you've never been to Wollongong before, you've probably seen pictures of the spectacular Sea Cliff Bridge and maybe some shots of the Port Kembla steelworks.
But here are 10 other things you might like to know as you explore our city, escarpment and coastline.
1 You are on Dharawal land
The City of Wollongong is on Dharawal Country, and there are plenty of Dreaming stories to explore. One of the best known is the story of Mount Keira and the Five Islands.
According to the Alcheringa, which is the name of the local dreaming stories, the West Wind, Oola-boola-woo, lived on top of the escarpment.
Oola-boola-woo had six daughters but one by one, five of them misbehaved and he threw them out to sea, where they became the Five Islands, the story says.
The last, Geera was left alone on the mountain top, staring out at her sisters the Five Islands, and she sat so still that eventually she turned to stone and became Mount Keira.
To explore this story in more depth, you can head to the sea wall at Hill 60, which is a beautiful lookout with significant heritage values in Port Kembla.
Artists from the Coomaditchie United Aboriginal Corporation have created a mural outlining Aboriginal history of the area, and you can look out over the Five Islands and up to Mount Keira.
2 The Coal Coast is surprisingly Green
Coal mines are an undeniable part of Wollongong's history (and present), with the city's first mining operation starting at Mount Keira in 1848.
But, if you hear talk of the Illawarra being called the Coal Coast, it's much more likely to come from surfers, artists or environmentalists who inhabit the region's progressive northern suburbs.
At this year's federal election, the northern Illawarra electorate of Cunningham was rated by the ABC as being the seventh most left-leaning seat in the country. Despite the traditional working class party, Labor, easily winning the seat, the Green vote was the strongest it's ever been in parts of the region.
Throughout Wollongong, there are more and more urban farms and community gardens as residents look for more sustainable solutions.
There is a strong bike riding community - no surprise with this big bike race being held here.
Our council has long been committed to making Wollongong a nuclear free zone, and has signed up to get the city to Net Zero, and even leading Australian climate scientist Tim Flannery has made Wollongong his home.
So, in this spirit make sure you leave our beautiful green and blue home as you found it.
In addition to the usual general rubbish and recycling bins, you can take advantage of our food recycling program and chuck your food waste into the green bins you'll see dotted around the city so it can be tuned into compost.
3 We're still a Steel Town, but it's nowhere near our biggest industry
If you stand on Flagstaff Hill and look south, you can see that Port Kembla steel works still looms large in our city.
The steel mills and smokestacks that brought waves of migrants here to work last century are a part of our psyche. And, with a push into renewable energy, we'll likely continue to be Steel City for years to come.
But these days, Wollongong's biggest industries are education and health care - which at last count made up more than a quarter of all our jobs.
There's also a slew of tech startups, many which make the most of our city's advanced manufacturing knowledge, and a huge services and hospitality industry.
Manufacturing makes up less than six per cent of our region's jobs, while mining makes up just 2 per cent.
And who knows where we'll go next - we've got more young people living here than most places in Australia, largely thanks to the University of Wollongong, and also a significantly higher proportion of university educated residents (19 per cent of us have degrees, compared to 15 per cent Australia-wide).
4 Our beaches are beautiful, but our ocean pools might be even better
Wollongong has nine ocean pools - located between Coalcliff to Wollongong - and there are more in Shellharbour and Kiama.
Cut into the rock shelves along the Wollongong coastline, between the long stretches of soft yellow sand, these saltwater sanctuaries are full of history.
The water will be cool in late September, but that doesn't stop our many winter ocean swimmers from diving beneath the greenish-blue water on cold mornings.
5 Many cultures make up our community
Present day Wollongong has been shaped by multiple waves of migration. For instance, the population more than doubled in the post-war years, as migrants from Europe - particularly the UK, Italy and Macedonia came to work at the steelworks.
Interestingly, even the current day Census results reflect this history - with Wollongong having a higher proportion of Italian, English and Macedonian born residents than Australia as a whole.
You can soak up this culture by visiting suburbs like Cringila (where most of the Macedonian migrants settled), Warrawong, Port Kembla or Fairy Meadow (where you can see the particular influence of Italian culture and maybe attend the Fraternity Club;s Italian festival).
Many of these post-war migrants arrived on boats and started their lives in Wollongong living in migrant hostels in suburbs including Berkeley and Fairy Meadow (the latter of which you can still see standing today along the UCI race route).
After the Vietnam War, the cultural make up of Wollongong shifted again as Vietnamese refugees began to arrive in the city, and in more recent years, the city has welcomed refugees from Africa and the Middle East.
Among the city's religious institutions, which include cathedrals, mosques and unassuming church halls, is the Nan Tien Temple, the largest largest Buddhist Temple in the Southern Hemisphere.
The internationally recognised University of Wollongong has also helped to encourage a culturally diverse community, with students from China, India and all over the world coming to study here.
