|
Practicalities
|
|
|
The best and cheapest way to get to Wollongong from Sydney is by
train
(departs Sydney Central Station or Redfern every 30min), which hugs the coast and stops at most of the small towns en route; Wollongong Station is right in the centre just off Crown Street. Pioneer Motor Service has three to four services on weekdays and two a day at weekends, while Greyhound Pioneer runs one daily bus service, leaving Sydney at 11.30am and returning from Wollongong at 11.50am.
Tourism Wollongong
, near the mall at 93 Crown St (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm; tel 02/4228 0300), provides information and can advise on
accommodation
. The
Boat Harbour Motel,
on the corner of Campbell and Wilson streets (tel 02/4228 9166, fax 4226 4878; $90-150), has comfortable and spacious rooms with balconies, some with sea views; more upmarket, and also with ocean views, is Wollongong's five-star
Novotel Northbeach
, 2-14 Cliff Rd, North Wollongong (tel 02/4226 3555, fax 4229 1705,
www.novotel.northbeach.com.au
; $150 and upwards). Dorm rooms as well as singles and twins, some en suite, are available at
Keiraleagh House
, 60 Kembla St (tel 02/4228 6765; rooms $35-50, dorms under $20), in an old converted mansion a few blocks back from the beach. A garden with a barbecue area makes for happy mingling between students and travellers. There's nowhere central to
camp
in Wollongong, but the two caravan parks to the north are right on the beach:
Corrimal Beach Tourist Park
is on Lake Parade in Corrimal, 6km north at the mouth of Towradgi Lagoon (tel 02/4285 5688; cabins $50-115); while
Bulli Beach Tourist Park
is 11km north of town on Farrell Road, Bulli (tel 02/4285 5677; cabins $90-150, bungalows $35-70). In Austinmer the
Headlands Hotel
, on Headlands Avenue (tel 02/4267 1146; $50-70), has inexpensive - dilapidated, but clean - en-suite rooms with stunning views overlooking the water. Food is available from the cheap pub bistro at lunchtime.
Wollongong isn't really renowned for its
food
. There is a concentration of cafes on Crown Street and intersecting Corrimal Street, just around the corner from
Keiraleagh House
.
Tannous
, on the corner of Crown and Corrimal streets, serves cheap and generous Lebanese food including falafel rolls and plenty of Lebanese sweets (daily 8am-midnight). Wollongong's most well-regarded restaurant is
Sweetlips Cafe
, 50 Crown St (lunch Tues-Fri, dinner Wed-Sat; tel 02/4225 9542), with a vivid colour scheme, outdoor seating and a Mediterranean menu. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
|
Australia,
|