The Illawarra is a coastal
region in the Australian state of
New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the
South Coast South Coast is a name often given to coastal areas to the south of a geographical region or major metropolitan area.
Geographical
Australia
*South Coast (New South Wales), the coast of New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney
* South Coast (Q ...
region. It encompasses the two cities of
Wollongong
Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near w ...
,
Shellharbour
Shellharbour (also known as Shellharbour Village) is a suburb located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It also gives its name to the local government area, City of Shellharbour, and its central business district, Shell ...
and the coastal town of
Kiama. Wollongong is the largest city of the Illawarra with a population of 240,000, then Shellharbour with a population of 70,000 and Kiama with a population of 10,000. These three cities have their own
suburbs. Wollongong stretches from Otford in the north to Windang in the south, with Maddens Plains and Cordeaux in the west.
The Illawarra region is characterised by three distinct districts: the north-central district, which is a contiguous
urban sprawl centred on
Lake Illawarra
Lake Illawarra ( Aboriginal Tharawal language: various adaptions of ''Elouera'', ''Eloura'', or ''Allowrie''; ''Illa'', ''Wurra'', or ''Warra'' meaning pleasant place near the sea, or, high place near the sea, or, white clay mountain), is an op ...
, the western district defined by the
Illawarra escarpment, which leads up to the fringe of
Greater Metropolitan Sydney including the
Macarthur in the northwest, and to the
Southern Highlands region in the southwest, which is historically semi-rural, but now defined by increasing urbanisation.
Etymology
The word "''illawarra''" is derived from the
Aboriginal Tharawal word "''allowrie''," also sometimes spelled as "''elouera''" or "''eloura''." According to
A. W. Reed, the word is variously translated as "pleasant place near the sea" or "high place near the sea."
The prefix of "''illa''" is also known to mean "white clay;" with the suffix "''warra''," sometimes spelled as "''wurra''," meaning "mountain" in the local indigenous language.
George Bass and
Matthew Flinders were the first Europeans to visit the area, with Flinders recording that it 'was called "''Allowrie''" by the natives'.
For the period around 1806, the region was called "Five Islands"; referring to the group of five islands off Red Point.
In 1817
Governor Macquarie Macquarie may refer to: People
* Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of the British colony of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821.
* Elizabeth Macquarie Campbell, Lachlan Macquarie's second wife
Locations
* Division of Macquarie, an electoral district in th ...
, referring to region, wrote: 'part of the coast known generally by the name of the Five Islands, but called by the natives "''Illawarra''".
History
Geography
The region consists of a
grassy coastal plain, narrow in the north and wider in the south, bounded by the
Tasman Sea on the east and the mountainous, almost impassable Illawarra escarpment (forming the eastern edge of the Southern Highlands plateau) to the west. In the middle of the region is Lake Illawarra, a shallow lake formed when sediment built up at the entrance to a bay. The district extends from the southern hills of the
Royal National Park in the north to the
Shoalhaven River in the south, and contains the city of
Wollongong
Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near w ...
, the fourth largest urban area in New South Wales.
North of Wollongong the plain narrows to a small strip of land between the coast and the escarpment. At
Coalcliff
Coalcliff is a town on the coast of New South Wales, Australia, between Sydney and Wollongong.
History
In 1796 William Clark and others trekking north to Port Jackson from the wrecked ship '' Sydney Cove'' noticed coal exposed at the cli ...
and
Stanwell Park
Stanwell Park is a coastal village and northern suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It is the northernmost point of the Illawarra coastal strip and lies south of Sydney's Royal National Park. It is situated in a small valley betw ...
small valleys are formed allowing further settlement. To the south it widens, and becomes increasingly hillier before reaching Stockyard Mountain, a long divide between the main plain and the
Jamberoo Valley, which stretches until it reaches
Kiama. South of Kiama is
Saddleback Mountain and south of that the Shoalhaven plains and the outcrop of Coolangatta Mountain.
Ecology
Ecologically, the coastal grassy region of the Illawarra is within the ''
Illawarra Lowlands Grassy Woodland'' biome. Characteristic tree species in the region include ''
Eucalyptus tereticornis'', ''
Eucalyptus eugenioides
''Eucalyptus eugenioides'', commonly known as the thin-leaved stringybark or white stringybark, is a species of tree endemic to eastern Australia. It is a small to medium-sized tree with rough stringy bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, Fl ...
'', ''
Eucalyptus longifolia
''Eucalyptus longifolia'', commonly known as woollybutt, is a species of medium-sized tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has thick, fibrous bark on the trunk and larger branches, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in grou ...
'', ''
Eucalyptus bosistoana
''Eucalyptus bosistoana'', commonly known as the coast grey box or Bosisto's box, is a tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has rough, flaky bark at the base of its trunk, smooth cream yellow or grey bark above and sometimes thr ...