Our global mix of cuisines and businesses is a great place to start to explore some of these influences.
6 Our unique place names might trip you up
Starting with Wollongong itself, which is actually pronounced (and frequently misspelt) Woolongong.
Even the recorded train announcements mispronounce Towradgi, as towe-rad-gy instead of toe-rod-gee.
Other tricky ones are:
- Unanderra (don't say un-and-era, it's you-nan-dera)
- Bulli (say bull-lie not bully)
- Cringila (cringe-illa not cring-ela)
- Austinmer (that's austin-mere, not austin-mer, but better to just say Austi).
- Woonona (possibly the most confusing, as it is pronounced the opposite way its spelt: Wo-noo-na)
7 Art is everywhere (even up poles)
Wollongong's most prominent (and expensive) piece of public art might confuse you. It's a palm tree, strung up a 17 metre pole in the middle of the mall, and it definitely divides locals (someone even tried to burn it down last New Year's Eve).
The backstory is actually kind of impressive - the trees are Cabbage Tree palms, also known as Dharawal palms and they were reclaimed and specially selected for the artwork by internationally recognised artist Mike Hewson.
But if (like most residents) you can't quite get past the weirdness of it, there is a rich arts and cultural scene elsewhere.
Many of our city buildings, underpasses and laneways are adorned with murals from our past Wonderwalls festivals, which brought out world renowned artists to transform public spaces.
We also have a wealth of local visual artists and galleries, as well as a thriving theatre scene and plenty of homegrown rock bands.
8 Our distinctive geography is spectacular, but sometimes makes for troublesome weather
Wollongong is windy - especially in July and August, but you also might get caught by the winds in September. This often means the temperature here feels a little bit cooler, so remember to bring a jacket.
Interestingly, some say the Wollongong winds could help decide the outcome of the big race.
Mark Hanley, the grandson of Wollongong surf lifesaver George Hanley for which George Hanley Drive, is named says the potential for offshore wind along the North Wollongong stretch could be key.
"The lead up to the finish of the race is important for sprinters, you've got to know the road and where you can gain speed," he told the Mercury.
"If there's a strong offshore wind as competitors head to the finish line, along George Hanley Drive, riders that know the direction of the wind will have the advantage. When they get up to speed, towards the final few hundred metres the wind matters more."
As well as a jacket to fend off any wind chill, you might want to carry an umbrella.
Like the rest of the east coast, we're likely to have a wetter than usual spring, as the La Nina weather pattern looms. Be prepared for unexpected showers - which aren't always recorded on our official weather radar - as the rain goes up the escarpment and gets dumped back down.
Other features of our geography include some spectacular plants, not least the Illawarra Flame tree which usual flowers in late spring.
You can explore some of these at the Botanic Garden or, if you're after a quiet spot not far from the main climb in the cycling race, try the Rhododendron Gardens.
9 Our city skyline was once famous for all the wrong reasons - but we've come a long way
Way back in 2008, Wollongong hit the headlines because of corruption and scandal which rocked the city council. The council was sacked amid a murky sex-for-development scandal which was dragged through the state's anti corruption commission.
The city's Table of Knowledge (which was actually just an unassuming metal table at a kebab shop in North Wollongong) hit the headlines across the nation and, as the GFC hit, construction in the city ground to a halt.
It took a long time before people trusted developers (and the council) but in recent years dozens of multi-level buildings have risen up, and changing the shape of the Wollongong skyline.
Down on street level there's been an explosion of new bars and restaurants, some tucked into the city's network of laneways, which have (COVID aside) given the city a thriving social scene.
10 Everyone knows everyone
We might be among the largest cities in Australia, but Wollongong is really just a big small town.
If you get chatting, you'll soon realise that there's (usually less than) six degrees of separation between you and everyone else.
If you meet someone new, it's pretty much guaranteed you know someone who knows someone who went to school with them. If you're overseas, you'll end up sitting next to someone else from Wollongong on a tour bus or train. And if you flick through the Mercury's social galleries, you'll spot many an ex-colleague or old flame.
Also, we're a welcoming bunch, not one of those places you have to live for generations before becoming a true local, which might be why so many people stay or return here often.
For locals, the view as you drive down the last few turns of Mount Ousley never gets old.
So next time you visit, as you round the corner and look out through the trees to catch the twinkling lights of the city at night, or the curving coast line and view of the Five Islands by day, we hope you'll feel like you're home too.
Read more:
- 10 places to grab a bite along the Mount Keira route of the UCI
- 10 places to grab a bite along the Wollongong City circuit of the UCI
- The ultimate guide to breweries in Wollongng and the Illawarra
- Where to find the best fish and chips in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven
- 10 best waterfront restaurants in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven
- Where to find the best Aussie meat pie in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven
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