wollongong- lifestyle n work, tell me all about it!

S

Sethius

Crashed out somewhere
Alright guys I know there is a few of you living around that region and nothing beats local input, chasing some detailed info on the area as I'm looking for somewhere new n exciting to live without being trapped with concrete.

Input on the following would be good:

Surf conditions- want to relearn how to. Any Chance?
Mtb style, have an all mountain bike. Clubs?
Food- pricing n variety, I like a diverse diet so its important.
Eating out- semi classy, is there much? Indian, thai, Mexican, malai etc
Ten pin bowling?
Art galleries? Exhibitions?
Track building? Legality etc
Road condition- driving a lowered Ute, will I struggle?
Road entertainment- any Windies? Legal Drag strip? Race track?
Clubs n pubs- what's there in the range, or is it Bogan central? Any alt/ metal clubs?
Houses w/ shop front- is there anything like this kickin?
Job market- heard unemployment is high? Bike shop, mangement, design studios etc
General populus behaviour- % of Bogan? I don't need to move somewhere with more idiots than here!
Other Info is good too.
 
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willsy01

willsy01

Eats Squid
Based on what I know:

Surf conditions- want to relearn how to. Any Chance? --> Yes, heaps. Breaks up and down the coast.
Mtb style, have an all mountain bike. Clubs? --> I'm sure some locals can hook you up here.
Food- pricing n variety, I like a diverse diet so its important. --> No idea
Eating out- semi classy, is there much? Indian, thai, Mexican, malai etc --> Again, no idea.....aside from the fish and chip shop at the co-op.
Ten pin bowling? --> Not sure
Art galleries? Exhibitions? --> Not sure
Track building? Legality etc --> Very little legal stuff i'm aware of.
Road condition- driving a lowered Ute, will I struggle? --> You'll be fine
Road entertainment- any Windies? Legal Drag strip? Race track? --> National Park.....Macquarie Pass. Heavily policed though and crowded with tourists. Closest drag strip is WSID.....closest tracks are Sydney Motorsport Park (Eastern Creek), Marulan driver training centre and Wakefield.
Clubs n pubs- what's there in the range, or is it Bogan central? Any alt/ metal clubs? --> Pretty sure it's bogany......could be wrong though.
Houses w/ shop front- is there anything like this kickin? --> Wat?
Job market- heard unemployment is high? Bike shop, mangement, design studios etc --> Can't comment
General populus behaviour- % of Bogan? I don't need to move somewhere with more idiots than here! --> As above, I always get a bogany feel when i'm down there. I could well be wrong though.
 
cleeshoy

cleeshoy

Eats Squid
You could at least spell the name of the city correctly -> Wollongong :)

Went to high school and uni down there - great place to grow up I reckon. At the same time I was happy to leave when I did.


Surf conditions - never surfed but just about everybody else did. I think North and South Wollongong beaches were pretty popular for riding and general talent spotting :)

MTB - I believe there is a local club. They used to use Appin but I think that's now closed?

Foodwise, Wollongong has a good variety. Plenty of pubs, restaurants of all flavours (Indian, Mexican, Thai). Plus the usual fast food joints. Don't recall many fine-dining place but I think there were at least 2 places that won chef hats from the newspapers.

Ten Pin bowling - there was Northern Bowl when I lived in the gong, plus another joint in Warrawong?

Art Galleries - there was one but not sure if its still there.

Track building - hmmm from what I have heard, its frowned upon. Of course, if they can't find it....

Job Market - unemployment is higher then the national average. I believe youth unemployment is in the 15%+ region.

Bogan element - def. a bogan element, which I think is mainly due to the high unemployment factor. Some suburbs south of Coniston (eg. Warrawong, Cringilla, etc) is a lower socio-economic demograph. I wouldn't want to live in those areas.

Nice suburbs (ie. quiet)
Wollongong, Keiraville, Gwynneville (both close to the uni), Balgownie - all close to the CBD area.

More north, Thirroul seems to get a good rap.
 
evObda2

evObda2

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Seth, ive lived and still go down there quiet a bit (now I'm in Sydney).

Surf conditions - heaps of good surfing spots up and down the coast
Mtb style, have an all mountain bike - No clubs, but a decent amount of trails. Mainly dh orientated, some xc but i ride my AM on all of them.
Food - probably slightly cheaper than Sydney, some fresh fruit/meat places around.
Eating out - some nice places around now. Pretty good.
Ten pin bowling - theres a couple within driving distance
Art galleries? Exhibitions? - yes middle of town
Track building? No legal trails. some rangers chasing people away on certain trails. Some trails still all ok to be on..
Road condition - all good
Road entertainment - no much besides go karts, Sydney is where the drag racing is, circuit tracks in sydney and goulburn.
Clubs/pubs - theres a few, with most owned by the same company in middle of town (playing same cd), but there are others scattered around, a few others opening up too.
Houses w/ shop front- not really
Job market- id imagine not booming, im living in Sydney for work.
General populus behaviour- Not too bad. Some good people down there and some bad obviously
Other Info is good too.
 
