Illowra Battery is a former Australian Army coastal-artillery

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

located at Hill 60,

Port Kembla, New South Wales Port Kembla is a suburb of Wollongong 8 km south of the CBD and part of the Illawarra region of New South Wales. The suburb comprises a seaport, industrial complex (one of the largest in Australia), a small harbour foreshore nature reserve ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, built and in service during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It was also otherwise known as ''Hill 60 Battery''.NSW Heritage Listing
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History

Two large naval-gun emplacements were constructed, both housing British BL 6-inch Mk. XI guns and complete with their protective gun-shields formerly held in storage from the decommissioned World War I-era Australian Navy cruisers HMAS ''Brisbane'', ''Sydney'' and HMAS ''Melbourne''. Two large tunnels were built to support the gun-battery and are steep in its descent underground and is fitted with a small-gauge tram/trolleyway used for hauling the guns' shells to their breeches located at the two coastal-gun emplacements above. Hill 60 illowra battery port kembla

Aside from the two tunnels, a concrete bunker was also built and is connected to the tunnel system. Illowra Battery was abandoned shortly after the end of World War II in 1945. A mushroom farm was established in its main bunker complex due to the cool temperature and adequate humidity within for the growing of such edible fungi. Today, the site remains popular with local visitors as well as

urban explorers Urban exploration (often shortened as UE, urbex and sometimes known as roof and tunnel hacking) is the exploration of manmade structures, usually abandoned ruins or hidden components of the manmade environment. Photography and historical inter ...

, who have added much colourful and diverse

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

to the old battery's walls and remnants.

References

{{Coord, 34, 29, 29.43, S, 150, 54, 58.30, E, region:AU_type:landmark, display=title Batteries in Australia Buildings and structures in Wollongong Bunkers in Oceania Forts in New South Wales