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© 2025 The Illawarra Flame

A cure for insomnia: Reviewing the draft Illawarra Bush Fire Risk Management Plan

No, I haven’t become a sleep therapist but I have a hot tip for getting to sleep easily. Read a government document! Before I made the big life decision to become an architect, I studied environmental science. My thought back then was that we...

Behind the Curtain with ‘Oliver!’ and the Arcadians

They’re in good hands – Victoria has studied at NIDA, stage-managed So Popera productions at the IPAC and WEC, and joined the crew for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in Melbourne. Matthew has worked on Schools Spectacular and Southern Stars...

Creative Dialogues Port Kembla offers room to grow

Wollongong City Council media release: 6 June 2025 Working in the arts and creative industries can be a solitary vocation. At times, it can be flat-out lonely. It’s something Wollongong City Council’s Creative Dialogues looks to address with its...

Wollongong City Council

Quick Crossword, 6 June 2025

The Illawarra Flame

Kites soar by the sea at Thirroul festival’s new family picnic day

Family Kite Day took off for the first time at 2025’s Thirroul Seaside & Arts Festival, with rainbows and ribbons flying high against blue winter skies last Saturday.

Tyneesha Williams

Science & Nature

Gardening for lizards

At this time of the year I’m a bit of a lizard myself: very slow to get moving of a morning, and seeking out the sun to warm up. I’m always amazed how much difference a bit of direct sunlight on your skin makes on a chilly winter’s day. It’s already...

Science & Nature

Thousands thrilled as Aurora Australis is visible throughout the Illawarra

I had planned relatively well, or so I thought. My alarm was set for 8:30PM and … that was about it. After an alert went out from the Aurora Australis Facebook page, we rushed out the door earlier than expected and made our way to Bald Hill...

Amanda De George

What’s On in Pride Month in Wollongong

June is Pride Month and there’s lots of ways to celebrate our LGBTIQA+ community in Wollongong, including an art festival, dance parties and rainbow badge making workshops at your library.

Tyneesha Williams

Play WordroW - 5 June 2025

The Illawarra Flame

News

A cure for insomnia: Reviewing the draft Illawarra Bush Fire Risk Management Plan

No, I haven’t become a sleep therapist but I have a hot tip for getting to sleep easily. Read a government document! Before I made the big life decision to become an architect, I studied environmental science. My thought back then was that we...

Creative Dialogues Port Kembla offers room to grow

Wollongong City Council media release: 6 June 2025 Working in the arts and creative industries can be a solitary vocation. At times, it can be flat-out lonely. It’s something Wollongong City Council’s Creative Dialogues looks to address with its...

Wollongong City Council

Kites soar by the sea at Thirroul festival’s new family picnic day

Family Kite Day took off for the first time at 2025’s Thirroul Seaside & Arts Festival, with rainbows and ribbons flying high against blue winter skies last Saturday.

Tyneesha Williams

World Bicycle Day: More People Choosing Two Wheels for their Wollongong Commute

By Edward Birt, president of the Illawarra Bicycle Users Group June 3 marks World Bicycle Day – a celebration of the humble bicycle and its growing role in modern transport. As cities across Australia strive for cleaner, greener, and more...

The Illawarra Flame

What’s On in Pride Month in Wollongong

June is Pride Month and there’s lots of ways to celebrate our LGBTIQA+ community in Wollongong, including an art festival, dance parties and rainbow badge making workshops at your library.

Tyneesha Williams

Veteran sporting champ backs calls to keep Beaton Park hall in community hands

One of Wollongong’s oldest and most successful sportsmen has joined the growing chorus protesting Wollongong City Council’s plans to empty out a popular community sporting facility at the Beaton Park Leisure Centre to allow access for the Illawarr...

On Sorry Day, Aunty Lorraine Brown wants the heartache of the Stolen Generations understood

Elder Aunty Lorraine Brown is a founding member of Coomaditchie Aboriginal Corporation, Port Kembla. She and her team manage the Coomaditchie Hall, helping young Aboriginal people connect to culture through art. The hall sits on the edge of...

