From Netflix star Adam Demos to Idol fave Amali Dimond the Illawarra has plenty of top exports

From a home-grown export starring on Netflix's current number one show, to a pop princess and survival expert.

Here are some of our favourite faces who have done the region proud.

Wollongong export Adam Demos is starring in this week's number one TV show on Netflix, Sex/Life. It's a steamy drama series that bares all - literally - and is now in its second season.

The former Dapto juniors rugby league player is quickly making a name for himself in Hollywood.

Demos charmed viewers as Jake Taylor in Netflix's Falling Inn Love and is now kicking goals as the sexy yet slightly toxic Brad Simon in Sex/Life.

It seems life is imitating art, with the actor now dating his on-screen wife "Billi" played by Sarah Shahi - as confirmed in many cutesy pics of the couple on social media.

This 16-year-old from Shellharbour is currently on her way to super stardom, as a finalist in this year's Australian Idol contest.

The Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts student wowed judges from day one, and continues to reap praise from them each week as the competition gets narrower and narrower.

If she doesn't win Idol, expect to see plenty more of Amali and her amazing voice once this season ends in March.

A jewellery designer raised in West Wollongong was one of three local contestants to fight for the affection of eligible bachelor Matty "J" Johnson in the 2017 season of The Bachelor.

Former St Mary's student Laura Byrne was handed rose after rose, eventually fulfilling her quest for love and stealing the heart of the main protagonist.

But the program's portrayal of their courtship was no ordinary feat.

Matty J explored every option producers presented him and enjoyed many passionate moments with multiple ladies during the series, but on the finale he revealed he never really cared for any of them except Laura.

And the fizz didn't fade once the cameras turned off.

The warm and fuzzies are still well and truly alive for the couple who now have two daughters, Marlie-Mae and Lola, and in 2022 got married.

In February this year, the family featured in the television renovation program Space Invaders in a bid to tidy up her mother's cluttered, Wollongong abode.

The northern Illawarra resident shot to fame as an inmate on the hit streaming series Orange Is The New Black.

She's also had local notoriety after resurrecting the mother of all murals for a climate campaign in 2021, a giant painting scrawled along Thirroul pool in a bid to undo a huge loophole in the city's carbon emissions calculations.

The mural, a mother earth figure nestled against the escarpment, was painted by northern Illawarra Extinction Rebellion activists (including Stone) before it was painted over by Wollongong City Council because it had not been approved.

Most recently, the star has been filming scenes for her new television project One Night for Paramount+ around the Illawarra and Sydney.

A teenager known to busk at McDonald's became a national superstar after winning The X Factor in 2015, sending school-aged children of Wollongong into a frenzy that a celebrity was in the midst.

The former Kanahooka High School student left the judges - and fans - in awe after adding his personal touch to songs we all knew and loved throughout the series.

For his final performance he sat down at the piano for a hauntingly brilliant rendition of Wicked Game originally by Chris Isaak - a judge and mentor on the reality show.

Cyrus' beautiful portrayal of the hit song won the nation's hearts and landed him a recording contract with Sony Music, which saw the release of the single Stone and a self titled album, along with a further five singles before becoming an independent artist.

It's understood the musician then transitioned into production, according to NME.com, who reported he has been working with Client Liaison, CXLOE and Glades.

In 2017 he popped up on the small screen again, this time as an actor - cast as a singer in the TV series Love Child.

In 2020 the independent artist released the single I'm Sorry, and in late 2021 he released the EP Had, Lost.

In 2022 his Instagram pictures promoted a more mature Cyrus with stylish haircut and rugged stubble-verging-on-beard, while his Facebook states he is now based up the road in Sydney.

He stopped posted to his public Facebook account in mid-2022, however the feed on Instagram has continued.

His most recent post being in March, stating how "honoured" he was to be part of his friend Jim Alexander's music video "The Light".

"To say this song has been invaluable as a resource to pull me out of self doubt episodes every other week, would be an understatement," he wrote.

