Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Hey guys, in the next year or two the missus and I will be looking to get out of here (Albury/Wodonga) and we like much of the NSW coast. We've spent some time up around Coffs/Sawtell/Kempsey etc and the climate is quite nice and the lack of hay fever suits as both quite well.

The downside to going that far north is SFA in the way of racetrack access unless I wanna drive over 4hrs each way, whereas here winton is an hour down the road.

This led me to look at race tracks first then locations second lol This then led me to the Wollongong area of coast as there's Wakefield, Oran Park, and Eastern Creek all within about 1-2hours. This of course made me flip my shit and get excited about being within range of 3 different tracks.

More important than that though is what it's like living along that area of coast and/or in Wollongong. We had a bit of a look last night and it seems real estate is quite expensive and that average temperatures are a bit more what we're looking for rather than the plus 40's we get here some days through summer. What's the hayfever season like up that way? I know it sounds a bit off but the missus suffers badley and I do a bit also but to a lesser extent.

I'd like to hear from some people living in or around Wollongong and tell me what you think, what's good what sucks and if you'd go there again etc etc.

Give me an impression of the place. We're keen to come take a look around over a short holiday or something but I'd like to hear from people who are living there now.

Cheers

Dan

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/324030-living-in-and-around-wollongong/
Share on other sites

What do you want to know about it specifically.

Annecdotes are just that. They are biased, and based on opinions.

if you ask a barber if you need a hair cut, guess what he's going to tell you?

But if you asked, whats the surf like, how's unemployment/job opportunities and alike, we could probably answer better

Good point.

Specifically things that interest me.

Employment Oppurtunities and pay rates, I'm guessing being a larger centre the pay rates are a bit higher but there is more competition. FYI I work in IT as a consultant and am looking to move into project management roles/team leadership etc. Missus hasbeen a property manager for 10yrs but is looking to move out of this field, perhaps HR or something.

Cost of living interest me

Events/nightlife interests me

Access to good quality food REALLY interests me, and when I say that I mean being able to go out for a meal and eat some awesome stuff.

Public transport is important also

And again if anyone has some insight into what the hay fever season is like that's also very important.

Good point.

Specifically things that interest me.

Employment Oppurtunities and pay rates, I'm guessing being a larger centre the pay rates are a bit higher but there is more competition. FYI I work in IT as a consultant and am looking to move into project management roles/team leadership etc. Missus hasbeen a property manager for 10yrs but is looking to move out of this field, perhaps HR or something.

Cost of living interest me

Events/nightlife interests me

Access to good quality food REALLY interests me, and when I say that I mean being able to go out for a meal and eat some awesome stuff.

Public transport is important also

And again if anyone has some insight into what the hay fever season is like that's also very important.

In order,

Employment - You will find that rates of pay are probably in the vincinity of 20k (roughly) less than Sydney. That is reflective of the percieved* reduced cost of living here.

The unemployment rate is high, but that tends to come from the amount of lazy people more so than lack of jobs. Therefore, if you are motivated and highly skilled, this should not be a problem. The BlueScope Steel, Port Kembla Steelworks is a large employer locally, both directly and indirectly, and due to this a lot of the Illawarra economy is often based on how they are doing. The University of Wollongong is also a large business/employer in the region.

*Cost of living - Housing cost is high. Infact, based on a survey of major cities in the world, it is ranked 10th least affordable...... You can find cheaper areas, though you will find those lazy people who don't care too much for anything about there. You do have a large range of area's to choose from though in a relatively small strip along the coast. So finding a place that suits your lifestyle should be easy.

Events/Nightlife - There aren't alot of big events here, most things are based around the local sporting teams in the NBL and NRL. They are both followed passionately.

There are plenty of cafe type places to go of an evening that are really good value. This is something that you would be able to work out yourself in time to see what suits your tastes. As for more upperclass places, there are both seafood and fancy restuarants around a plenty, and with the varied ethnicities around there are many types to choose from. There are pubs everywhere, and in the city of Wollongong there are many nightspots to go, from Uni hangouts, to well known night clubs and pubs. In saying that, Sydney is only 1hr drive away and there are more events there than you can poke a stick at.

The array of local beaches is great, there is one within 5mins of anywhere and everywhere.

Good quality food - depend on what you like but there are some nice seafood restuarants and fine dining places to go.

Public transport - There is a heap of bus routes that service almost every area. Trains run up the coast line, but can be hard to get to in some places such as south of Port Kembla when you are nearer to the coast. But in saying that, everything is only within 10-20mins driving distance.

Hay fever - I can't comment much on this, but there are some areas that may get more issues. Again I can't say specifically because you can go from the coast, to the farms within 10mins drive, so it can vary much.

I've tried to be un-biased in my comments but you will still find peoples experiences vary somewhat.

Hope this helps.

Awesome thanks for your insight.

A few extra queries.

Where abouts in the area do you live and how long have you been there?

Are there any areas to avoid specifically, every city has suburbs and regions that are less desirable for sure but usually people know that specfic areas have higher crime rates and are home to people of lower socia-economic status. I'm just in the middle and I don't want to live in a sh1t hole lol

What's it like getting around when you're driving your own car (traffic) and how is the parking situation, is it paid almost everywhere?

I've lived in quite a few different areas recently here from in the city to an area that is touted, but not really, a lower socio-economic area and to now an area that is somewhere in between. I don't want to be specific on an open forum.

Like anywhere else, you can break it down geographically

The northern suburbs are generally the well-to-do's

The city is typical of any city.

The southern burb's are classed as lower socio-economic areas

And then there's shellharbour, which is a small city of it's own, but still part of the illawarra. That area is mixed but they like to think they are the cooler, untouched part.

