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Wollongong

Wollongong is located just 1.5 hour south of Sydney.

The entrance to City of Wollongong will be an experience you won't forget, whether by car, bus or train the descent from the top of the escarpment to the sparkling coastline is an inviting welcome.

The city lifestyle and recreational activities are enhanced by the unique combination of the mountains and sea, creating the city's beautiful natural environment. Wollongong is diverse in experiences, the easy-going regional lifestyle with the abundance of cultural and heritage, from the Lawrence Hargrave Memorial, The Wollongong City Gallery, the largest Buddhist Temple in the Southern Hemisphere to a city proud of its sporting prowess.

Take the family on a picnic to the Botanic Gardens, try a bushwalk along the escarpment, enjoy a swim or surf on our 17 beaches, relax while enjoying the view from our lookouts. Time to take a coffee break at a seaside village or maybe a learning experience in the Science Centre and Planetarium.

Be up early to watch the sunrise, ride a bike on our cycleways, take a drive north via the coast to watch the hang-gliders fly above Bald Hill or maybe catch a glimpse from the shoreline of dolphins playing out to sea or boats sailing south.

In the Directory

• Accommodation [1]

Photos

Wave action - Photo courtesy of Tourism NSW

Aerial view - Photo courtesy of Tourism NSW

One of the many beaches - Photo courtesy of Tourism NSW

Underwater Recommendations

Just off Wollongong the wreck of the Bombo sank in 1949 and is still reasonably intact. Several rocky reefs can be found around the islands nearby. The underwater terrain is made up out of channels, crevices and walls. Stunning patches with gorgonians can be found in places and there are also a few sponge gardens to check out. Plenty of other creatures are around varying from tiny sea spiders and nudibranchs to snapper, Blue Gropers, moray eels, large stingrays and schools of smaller fish. Pelagic life includes bream, trevally, tailor and kingfish.

Getting There

Travel is easy. Wollongong is about 90 minutes south of Sydney by rail or road. The rail journey is comfortable, with spectacular views. Road connections, via the F6 Freeway and the Princes Highway, are fast and reliable with fine views over the Royal National Park and the Northern Illawarra beaches.

The road and rail connections continue south to popular beaches and tourist spots around Shellharbour, Kiama and the Shoalhaven region.

A satellite airport at Albion Park, just south of Wollongong, provides light plane tourist and charter services.