Lookout from the Illawarra Escarpment above Wombarra over the northern Illawarra plain viewing Austinmer, Thirroul, Bulli, Wollongong up to Port Kembla in the far.

Illawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the Shoalhaven region, encompassing the cities of Wollongong and Shellharbour and the municipality of Kiama. The central region contains Lake Illawarra.

[edit] Geography

Illawarra Escarpment above Austinmer, showing Hawkesbury sandstone, Rainforest and Eucalyptus forest.

A section of the Illawarra coastline, circa 1900

The word Illawarra probably means "high place near the sea" in the local Aboriginal language.^[1] The region consists of a coastal plain, narrow in the north and wider in the south, bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the east and a mountainous, almost impassable 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, the third 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 and Stanwell Park 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.

The main industries in the area have traditionally been farming, coal mining and steel making. Australia's largest steel works, BlueScope Steel is located at Port Kembla. The area, especially around Port Kembla and Wollongong 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.

The Illawarra region is linked to Sydney by several passes and a motorway (Southern Freeway) and electric railway (see South Coast railway line); to the west by the Illawarra Highway and Picton Road; and to the south by the Princes Highway. At Albion Park Rail the Illawarra Regional Airport serves the region.

[edit] Towns and government

Towns in the Illawarra include

• Helensburgh
• Stanwell Park
• Kiama
• Thirroul
• Bulli
• Wollongong
• Port Kembla
• Windang
• Coledale
• Dapto
• Albion Park
• Albion Park Rail
• Oak Flats
• Shellharbour
• Gerringong
• Jamberoo

The Illawarra is administered by four councils: Wollongong City Council, Shellharbour City Council, Kiama Council and partly the Shoalhaven City Council.

• Wollongong council is the northernmost council, ranging from Helensburgh to Lake Illawarra, with northernmost coastal suburb Helensburgh and southernmost suburbs including Windang, Yallah and Haywards Bay.
• The Shellharbour city council is south of Wollongong, and ranges from Albion Park Rail in the north, west to Macquarie Pass near the escarpment, and south to Dunmore near the Minnamurra River.
• The Kiama LGA's (local government area) northern border is the Minnamurra River,west border is Bald Hill, and south covers all the area to about 4 km south of Gerroa.
• The Shoalhaven City Council covers the southernmost reaches of the Illawarra, and further south to Ulladulla.

[edit] Population

The Illawarra area currently has a population of 409,734 (as of 2004)^[2]

[edit] Illawarra cattle

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 really durable and suited to the Australian climate.

[edit] Sport

[edit] Basketball

The Wollongong Hawks have represented the region (previously known as the Illawarra Hawks) since the foundation year of the NBL, 1979.

[edit] Football (Soccer)

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.

The region may have a club in the A-League as early as 2010, with a group known as South Coast Football organising a bid for the leagues second wave of expansion.

[edit] Rugby league

The Illawarra Steelers Rugby League Football Club played in the NSWRL football competition, then the NRL, from 1982 to 1998, and currently forms one half of the St George Illawarra Dragons joint venture. They are the premier sports side in the Illawarra and many famous footballers, such as Bob Fulton, Graeme Langlands, Mick Cronin, Rod Wishart, Paul McGregor, Craig Fitzgibbon, Luke Bailey, Steve Roach, Garry Jack, Warren Ryan, and the Stewart brothers Brett and Glenn are just some players to have come from the Illawarra region.

[edit] Rugby union

The Illawarriors are a Rugby Union club that have contested the Shute Shield since 2007.

[edit] See also

• Illawarra Escarpment
• Lake Illawarra
• Electoral district of Illawarra, a seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
• Illawarra Coke Company
• BlueScope Steel
• Australian Regional Rivalries

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Illawarra, New South Wales

• "Northern Illawarra Online" - Web portal to the Northern Coastal Villages of Wollongong
• "NiOSurf" - Live surfcam and conditions in the Northern Illawarra
• "Northern Illawarra Chamber of Commerce" - Serving the Northern Illawarra since 1996
• "Illawarra Coal" - An unofficial history of coal mining in the Illawarra
• "invest Illawarra" - an overview of the Illawarra region provided by the Illawarra Regional Development Board.
• Rides around the Illawarra - Scenery and Surf - what more can you want?
• Illawarra image galleries - Photographs of the region taken by a local resident
• "Sea Cliff Bridge" - Bridging the Cliff & the Sea & Community.