'' and ''
Melaleuca decora
''Melaleuca decora'', commonly known as the white feather honeymyrtle, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is native to eastern Australia. It is a large shrub to small tree with papery bark, lance-shaped leaves and sweet-smelling, c ...
''. Shrub species include ''
Acacia mearnsii'', ''
Dodonaea viscosa'' and as well as the endangered
orchard ''
Pterostylis gibbosa''.
The wet elevated areas of the Illawarra, where rainfall exceeds 1300mm, are within the ''Southern Lowland Wet Sclerophyll Forests'' and ''Southern Escarpment Wet Sclerophyll Forests'' biomes which generally feature tall, compact eucalyptus forests 30m-60m tall and
understorey that include moist shrubs,
tree ferns, a few vines and a uninterrupted herbaceous
groundcover. The
Illawarra-Shoalhaven subtropical rainforest lies in the region.
Government administration
For the purposes of
Australian federal elections for the
House of Representatives, the Illawarra region is contained within the electoral Divisions of
Cunningham
Cunningham is a surname of Scottish origin, see Clan Cunningham.
Notable people sharing this surname
A–C
*Aaron Cunningham (born 1986), American baseball player
*Abe Cunningham, American drummer
* Adrian Cunningham (born 1960), Australian ...
,
Whitlam and the northern tip of
Gilmore.
For the purposes of New South Wales elections for the
NSW Legislative Assembly, the Illawarra region is contained within the electoral districts of
Wollongong
Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near w ...
,
Keira,
Shellharbour
Shellharbour (also known as Shellharbour Village) is a suburb located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It also gives its name to the local government area, City of Shellharbour, and its central business district, Shell ...
,
Heathcote, and
Kiama.
For the purposes of
local government administration, the Illawarra region is contained within the cities of
Wollongong
Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near w ...
,
Shellharbour
Shellharbour (also known as Shellharbour Village) is a suburb located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It also gives its name to the local government area, City of Shellharbour, and its central business district, Shell ...
and the
Municipality of Kiama.
*The City of Wollongong forms the northernmost boundary, ranging from
Helensburgh to Lake Illawarra, with northernmost coastal suburb Helensburgh and southernmost suburbs including Windang, Yallah and Haywards Bay.
*The City of Shellharbour is south of Wollongong City, and ranges from
Albion Park Rail
Albion Park Rail is a suburb of Shellharbour, Australia situated in the Macquarie Valley (Shellharbour). The South Coast railway line was opened to the railway station and Bombo in 1887. At the time the nearest town was Albion Park, sever ...
in the north, west to
Macquarie Pass near the escarpment, south to Dunmore near the
Minnamurra River
The Minnamurra River, an open mature wave dominated barrier estuary, is located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia.
Location and features
Minnamurra River rises within the Budderoo National Park on the eastern slopes of ...
, and bordered on the east by ocean stretching from Lake Illawarra,
Warilla, Barrack Point and
Shellharbour
Shellharbour (also known as Shellharbour Village) is a suburb located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It also gives its name to the local government area, City of Shellharbour, and its central business district, Shell ...
.
*The Municipality of Kiama is south of Shellharbour City, and ranges from the Minnamurra River, west to
Bald Hill, and south to about south of
Gerroa.
Economy
The main industries in the area have traditionally been farming, coal mining and
steel making. Australia's largest steel-works,
BlueScope
BlueScope Steel Limited is an Australian flat product steel producer that was spun-off from BHP Billiton in 2002.
History
BlueScope was formed when BHP Billiton spun-off its steel assets on 15 July 2002 as BHP Steel. It was renamed BlueSco ...
, operates at
Port Kembla. The area, especially around
Port Kembla and
Wollongong
Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near w ...
, was once known for its mainly industrial jobs, but since the 1990s commerce has played an increasing role in the city, overtaking industry in many areas.
Illawarra cattle were originally bred in Illawarra and are now Australia's 3rd largest breed in population. They are large dark red cows sometimes with white patches. They produce large amounts of high butter fat and high protein milk and are suited to the Australian climate. The
Illawarra Central Co-operative Dairy Factory was used by the Illawarra Central Co-operative Dairy Co. Ltd. for the intake of
milk and
cream from
dairy farmers in the local area.
Coal mining has been a key part to the Illawarra's economy for over 200 years. The southern part of the region has been a source of crushed-stone
construction aggregate and
railway track ballast material for over 140 years.
