Illawarra

Coordinates: 34°30′S 150°54′E / 34.5°S 150.9°E / -34.5; 150.9
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Illawarra
UTC+11)
Location85 km (53 mi) S of Sydney
LGA(s)
Federal division(s)
Localities around Illawarra:
Macarthur (Greater Sydney) Southern Sydney (Greater Sydney) Tasman Sea
Southern Highlands
Illawarra Tasman Sea
Southern Tablelands
South Coast
Tasman Sea

The Illawarra is a coastal

suburbs
. Wollongong stretches from Otford in the north to Windang in the south, with Maddens Plains and Cordeaux in the west.

The Illawarra region is characterised by three distinct districts: the north-central district, which is a contiguous

Southern Highlands
region in the southwest, which is historically semi-rural, but now defined by increasing urbanisation.

Etymology

The word "illawarra" is derived from the

A. W. Reed, the word is variously translated as "pleasant place near the sea" or "high place near the sea."[2][3] The prefix of "illa" is also known to mean "white clay;" with the suffix "warra," sometimes spelled as "wurra," meaning "mountain" in the local indigenous language.[3] George Bass and Matthew Flinders were the first Europeans to visit the area, with Flinders recording that it 'was called "Allowrie" by the natives'.[2]

For the period around 1806, the region was called "Five Islands"; referring to the group of five islands off Red Point.[2][4][failed verification] In 1817 Governor Macquarie, referring to region, wrote: 'part of the coast known generally by the name of the Five Islands, but called by the natives "Illawarra".[2]

History

Geography

Thirroul, Bulli, Wollongong up to Port Kembla
in the far.
forest.
A section of the Illawarra coastline, c. 1900

The region consists of a

Wollongong
, the fourth 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

Kiama. South of Kiama is Saddleback Mountain
and south of that the Shoalhaven plains and the outcrop of Coolangatta Mountain.

Ecology

Illawarra Sunset

Ecologically, the coastal grassy region of the Illawarra is within the

The wet elevated areas of the Illawarra, where rainfall exceeds 1300mm, are within the Southern Lowland Wet Sclerophyll Forests and Southern Escarpment Wet Sclerophyll Forests biomes which generally feature tall, compact eucalyptus forests 30m-60m tall and

understorey that include moist shrubs, tree ferns, a few vines and a uninterrupted herbaceous groundcover.[6][7] The Illawarra-Shoalhaven subtropical rainforest
lies in the region.

Government administration

For the purposes of Australian federal elections for the House of Representatives, the Illawarra region is contained within the electoral Divisions of Cunningham, Whitlam and the northern tip of Gilmore.[8][9][10]

For the purposes of New South Wales elections for the NSW Legislative Assembly, the Illawarra region is contained within the electoral districts of Wollongong, Keira, Shellharbour, Heathcote, and Kiama.

For the purposes of local government administration, the Illawarra region is contained within the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour and the Municipality of Kiama.

  • The City of Wollongong forms the northernmost boundary, ranging from Helensburgh to Lake Illawarra, with northernmost coastal suburb Helensburgh and southernmost suburbs including Windang, Yallah and Haywards Bay.
  • The City of Shellharbour is south of Wollongong City, and ranges from
    Shellharbour
    .
  • The Municipality of Kiama is south of Shellharbour City, and ranges from the Minnamurra River, west to Bald Hill, and south to about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south of Gerroa.

Economy

The main industries in the area have traditionally been farming, coal mining and

steel making. Australia's largest steel-works, BlueScope, operates 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.

dairy farmers
in the local area.

Coal mining has been a key part to the Illawarra's economy for over 200 years.[12] The southern part of the region has been a source of crushed-stone construction aggregate and railway track ballast material for over 140 years.[13]

Transport

The Illawarra region is linked to Sydney in the north by several passes, a motorway (

Albion Park Rail the Illawarra Regional Airport serves the region.[14]

Sport

Rugby League Football

The

WIN Stadium
in Wollongong. The Illawarra Steelers still field teams in the lower rugby league divisions.

Many famous footballers, such as

, have come from the Illawarra region.

Basketball

The

NBL
, 1979. They won the NBL championship in 2001 defeating the Townsville Crocs 2-1 in the best of 3 finals. They also finished as runners-up in 2005 and 2010 seasons. The team caught global attention when American teen sensation
LaMelo Ball announced on ESPN's show The Jump that he will be joining the Hawks through the NBL's Next Star program. In April 2020, LaMelo Ball and his business manager, Jermaine Jackson announced they had bought the Hawks.[15]

Association football

The

Wollongong Community Football Club
. The Wolves have continued to play in the New South Wales Premier League.

Cricket

Cricket has also been played in the Illawarra for at least one hundred and fifty years with the Keira Cricket Club being founded in 1862.

Water Polo

The first recorded match of water polo in the Illawarra came in 1894, in a men's match between the Wollongong and Kiama Swim Clubs at Brighton Beach. The Kiama Swim Club prevailed, winning 3-0.[16] Water polo is currently played at UOW Pool through the Illawarra Water Polo Club. Each year, Illawarra also compete at the NSW Country Club Championships, whereby the Illawarra U14's boys won in 2021.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Illawarra". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  2. ^
    Reed, A. W
    (1973). Place names of Australia. Sydney: Reed Books. p. 120.
  3. ^ a b "Illawarra Range". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 29 December 2013. Edit this at Wikidata
  4. ^ "Northern Illawarra". NorthernIllawarra.com.au. Archived from the original on 27 February 2007. Retrieved 22 March 2007.
  5. ^ "Illawarra Lowlands Grassy Woodland in the Sydney Basin Bioregion - profile". NSW Environment, Energy and Science. Archived from the original on 19 June 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  6. Office of Environment and Heritage (New South Wales). Archived
    from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  7. from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Profile of the electoral division of Cunningham (NSW)". Australian Electoral Commission. 26 September 2013. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  9. ^ "Profile of the electoral division of Whitlam (NSW)". Australian Electoral Commission. 19 November 2019. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Profile of the electoral division of Gilmore (NSW)". Australian Electoral Commission. 26 September 2013. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  11. ^ "Information about Illawarra Cattle". Illawarras Australia. 2012. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  12. ^ Spillett, Emma; Langford, Ben (23 May 2014). "Gloomy times for mining in the Illawarra". Illawarra Mercury. Archived from the original on 29 June 2017.
  13. ^ "The Stone Fleet and the Blue Diamond Trade". www.uniteddivers.com.au. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  14. ^ "The Stone Fleet and the Blue Diamond Trade". www.uniteddivers.com.au. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  15. ^ "LaMelo Ball buys struggling Illawarra Hawks: report". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 April 2020. Archived from the original on 3 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  16. ^ "WOLLONGONG SWIMMING CLUB". Trove.
  17. ^ "Why Illawarra Water Polo". Illawarra Water Polo.

External links