The Illawarra Flame

Arts & Culture

Behind the Curtain with ‘Oliver!’ and the Arcadians

They’re in good hands – Victoria has studied at NIDA, stage-managed So Popera productions at the IPAC and WEC, and joined the crew for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in Melbourne. Matthew has worked on Schools Spectacular and Southern Stars...

Winter Workshops at the South Coast Writers Centre

Coming up in June and July are a series of fantastic writing workshops for writers of all ages. On Sunday, 22 June, Bernadette Foley returns with her popular Editing and Publishing Masterclass. This intensive workshop with esteemed publisher and...

Elizabeth Heffernan

From IPAC stage to festival page, Pip Williams set to entertain Illawarra readers

Wollongong is having something of a Pip Williams moment, with her bestselling novel The Dictionary of Lost Words hitting the stage just weeks before she headlines the local writers festival. The excitement began building on May 12, when hundreds...

Q&A with Camille Booker, a local author at South Coast Readers & Writers Festival

The South Coast Readers & Writers Festival returns to Thirroul over the weekend of 5–6 July with a vibrant lineup of literary talent. The full festival program is now LIVE featuring local voices, return guests, and internationally bestselling...

Elizabeth Heffernan

Soundscapes at Clifton School of Arts

The experience of performing at Clifton School of Arts as a musician is unique: not just because of its famously good acoustics, well-suited to intimate concerts by solo instruments, but because the venue has such an active soundtrack of its own...

Barracks Art Studios open for Thirroul Seaside Festival weekend

The exceptional visual artists at Barracks Art Studios Thirroul will open their work spaces to the public on Saturday, 31 May and Sunday, 1 June from 10am-4pm as part of the Seaside Festival. Located in an old brick building near the railway line at...

Genevieve Swart

Energy Transition

Energy Transition

Renters reap electrification rewards with 2515 community pilot

Josh lives in Austinmer with his wife and two-year old daughter. With support from their landlords, they are the first tenants to take part in the Electrify 2515 Community Pilot. Josh explains why it’s so important for renters to be involved. What...

Why we need a Local Energy Hub

There is so much change going on in Australia and the rest of the world. Sometimes it can be quite overwhelming. One of the great problems we have as a community and as a society is to be able to guarantee that the information we are getting is...

What’s next for offshore wind? Scientists plot best path for people and planet

Associate Professor Michelle Voyer, one of the leaders of the Blue Energy Futures Lab at the University of Wollongong (UOW), is a co-author of the Australian Marine Conservation Society’s roadmap, titled Improving decision-making in relation to...

Genevieve Swart

Health concerns drive calls for new homes to be all-electric

On the eve of World Asthma Day, about 50 people rallied outside Wollongong City Council’s Burelli Street offices. Their goal: to urge council to make new developments all-electric, with research showing gas stove use is estimated to cause 12% of childhood asthma in Australia.

Genevieve Swart

Clubs & Community

Clubs & Community

New members welcome to try Helensburgh Probus Club meeting

More information ? Contact Val on 0419129984 or email helensburghprobus@y7mail. com

The Illawarra Flame

Clubs & Community

Wollongong Harmony Chorus brings it home at national competition

By Isabelle Ghetti, events coordinator at Wollongong Harmony Chorus The Wollongong Harmony Chorus has brought home the 5th place medal after competing at the Sweet Adelines Australia Convention held in Hobart, Tasmania last weekend. Competing in...

The Illawarra Flame

Burials hidden for a century

By Helensburgh Historical Society researcher Jenny Donohoe The society has had a field survey with Wollongong City Council’s Cemetery Supervisor, Paul Gooda, regarding the Flame article by Genevieve Swart in the April 2025 edition. Society members...

