Illawarra

From Freepedia

The Illawarra is the name given to a coastal region of New South Wales immediately south of Sydney. Immediately adjacent to the Illawarra to the south is the Shoalhaven region.

The Illawarra consists of a narrow, hilly, coastal region bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the east and a mountainous, almost impassable escarpment forming the eastern edge of the Southern Highland plateau, to the west. The district extends from Bald Hill 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.

The main industries in the area have traditionally been farming, coal mining and steel making. Australia's largest steel works is located at Port Kembla. The Illawarra region is linked to Sydney by motorway and electric railway (see South Coast railway line) and to the interior by the Illawarra Highway.

Towns in the Illawarra include Thirroul, Bulli, Wollongong, Port Kembla, Windang, Dapto, Albion Park, Shellharbour, Kiama, Gerringong and Jamberoo.

The Illawarra is administered by four councils: City of Wollongong, City of Shellharbour, Municipality of Kiama and City of Shoalhaven.

Wollongong council is the northernmost council, ranging from Helensburgh (beyond the northern geographic boundary of Bald Hill) to Lake Illawarra. The Shellharbour council is south of that and ranges from Yallah to Oak Flats. The Kiama LGA's (local government area) northern border is the Minnamurra River and 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.

The Illawarra Steelers played in the NSWRL rugby league competition, then the NRL, from 1982 to 1998, and currently forms one half of the St. George-Illawarra Dragons joint venture.

External link

• invest Illawarra - provides an overview of the Illawarra region.