H

Halo1

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I live Dapto and work in Wollongong and it is a really great place to live.

Surf conditions
--- Some of the best beaches in the World, what more could you want. There are some pretty notable surfing spots as well.
Mtb style, have an all mountain bike. Clubs?
--- Wollongong MTB club, but the club does not have a track and lost the Appin track a while ago which was out of town anyway.
Food - pricing n variety, I like a diverse diet so its important.
--- Not bad but grow your own veggies like a hippy!!!
Eating out- semi classy, is there much? Indian, thai, Mexican, malai etc
--- Pretty hit and miss. Restaurants seem to go through good and bad patches. If you are a good cook then you will be disappointed for the most part.
Ten pin bowling?
---You bet, this must be the deal breaker!
Art galleries? Exhibitions?
--- Really crap, you will visit them once, then get over your arty farty stage and get back to riding.
Track building? Legality etc
--- Yes please we need more track builders, but there are no legal tracks. If you put a post up on here about building tracks in Wollongong then you will likely cop a flogging on this forum.
Road condition- driving a lowered Ute, will I struggle?
--- Depends on your driving skills.
Road entertainment- any Windies? Legal Drag strip? Race track?
--- Legal stuff is out of town. Don't do this on public roads!!!
Clubs n pubs- what's there in the range, or is it Bogan central? Any alt/ metal clubs?
--- I am over that stage of my life, but the night life got really dull back in the day. Sydney is only an hour away.
Houses w/ shop front- is there anything like this kickin?
--- If you build it they will come!!!
Job market- heard unemployment is high? Bike shop, mangement, design studios etc
--- Yes sand no. Lots of people have to commute to sydney for work which is an awful life style. Lots of people do not want to work. There are always opportunities I guess.
General populus behaviour- % of Bogan? I don't need to move somewhere with more idiots than here!
--- Yes, but why not join us if that is the real you!

From a lifestyle perspective there is so much with in an hour drive of Wollongong. Why not come a visit the place to see if you like it.
 
Dragonwoody

Dragonwoody

Likes Dirt
I just moved back to Wollongong after living in Sydney for 15 years. Best thing I have ever done!. Now living at bottom of Mt Keira and surrounded by tracks. Wollongong has everything I need, great beaches, great escarpment and everything in between is 5-10 minutes to get to. I moved back for lifestyle and less hustle. Loving it! My advice: do it!

Surf conditions- want to relearn how to. Any Chance?
-- For sure! Great beaches all up and down the coast and so many surfing spots! I surfed down here before I left, never did in Sydney and now back in to it. There are always waves somewhere, except for today ha ha

Mtb style, have an all mountain bike. Clubs?
-- Yes, Wollongong MTB Club but like others have said, no legal trails.......yet. I know the club has been working with Council to get something done but not sure where they are up to. I bombard the Councillors with emails all the time showing them what other councils and governments are doing MTB wise around Australia and overseas. Nick from X-up was trying to get a legal MTB park done (Green Valleys Freeride Park) up and running through the Council but I believe kept getting hit with roadblocks by them. Hopefully something comes of this as we know what he can put together!

Food- pricing n variety, I like a diverse diet so its important.
-- Yes has everything you need. Some fresh stuff at the markets in the mall every Friday as well.

Eating out- semi classy, is there much? Indian, thai, Mexican, malai etc
-- Again yes has everything and all types of styles. A lot more hip places are opening up now and a lot more development is starting to occur.

Ten pin bowling?
-- As stated by others, yes.

Art galleries? Exhibitions?
-- As stated by others, yes.

Track building? Legality etc
-- A great variety of DH tracks. Something for everybody. As stated nothing legal but this could change and a lot of DH riding occurs. Locals do maintain the tracks. A great XC/AM trail network too. Some of the best I have ridden. Some good skinnies and sea saw action too. A lot of fireroads and tracks can be linked for epic rides.

Road condition- driving a lowered Ute, will I struggle?
-- All good.

Road entertainment- any Windies? Legal Drag strip? Race track?
-- As stated previously.

Clubs n pubs- what's there in the range, or is it Bogan central? Any alt/ metal clubs?
-- A lot of new hip places are opening and you still have the old pubs and clubs. It's a good mix and something for everyone I feel. No metal clubs I know of but I am sure there could be some around.

Houses w/ shop front- is there anything like this kickin?
-- I am sure there are some around.

Job market- heard unemployment is high? Bike shop, mangement, design studios etc
-- I have been looking recently and have just picked up a job pretty easily. From what I have seen yes there are some around. Depends what you do. I have just landed 2 jobs, 1 with Australian Tax Office and 1 with IMB. Depends but jobs mat not pay as much down here.

General populus behaviour- % of Bogan? I don't need to move somewhere with more idiots than here!
Other Info is good too.
-- Same as everywhere really. In my opinion it's not bogany but depends what you are used to and personal opinion. The university provides a lot of younger people to the area and the view at beach is always great ;)
-- House affordability is a lot better down here. Where I had a unit in Sydney, I now have a house in Mt Keira.
-- The city is getting a good face lift at the moment with lots of the ugly holes being developed on and the Mall is getting a massive facelift and new shopping areas are getting built.
-- I drive up to Sydney all the time and takes 1 hour or catch the train 1 hr 40 mins.