Then you can break it down in a east west thing as well

eastern suburbs close to water, well-to-do

burbs - lower

western hills and farms - more mixed see north south divisions.

Some of the lower class areas have nice streets, just as some of the high end areas have houso streets. It's specific to each area, so fi you liked an area, tell me and I could tell you what it's like, if I know.

Driving is easy.

Again, it's not a big area. You could go from north to south in around 30-40mins max. Then east to west in 10-15mins.

Worst traffic is in commuting periods in and around the city. There is paid parking or free if you're willing to walk around 5-10mins. Still during peak hour you could traverse the city in 10mins.

No specific areas in mind just yet, I think that will be more dictated by the cost of accomodation.

Appreciate the informative responses, and the effort to be unbiased.

Am I right in being excited about being between 3 different motorsport venues? :D

does anyone else want to contribute, agree disagree etc?

Edited by ActionDan
The southern burb's are classed as lower socio-economic areas

And then there's shellharbour, which is a small city of it's own, but still part of the illawarra. That area is mixed but they like to think they are the cooler, untouched part.

*shakes fist* :D

also, i'm here so it's awesome.

Jase's write-up is pretty spot-on; I don't spend a whole lot of time doing stuff around here, but there's plenty on.

Bogans. Prepare for anti-intellectualism. But it's not that hard to ignore.

What else? Takes a fair while to meet up with the SAU boys and girls :domokun: and closest KK's is an hour away.

Honestly, I love where I live (Albion park rail, along the lake, very quiet street up my end). Not looking forward to moving into the city for work, but hey, more incentive now I've got a missus from Sydney. Otherwise I'd keep on catching the train.

Well you guys have done a good job selling the place.

What are the downsides that bother you the most.

Getting to places in Sydney.

The price of rent (i'm about to go on the hunt in 3 months) vs income.

The night life is shit (nightclubbing etc)

hey mate, i grew up in the gong now 22 and the lifestyle here is pretty good, traffic isn't that bad during peak hour only around the main cities where even that is fine. Almost all suburbs have a ghetto spot but there not as bad as you would think, crime rates not too bad(your cars pretty safe at the supermarket) and theres always a punchup in town on a saturday night. police do blitz all around the area and speed traps. there are jobs around but yeah we are lazy people down here, not so much warehouse n distribution jobs but more retail and customer service orientated. Hayfever wise my mrs gets hayfever here but she can cope if not have a zirtec. Beaches are good too.

Downsides - gets boring after you have seen the sites, not many performance stores but with sydney between 1-2 hours away depending on area theres heaps to choose. Nightlife is the same like most clubs play the same songs but dont go fever or formally known as bluenote its dirrrttyy

but over the years here i have met alot of people who moved from sydney and other major cities and they find it so much more relaxing and they do enjoy the beaches and that "lazy" wollongong style. i didnt want to go into heaps of detail or i would be writing a book on this town but all in all wollongong its not a bad choice down here

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • AHHHH gotchaa, I'll do that once I am home again. I tried doing the harness with the multimeter but it seems the car needed a jump, there was no power when it was in the "ON" position. Not sure if I should use car battery jump starter or if its because the stuff that has been disconnect the car just does send power.
    • As far as I can tell I have everything properly set in the Haltech software for engine size, injector data, all sensors seem to be reporting proper numbers.  If I change any injector details it doesnt run right.    Changing the base map is having the biggest change in response, im not sure how people are saying it doesnt really matter.  I'm guessing under normal conditions the ECU is able to self adjust and keep everything smooth.   Right now my best performance is happening by lowering the base map just enough to where the ECU us doing short term cut of about 45% to reach the target Lambda of 14.7.  That way when I start putting load on it still has high enough fuel map to not be so lean.  After 2500 rpm I raised the base map to what would be really rich at no load, but still helps with the lean spots on load.  I figure I don't have much reason to be above 2500rpm with no load.  When watching other videos it seems their target is reached much faster than mine.  Mine takes forever to adjust and reach the target. My next few days will be spent making sure timing is good, it was running fine before doing the ECU and DBW swap, but want to verify.  I'll also probably swap in the new injectors I bought as well as a walbro 255 pump.  
    • It would be different if the sealant hadn't started to peel up with gaps in the glue about ~6cm and bigger in some areas. I would much prefer not having to do the work take them off the car . However, the filler the owner put in the roof rack mount cavities has shrunk and begun to crack on the rail delete panels. I cant trust that to hold off moisture ingress especially where I live. Not only that but I have faded paint on as well as on either side of these panels, so they would need to come off to give the roofline a proper respray. My goal is to get in there and put a healthy amount of epoxy instead of panel filler/bog and potentially skin with carbon fiber. I have 2 spare rolls from an old motorcycle fairing project from a few years back and I think it'd be a nice touch on a black stag.  I've seen some threads where people replace their roof rack delete with a welded in sheet metal part. But has anyone re-worked the roof rails themselves? It seems like there is a lot of volume there to add in some threads and maybe a keyway for a quick(er) release roof rack system. Not afraid to mill something out if I have to. It would be cool to have a cross bar only setup. That way I can keep the sleek roofline that would accept a couple bolts to gain back that extra utility  3D print some snazzy covers to hide the threaded section to be thorough and keep things covered when not using the rack. 
    • Probably not. A workshop grade scantool is my go to for proper Consult interrogation. Any workshop grade tool should do it. Just go to a workshop.
    • In my head it does make sense to be a fuel problem since that is what I touched when cleaning the system. When I was testing with the fuel pressure gauge, the pressure was constantly 2.5 bar with the FPR vacuum removed. When stalling, the pressure was going up to 3.0 bar (which is how it should be on ignition).
×
×
  • Create New...