Wollongong Central
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Wollongong Central is a large shopping centre in the
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 wate ...
CBD in the llawarra region. It is located along Crown Street which the main road of Wollongong.


Transport

Wollongong railway station Wollongong railway station is a heritage-listed railway station on the South Coast railway line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the central business district of Wollongong. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register o ...
is a five minute walk from the centre. Wollongong Central has bus connections to
Austinmer Austinmer () is a northern village of Wollongong on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. It sits in the northern Illawarra region, south of Stanwell Park and immediately north of Thirroul. The town's main beach is Austinmer Beach, a ...
,
Bellambi Bellambi () is a suburb of Wollongong in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It has a railway station (opened 1889) on the NSW TrainLink South Coast Line. Bellambi is situated directly north of Corrimal and east of Russell Vale. ...
, Campbelltown,
Dapto Dapto is a suburb of Wollongong in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the western side of Lake Illawarra and covering an area 7.15 square kilometres in size. As at the , the suburb had a population of 10,730. History ...
, Figtree, Kieraville,
Port Kembla A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...
, Stanwell Park,
University of Wollongong The University of Wollongong (abbreviated as UOW) is an Australian public research university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney. As of 2017, the university had an enrolment of ...
and
Warrawong Warrawong is a suburb of Wollongong in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It is situated on the northeast corner of Lake Illawarra. Warrawong is 74 kilometers from Sydney CBD. Warrawong is home to Warrawong Plaza, one of thre ...
, as well as the local surrounding area. The majority of its bus services are located on Kiera and Crown Streets. Wollongong Central has multi level car parks with 2,100 spaces.


History

Whilst Wollongong Central today is one complete shopping centre, it was originally two separate and distinct shopping centres. Crown Central shopping centre was constructed and opened in 1975 by the Abbey Capital Property Group on the northern side of Crown Street, taking the majority of the Crown Street frontage between Keira Street and Church Street. Crown Central featured the
Venture Venture may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *The Ventures, an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 *"A Venture", 1971 song by the band Yes *''Venture'', a 2010 EP by AJR Games * ''Venture'' (video game), a 1981 arcade gam ...
department store,
Franklins Franklins was an Australian discount supermarket chain selling packaged groceries and perishables throughout New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. It sold the "No Frills" home brand generic products. In 2011 the chain was ...
supermarket,
Best & Less Best & Less is an Australian retailer of clothing and household linens. As of 2020, Best&Less has 246 stores as well as an online platform. History Best & Less was founded by Berel Ginges in January 1965, by occupying part of the ground floor of ...
and 30 stores. In 1986, a joint venture between
Wollongong City Council The City of Wollongong is a local government area in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is situated adjacent to the Tasman Sea, the Princes Motorway and the Illawarra railway line. Located south of Sydney central busi ...
and Kern Corporation developed the Crown Gateway shopping centre on the site of the former Coles Building on the southern side of Crown Street, extending through to Burelli Street. Crown Gateway featured
Grace Bros Grace Bros was an Australian department store chain, founded in 1885. It was bought by Myer (later Coles Myer) in 1983. There were 25 stores across New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory plus a few in Victoria, until they were re ...
department store,
Rebel Sport Rebel (formerly Rebel Sport) is an Australian sport equipment and related apparel chain. History Rebel Sport was established in 1985 with its first store in Bankstown. After being listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in 1993, it was p ...
and 52 speciality stores. In 1996, GPT Group purchased Crown Central from the council and redeveloped the food court. In 1998 GPT acquired Crown Gateway from
Wollongong City Council The City of Wollongong is a local government area in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is situated adjacent to the Tasman Sea, the Princes Motorway and the Illawarra railway line. Located south of Sydney central busi ...
. The pink arch entrance to Crown Street Mall was demolished and GPT then developed a pedestrian bridge to join the two centres, and re-branded the combined complex as Wollongong Central. The pedestrian bridge was completed in 2000. In 2009, the North building underwent extensive $20 million interior renovations which completely revamped the interior of the building, giving it a much more modern and classier look. The renovations were met with positive feedback. The North building was extensively modified on its western side to accommodate a pedestrian bridge linking it to the new West Keira building.Wollongong Central Redevelopment
/ref> The exterior of the shopping centre was also be modified to match the West Keira building. Wollongong Central was to commence construction on the $300 million expansion of the centre after successfully purchasing properties including shops and offices on Kiera Street and Crown Street in August 2008. However plans were changed and construction started in November 2011. The expansion was to include an eight screen cinema, food court, supermarket, underground parking and speciality stores. This development was completed on 7 October 2017. The grand opening of the centre was on 9 October 2014 with crowds and confetti on Kiera Street. The West Keira building (Building 1) is situated on the corner of Keira Street and Crown Street and has three main floors. It joins to North Building via an underground pathway and pedestrian bridge. Lower ground floor contains Coles and the first floor contains
Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
and JB Hi-Fi Home. The building also contains cafes and restaurants outside along Keira Street.
Greater Union Greater Union Organisation Pty Ltd, trading as Event Cinemas, Greater Union, GU Film House, Moonlight Cinema and Birch Carroll & Coyle (BCC Cinemas), is the largest movie exhibitor in Australia and New Zealand, with over 140 Multiplex (movie the ...
was to open an eight screen cinema in the complex, however GPT dropped plans for the cinema and instead the cinema commenced it $500,000 upgrade. The South building has little plans announced, although the GPT Group has confirmed that it will undergo delayed $30 million interior renovations similar to that of the North building. However this development never eventuated. On 2 October 2016
Myer Myer (stylised MYER, sometimes known as Myers) is an Australia, Australian mid-range to upscale department store chain. It trades in all Australian states and one of Australia's two self-governing territories. Myer retails a broad range of ...
closed down its store after deciding not to renew its lease. David Jones moved into the 3 level space vacated by Myer and opened on 4 October 2017. Swedish retailer H&M opened in the former space of David Jones in the North Building. The store opened on 1 September 2016. Also in September 2016
Anaconda Anacondas or water boas are a group of large snakes of the genus ''Eunectes''. They are found in tropical South America. Four species are currently recognized. Description Although the name applies to a group of snakes, it is often used to re ...
opened its first Illawarra store and
Rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; s ...
relocated from South Building and opened in the North Building. On 10 July 2018
Holey Moley ''Holey Moley'' is an American sports entertainment, sports reality competition television series created for American Broadcasting Company, ABC by Chris Culvenor. The series is produced by Eureka Productions and Unanimous Media, with Culvenor, ...
opened its bar and mini golf venue. On 12 April 2019 B. Lucky & Sons arcade and bar opened. Both these venues are located on the basement level of the South Building. Rivers and
TK Maxx TK Maxx is a subsidiary of the American apparel and home goods company TJX Companies based in Framingham, Massachusetts. The stores operate throughout the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Austria and the Netherlands, totalli ...
occupies part of the bottom level, which opens to Burelli Street to the south at ground level. The upper two levels are primarily accessed from Crown Street Mall and predominantly contain specialty stores, fashion outlets, and cafes. There is also a pedestrian bridge linking South Building to ''Club Lime'' and a carpark. On top of the south-western corner of the North Building is a five-level office tower, previously known as Crown Tower. In October 2021, Haben Property Fund and JY Group acquired 100% interest in the shopping centre from GPT for $402 million.