"I encourage all to watch and soak in, and I trust it will be a sign that if you are feeling any of these feelings, you are far from alone."

An Italian grandmother for Flinders with a flair for cooking, lined up to bake her best on MasterChef in 2018.

It was a six-layered Swiss meringue buttercream cake which ultimately led to her undoing from the show, but Nonna G (as she likes to be called) has gone on to make many public appearances and cooking demonstrations since her exit.

These days you can find her teaching people to "cook like Nonna" at WEA Illawarra Community College, or helping students with their culinary skills at Five Islands Secondary College as well as cooking for private dinner parties in people's homes.

But Gina Ottaway told the Mercury the thing to keep her most busy in 2022 was her four grandchildren.

"My greatest joy is cooking with my grandkids ... my world," she said.

You can also find Gina cooking up a storm via her own YouTube channel, Nonna Gina's Food Adventures.

Colloquially known as "the Bear Grylls of Dapto", survival expert Andrew Ucles appeared on Survivor: Brain vs Brawn in 2021.

Although Andrew didn't make the finish line, his star continued to rise with his documentary series Born to be Wild picked up by Netflix.

In mid-February 2023, the 34-year-old viral celebrity touched down in Sydney after having spent four months filming his latest solo wildlife encounters in Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa.

He went to Africa with his intended documentary firmly formed in his head.

He was going to call it, 'The Impossible Seven' and would chronicle his interactions with seven of the world's most impossible-to-catch creatures: the civet, jackal, aardvark, a poacher, black mamba, pangolin and - most importantly - the honey badger.

A vivacious blonde from Corrimal launched her career as the second runner-up in Australia's Next Top Model in 2011.

Since then she has gone on to represent brands like Guess, Bras'n'Things, Honey Birdette and most recently Wheels & Dollbaby.

Despite being linked to lucrative brands, Simone has returned to reality television not just once more, but twice.

In 2018 she travelled to the jungle of South Africa to compete in I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! and in 2022 she was again put through her paces when SAS Australia aired.

The model was one of 17 "recruits" - a mix of sports stars, television personalities and even a convicted drug dealer - to be put through 14 days of intense special forces-type training, or "torture" as Simone put it.

"I thought I was really prepared for the show, but nothing prepares you for being set on fire or [nearly] drowned in a plane," she laughed.

You might get to see more of Simone on telly, as the model said she wouldn't say no to more reality TV, especially if a role on Dancing with the Stars ever came her way.

Albion Park acrobatics group shot to fame in 2022 after being named the winner of Australia's Got Talent, nabbing $100,000 prize money in the process.

While the show referred to the group as the "South Coast squad who trains in a small tin shed", they did the Illawarra proud by showing the judges - and Australia - their amazing physical feats of gymnastics and aerial stunts.

This group of talented young women continue to dominate competitions nationwide, and often overseas too. This won't be the last time their star has shone bright.

Balgownie miner Ben Lyall tried to win the heart of Georgia Love on The Bachelorette in 2016, but the quest was short-lived though still memorable.

The quirky character spoke to the Mercury at the time and admitted he did have a "crazy eyed" expression while his personality may appeal to more a "niche market".

A few years later the part-time property developer did in fact find a love match, this time off screen with Christie Cassar.

In 2019, turbulence in the couple's relationship propelled them to land on reality show The Super Switch in a bit to fix the foibles.

During the series, couples left their respective spouses and lived in "an experimental relationship with a total stranger," with the pairings living together in two separate houses in order to share the experience.

As of February 2023, the duo still appear to be together if Christie's Instagram is anything to go by, with a picture of herself arm-in-arm with Ben and the caption "January ... this year's adventure begins".

Minamurra musician Clare Bowen shot to global prominence after nabbing a starring in the hit television show Nashville.

From 2012 to 2018 Clare was known as "Scarlett O'Connor", until the show finally to an end.

She has since gone on to record more songs and albums, and sought roles in more television productions.

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