Clubs & Community

Where to find a Justice of the Peace (JP) in Wollongong

All times are 10am till 1pm. Thirroul Library – 1st Thursday of the month Corrimal Library – 2nd Wednesday of the month Wollongong Library – 1st & 3rd Saturdays of the month, plus 4th Tuesday of the month. Dapto Library – 2nd & 4th...

The Illawarra Flame

Clubs & Community

Great reviews for NINA’s Cafe Club: ‘One of the best groups I’ve joined in my life’

Local Not-For-Profit organisation, Northern Illawarra Neighbour Aid (NINA) helps clients from Helensburgh to Woonona to live independently. NINA organises social groups such as Cafe Club, which improves quality of life by addressing social...

Tyneesha Williams

Clubs & Community

Fashion parade highlight at Wollongong weavers and spinners expo

Crocheted bunting and mandalas hung from the sprawling branches of trees and adorned benches and the entry to the community centre in Fairy Meadow. Before even making it inside the annual exhibition from the Wollongong Handweavers and Spinners...

Amanda De George

‘A million ways to remember mother’

‘A million ways to remember mother’ was the newspaper slogan used to draw shoppers into Anthony Horderns for their 1963 Mother’s Day Sale. Featured items included; tomboy spotted flannella pyjamas ($4.99) and brunch coat with satin bow...

Jenny McConchie

Food & Travel

UOW professor enlists Food Warriors in gardening program for students

Thirroul’s Professor Karen Charlton is on a mission to make the food systems of the Illawarra and Shoalhaven “more sustainable, healthy and equitable” for growers and consumers.

Tyneesha Williams

Kiama Farmers’ Market set to move over winter

Kiama Farmers’ Market is preparing for a temporary move from its prime location at Surf Beach to allow Kiama Council to rehabilitate the damage done by tidal storm surges in early April. “The park was a mess of sand, debris and fish on the...

Food, recipes and friendship exchanged at Unanderra Crop Swap

Monthly crop swaps across the Illawarra are connecting locals with more than free fruit and veg. Ester Neyers, who runs the Unanderra Crop Swap, says the events are a great way for people to connect with their local community.

Tyneesha Williams

Wine is still Australia’s most popular alcoholic drink – but many producers face an uncertain future

This trend isn’t confined to Australia; it is global. The decline reflects cost-of-living pressures, growing health concerns about alcohol, and Gen Z questioning traditional drinking norms

The Conversation

What's On

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JUNE Film Club: Touch

JUNE

World Ocean’s Day Beach Clean

World

Business Connections Club

Business

The Illawarra Flame

50th Anniversary of Vietnamese Refugees Settlement in Wollongong - Dinner at Dapto

50th

Health & Wellness

Health & Wellness

Staying Well at Every Age: Essential Health Checks for Men

By Dr John Deady of Bulli Medical Practice Men’s health encompasses the full spectrum of physical, mental and emotional wellbeing throughout life’s journey. While we all share many common health concerns, certain conditions like heart disease, high...

Why did I choose homebirth?

The seeds of influence that would bloom into my first homebirth were sown during my pregnancy with my first child. She was born at Wollongong Public Hospital in the waterbirth tub after an induction. My experience was both incredibly empowering and...

Partner content

Food Intolerances: What To Watch For

By Dr Amy Harkness of Bulli Medical Practice Is your child experiencing unexplained symptoms after meals? Unlike food allergies that cause immediate reactions, food intolerances can be subtle and difficult to identify, affecting up to 25% of...

Dr Amy Harkness

Health & Wellness

Bridging the Divide: How to Navigate Tough Conversations with Confidence

The second in a two-part series by local clinical psychologist Dr Esther Davis We all know that tricky conversations – about differences of opinion or even who forgot to take the bins out – can quickly go off the rails. With the federal election...

Dr Esther Davis

Where have all the preschools gone?

When my first child was two and a half, I embarked on the daunting process of finding childcare for her two days a week. I was immediately overwhelmed with our fragmented childcare system, and that feeling remains today after two years and my second...