Transport
The Illawarra region is linked to Sydney in the north by several passes, a motorway (
Southern Freeway) and an electric railway (see
Illawarra railway line); to the west by the
Illawarra Highway and Picton Road; and to the south by the
Princes Highway. At
Albion Park Rail
Albion Park Rail is a suburb of Shellharbour, Australia situated in the Macquarie Valley (Shellharbour). The South Coast railway line was opened to the railway station and Bombo in 1887. At the time the nearest town was Albion Park, sever ...
the Illawarra Regional Airport serves the region.
Sport
Rugby League Football
The
Illawarra Steelers
The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level rugby league competition from 1982 until 1998. On the 13th of December 1980, th ...
Rugby league Football Club played in the
NSWRL rugby league competition, then the
NRL
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
, from 1982 to 1998, and currently forms one half of the
St George Illawarra Dragons joint venture, who play six of their twelve home games at
WIN Stadium in Wollongong. The Illawarra Steelers still field teams in the lower rugby league divisions.
Many famous footballers, such as
Bob Fulton,
Graeme Langlands
Graeme Frank Langlands, MBE, (2 September 1941 – 20 January 2018), also known by the nickname of "Changa", was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. and coached in the 1970s.
He retire ...
,
Mick Cronin Michael or Mick Cronin may refer to:
Sports
* Mick Cronin (hurler) (1902–1982), Irish hurler
* Mick Cronin (footballer) (1911–1979), Australian rules football player, umpire and television commentator
*Mick Cronin (rugby league) (born 1951), Au ...
,
Rod Wishart
Rod Wishart (born 15 October 1968) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played the 1980s and 1990s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative goal-kicking winger, he played club f ...
,
Paul McGregor,
Craig Fitzgibbon,
Luke Bailey,
Steve Roach,
Garry Jack
Garry Jack (born 14 March 1961) is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He was a representative in the Australian national team and star player with the Balmain Tigers. Jack was a for the Tigers during the late 1980s, and ea ...
,
Warren Ryan, and the Stewart brothers
Brett and
Glenn, have come from the Illawarra region.
Basketball
The
Illawarra Hawks have represented the region (previously known as The Hawks and the Wollongong Hawks) since the foundation year of the
NBL, 1979.
They won the NBL championship in 2001 defeating the Townsville Crocs 2-1 in the best of 3 finals.
They also finished as runners-up in 2005 and 2010 seasons.
The team caught global attention when American teen sensation
LaMelo Ball announced on ESPN's show The Jump that he will be joining the Hawks through the NBL's Next Star program. In April 2020, LaMelo Ball and his business manager, Jermaine Jackson announced they had bought the Hawks.
Association football
The
Wollongong Wolves participated in the now defunct
NSL, winning back to back premierships in 2000 and 2001. The Wolves were not selected for the NSL's replacement, the
A-League, and instead chose to compete in the
New South Wales Premier League under the name
Wollongong FC. The Wolves organisation collapsed in 2008, and was taken over by
Wollongong Community Football Club
Wollongong Wolves Football Club is an Australian semi-professional association football club based in Wollongong, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues NSW, the second-tier of foo ...
. The Wolves have continued to play in the New South Wales Premier League.
Cricket
Cricket has also been played in the Illawarra for at least one hundred and fifty years with the Keira Cricket Club being founded in 1862.
Water Polo
The first recorded match of water polo in the Illawarra came in 1894, in a men's match between the Wollongong and Kiama Swim Clubs at Brighton Beach. The Kiama Swim Club prevailed, winning 3-0. Water polo is currently played at UOW Pool through the Illawarra Water Polo Club. Each year, Illawarra also compete at the NSW Country Club Championships, whereby the Illawarra U14's boys won in 2021.
See also
*
Australian Regional Rivalries
*
BlueScope
BlueScope Steel Limited is an Australian flat product steel producer that was spun-off from BHP Billiton in 2002.
History
BlueScope was formed when BHP Billiton spun-off its steel assets on 15 July 2002 as BHP Steel. It was renamed BlueSco ...
*
Electoral district of Illawarra
Illawarra was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was located in the Illawarra area and originally created in 1859, replacing East Camden. It was replaced by Wollongong in 1904 ...
, a seat in the
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
*
Illawarra escarpment
*
Illawarra Coke Company
*
Lake Illawarra
Lake Illawarra ( Aboriginal Tharawal language: various adaptions of ''Elouera'', ''Eloura'', or ''Allowrie''; ''Illa'', ''Wurra'', or ''Warra'' meaning pleasant place near the sea, or, high place near the sea, or, white clay mountain), is an op ...
*
Coastal coal-carrying trade
*
Stone Fleet
References
External links
"Satellite and Aerial Video of the Illawarra and Wollongong""Northern Illawarra Chamber of Commerce"
{{Authority control
IBRA subregions
Regions of New South Wales
Proposed states and territories of Australia