Future

GPT has concept approval for two towers to be built on top of the new West Keira building - a 10-level commercial office tower on the north-east corner, and an 18-level residential tower on the south-west corner, along with an additional two parking levels on top of the West Keira podium. There is no timetable for the construction of these towers.NSW Dept of Planning - Concept Plan Approval
/ref>


Tenants

Wollongong Central has 59,000m² of floor space. The major retailers include David Jones
Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
, Coles,
Cotton On Cotton On Group is Australia's largest global retailer, known for its fashion clothing and stationery brands. As of 2020, it has over 1,500 stores in 18 countries employing 22,000 people across seven brands: Cotton On, Cotton On Kids, Cotton O ...
, H&M,
TK Maxx TK Maxx is a subsidiary of the American apparel and home goods company TJX Companies based in Framingham, Massachusetts. The stores operate throughout the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Austria and the Netherlands, totalli ...
, JB Hi-Fi Home,
Rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; s ...
,
Best & Less Best & Less is an Australian retailer of clothing and household linens. As of 2020, Best&Less has 246 stores as well as an online platform. History Best & Less was founded by Berel Ginges in January 1965, by occupying part of the ground floor of ...
,
Chemist Warehouse Chemist Warehouse Group (trading as Chemist Warehouse, Chemist Warehouse New Zealand, My Chemist, My Beauty Spot) is an Australian company operating a chain of retail pharmacies both locally and internationally. The company is Australia's largest ...
,
Anaconda Anacondas or water boas are a group of large snakes of the genus ''Eunectes''. They are found in tropical South America. Four species are currently recognized. Description Although the name applies to a group of snakes, it is often used to re ...
, and
Holey Moley ''Holey Moley'' is an American sports entertainment, sports reality competition television series created for American Broadcasting Company, ABC by Chris Culvenor. The series is produced by Eureka Productions and Unanimous Media, with Culvenor, ...
.


References


External links


Wollongong Central Official Website
{{Shopping centres in New South Wales Shopping centres in New South Wales Shopping malls established in 1975 1975 establishments in Australia Buildings and structures in Wollongong