Partner content

Immunisations for Seniors: Why Vaccinations Are Vital

By Dr Julie Blaze of Bulli Medical Practice Is your immune system working as well as it used to? As we age, our body’s defence system naturally weakens, leaving us more vulnerable to infectious diseases and making vaccines less effective. This...

Local Business

Partner content

An Invitation to Glow, from The Skin Confidential

If your skin isn’t looking or feeling its best lately – think dullness, dehydration, pigmentation or those first signs of fine lines – it might be time to prioritise expert-led skin care. That’s where The Skin Confidential comes in. Located...

The Illawarra Flame

Let’s talk about online meetings

By Pauline Calme Atlassian, the giant Australian-owned tech company, conducted a study last year revealing that team meetings are ineffective 72% of the time. Simply put, since I moved to the beautiful suburb of Otford with the opportunity to work...

The Illawarra Flame

Collins hosts talk by journalist Jess Hill at Coledale

At Coledale Community Centre on 10th May, Jess Hill, a journalist and the author of Quarterly Essay ‘Losing It’, will be in conversation with Regina Featherstone, a senior lawyer from the Human Rights Law Centre. Bookings essential for what will...

Collins Booksellers Thirroul

Partner content

Home decor for harmony and happiness with CS Interiors

By local interior decorator Claire Cronin-Smith, owner of CS Interiors Communication is at the heart of my work. I believe that understanding my clients and their families is essential to bringing their vision to life. With a degree in...

The Illawarra Flame

Family creates streetwear brand: Meet the Helensburgh crew behind Shred Clothing

A Helensburgh-based online enterprise called Shred Clothing is a true family business. “I started Shred with my three boys,” said owner Carla Brittain, who also runs Coal Coast Shutters and Blinds with her husband, Dave. “It started out as...

Genevieve Swart

Partner content

Poetry & History at the Pub in April

Wednesday 16th Poetry at the Pub launching new books from David Stavanger and Ali Jane Smith. Also appearing will be Joseph Schwarztkopf Jr, Nicole Smede and special guest, Hasib Hourani. If you’ve been to one of our poetry events at Ryan’s...

Collins Booksellers Thirroul

Networking and training boosts careers, thanks to Junior Chambers International’s Illawarra chapter

Want to give your career a boost? Melannie Thomas, president the Illawarra chapter of Junior Chambers International (JCI), recommends joining her local group of young leaders.

Genevieve Swart

Science & Nature

Science & Nature

Gardening for lizards

At this time of the year I’m a bit of a lizard myself: very slow to get moving of a morning, and seeking out the sun to warm up. I’m always amazed how much difference a bit of direct sunlight on your skin makes on a chilly winter’s day. It’s already...

Science & Nature

Thousands thrilled as Aurora Australis is visible throughout the Illawarra

I had planned relatively well, or so I thought. My alarm was set for 8:30PM and … that was about it. After an alert went out from the Aurora Australis Facebook page, we rushed out the door earlier than expected and made our way to Bald Hill...

Amanda De George

Science & Nature

Glowing fungi found in Thirroul

A few days ago, I hadn’t even heard of the genus Panellus. It was another scientific name of another species I had not yet come across in my travels. Or so I thought. If you’ve been following along, I’m in my fungi era. I’m loving...

Amanda De George

Science & Nature

Gardening for insects

For example, the Giant Dragonfly (Petalura gigantea) is the only threatened insect species on record in the Illawarra region. But it’s almost certain that there are insects and other invertebrates in the area that are threatened with extinction, or...

Motoring & Property

Partner content

RBA Cuts Interest Rates by 0.25%

Ian is a regular advertiser in the Illawarra Flame

Partner content

Whatever the election result, first home buyers will be the winners

Ian is a regular advertiser in the Illawarra Flame

Motoring & Property

Diary of an EV Driver: Charging Away Simplified

Part 12 in Peter Aubourg’s column, Diary of an EV Driver It turns out that it is quite a social affair at the charging stations, with people sharing their experiences, and generally helping each other. On the subject of planning the trip, another...

