Wollongong

Wollongong is a large regional city in Australia, about 1 1/2 hrs from Sydney by train. There is a university there and lots of students from all over the world attend the University of Wollongong. The suburbs of the Wollongong area, known as the Illawarra, stretch up the coast from Stanwell Park to Shellharbour.

Meetings

Mailing List

Tips

CouchSurfers

Meeting Organisers

Coffee or a drink

Media Mentions

Attractions

It is not a very touristy place. There are a couple of hotels, motels and hostels around the city centre. Wollongong is in commuting distance from Sydney so there are a lot of professional people who commute everyday to work in Sydney. BUT if these people do it everyday, you can come to Wollongong for a day trip from Sydney too!

The main attractions are the beaches, the great food and the bushwalking. Wollongong also has the largest Buddist temple in the southern hemisphere. It is opens during the day and has a little museum, nice gardens, amazing shrines and awesome vegetarian food - if you are going go for lunch!

Speaking of food. THere are great food bargains to be found in the 'gong. Along Keira street you'll find cheap Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese food. Lunch specials are good value at the Thai and Vietnamese places you'll find a lunch around $7. Dinner about $10 - 12. Chinese meals at Food World or Chefs Choice (just around the corner on market st) can be bought at about $7 a meal anytime - bargin! There is another cheap eating strip on Corrimal St between Crown and market st where you'll find more Middle Eastern food. And awesome Turkish Pide around the corner on Crown St.

The best beaches are in the suburbs north of Wollongong city. Any beaches from Austinmer to Stanwell Park are nice. Austinmer is most easily reached by public transport, but it is most likely to be crowded on a hot day as lots of people from the west of Sydney like to come to this beach. You can get there on a blue "Dions" bus - the last stop is the Austinmer train station. Or catch the train. Its a flat 1/2 km walk to the beach from the train station... unlike the other northern suburbs beaches, which might appear close to the train station, but there will be a BIG hill you have to walk up to get back to the train station at the end of the day! There are also shops for food at Austinmer, and not at most other beaches.

To get there from Sydney, catch a train from Central Station. You do not need to book in advance. Its just the same as catching the train between stations in the city. Choose a ticket to "Wollongong" if you want to go to the city center, or if its another suburb, choose a ticket to that place. It will cost you about $9 one way full fare. You can get a return ticket (to use on the same day only) for less than the price of 2 single tickets.wikipedia:Wollongong wikitravel:Wollongong