Partner content

Why Didn’t the RBA Cut Interest Rates?

Local real estate agent and finance professional Ian Pepper looks at the Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to keep interest rates on hold at 4.1 per cent after the board’s April 1 meeting. Inflation is Back in Target – So What’s the Problem?...

Ladies and Gentrification: A tale of two suburbs

The dictionary defines gentrification as “the process whereby the character of a poor urban area is changed by wealthier people moving in, improving housing, and attracting new businesses, often displacing current inhabitants in the process”. It...

Motoring & Property

Driven: 2025 GWM ORA GT

One of the major issues plaguing EV usage in Australia – that is, the lack of reliable EV-charging infrastructure – is being addressed, with the Federal Government recently announcing that Australian EV charging company EVX Australia will install 250 kerbside chargers

March Traffic blog: Education precinct changes

News from Transport for NSW Windang Bridge improvement work continues Transport for NSW will continue improvement work on Windang Bridge next month to ensure the bridge remains safe now and into the future. Transport for NSW Regional Director South...

Transport For NSW

Sport & Leisure

Sport & Leisure

Another championship for Wollongong!

The Illawarra Hawks may have won the NBL25 championship, but another local team has flown under the radar to win a prestigious AFL title… Local Ben Shum saw an expression of interest for teams to register for an AFL Masters Carnival at...

Sport & Leisure

Hello Fish at Waniora Point

It’s been a mixed year for snorkelling – lots of rain has made for poor visibility and then we had some monster swells. Waniora Point is located just to the south of Sandon Point. Known for the surf spot – Peggys – it has a good car park...

Duncan Leadbitter

Sport & Leisure

Guide to Fairy Meadow Beach/Puckeys Walk

The described walk can be shortened by omitting the northern section to Towradgi Point. Pass through the dunes to (3)

The Illawarra Flame

Sport & Leisure

Record turnout of 130 surfers at pointscore #4

A perfect weather day of sunshine and light winds for pointscore #4 with fun waves on offer for all our divisions at Sharkey’s Beach. Waves were a bit on the smaller side, but the April pointscore went off with action a plenty, both in the ocean...

Videos

On the road with NINA

Ahead of National Volunteer Week (16 to 22 May 2022), Iris Huizinga joins a Northern Illawarra Neighbour Aid bus trip to the Imperial at Clifton. Visit the NINA office at 18 Walker Street, call 4294 1900 or follow @northernillawarraneighbouraid on...

How John Stubbs put patients at the heart of healthcare

A Thirroul resident and now Member of the Order of Australia, 74-year-old John Stubbs is on a mission to put patients at the centre of healthcare treatment. Watch the interview

Lifesaver teaches refugees to swim

When former Scarborough-Wombarra lifesaver Peter Rafferty volunteered as a driving instructor for refugees in Wollongong, he discovered most of his students couldn’t swim. So he decided to do something about it. Peter, who worked with asylum...

Rise in demand for Need a Feed

“Right now, we can’t meet the demand, we have had to knock people back,“ says Need a Feed CEO and founder Shaz Harrison. ”There was one organisation that wanted 70 food packages, we could only give 25.”

Puzzles

Quick Crossword, 6 June 2025

The Illawarra Flame

Play WordroW - 5 June 2025

The Illawarra Flame

Quick Quiz: 4 June 2025

The Illawarra Flame

Easy Sudoku, 3 June 2025

The Illawarra Flame

9-Letter Challenge, 2 June 2025

The Illawarra Flame

Quick Crossword, 30 May 2025

The Illawarra Flame

Play WordroW - 29 May 2025

The Illawarra Flame

Digital editions

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Winter 2025

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June 2025’s print mag is out now

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May 2025

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