Good luck with your decision.
 
D

driftking

Wheel size expert
Sethius said:
Alright guys I know there is a few of you living around that region and nothing beats local input, chasing some detailed info on the area as I'm looking for somewhere new n exciting to live without being trapped with concrete.

Input on the following would be good:

Surf conditions- want to relearn how to. Any Chance? yes tonnes, you can go down and up the coast and there is surf everywhere
Mtb style, have an all mountain bike. Clubs? Plenty of riding, locals can hook you up to the more secret ones
Food- pricing n variety, I like a diverse diet so its important. Only ever lived around this area so dont know much difference.
Eating out- semi classy, is there much? Indian, thai, Mexican, malai etc There is plenty up in the shire area, I rarely head to the gong for this stuff so cant say how diverse it is there.
Track building? Legality etc Last time i heard they may have been looking at legalizing some trails or building some more public dh stuff, plenty close too.
Road condition- driving a lowered Ute, will I struggle?normal daily life no not at all, if you plan of driving off road obviously you wil struggle anywhere
Clubs n pubs- what's there in the range, or is it Bogan central? Any alt/ metal clubs? mix of both.
General populus behaviour- % of Bogan? I don't need to move somewhere with more idiots than here!Both, its unavoidable, but thats diversity for ya
Other Info is good too.
Click to expand...
10 charaters
 
zen zen

zen zen

Likes Dirt
Surf conditions- want to relearn how to. Any Chance? Heaps of surf breaks from beginner to advanced.
Mtb style, have an all mountain bike. Clubs? No clubs as such but many sneaky tracks people will hook you up.
Food- pricing n variety, I like a diverse diet so its important. Food not pricey and diverse there is a lil bit of everything.
Eating out- semi classy, is there much? Indian, thai, Mexican, malai etc Everything you listed and more center of wollongong to the norther suburbs there is plenty
Ten pin bowling? there is a couple of them
Art galleries? Exhibitions? art gallery in the center of town other arty things about.
Track building? Legality etc not legal at all im afraid never stopped anyone round here though
Road condition- driving a lowered Ute, will I struggle? Lowered subaru driver with lowered ute friends, you are fine.
Road entertainment- any Windies? Legal Drag strip? Race track? mt kiera and mt kembla loop
or macquary pass no tracks im afriad
Clubs n pubs- what's there in the range, or is it Bogan central? Any alt/ metal clubs? Fair few clubs nothing like sydney city but still goodish, not bogan at all as long as you don't go to hostage ever.
Houses w/ shop front- is there anything like this kickin? few of them might be hard to find one avaliable.
Job market- heard unemployment is high? Bike shop, mangement, design studios etc There is still jobs you just can't be to picky kinda like anywhere in aus at the moment.
General populus behaviour- % of Bogan? I don't need to move somewhere with more idiots than here! Every one is pretty chill but you do get few more wankers/ bogans more south you go such as dapto unanderra and such.
Other Info is good too.

Words from a local for many years.
 
S

Sethius

Crashed out somewhere
cheers guys, thats greatly appreciated. Going to come up for a weeks and take a look at around, sounds like staying out of the south is the go!

Have no real urge to work in Sydney, would rather stay out of there if I could.
 
Scotty-Robbo

Scotty-Robbo

Likes Dirt
Surf conditions- want to relearn how to. Any Chance? a lot of breaks around the beachs in wollonong just need to know the right people for the right break ;)
Mtb style, have an all mountain bike. Clubs?There is wollonong mtb club used to have a track in appin got closed but looking for a dh, xc and flow track in bulli
Food- pricing n variety, I like a diverse diet so its important. lots of asian shit and heaps of different cultures
Eating out- semi classy, is there much? Indian, thai, Mexican, malai etc theres heaps of different high class shit and expensive or just your usual shit.
Ten pin bowling?Northern bowls in corrimal or one in albion park one of them good ones
Art galleries? Exhibitions?wollongong center there is a gallery
Track building? Legality etczero tracks legal in wollongong but the whole of wollongong is hugged by the mountains so of cause there are millions of tracks up there, pm and ill send you in the right direction
Road condition- driving a lowered Ute, will I struggle?get a 4by for the sake of getting a 4by
Road entertainment- any Windies? Legal Drag strip? Race track?a lot of cops and rta defect stations just gotta know where they set up etc. but there are tracks up the hills pm also
Clubs n pubs- what's there in the range, or is it Bogan central? Any alt/ metal clubs?heaps of clubs and shit in the center of wollongong just follow the crowd
Houses w/ shop front- is there anything like this kickin?heaps in the center
Job market- heard unemployment is high? Bike shop, mangement, design studios etcheaps of that shit
General populus behaviour- % of Bogan? I don't need to move somewhere with more idiots than here!wollongong has a lot of f**kwits in the town like most places but once you find a nice lot of friends youll be cheerin
Other Info is good too.

wollongong is a good place to live but a lot of people frown on it but they just dont know how to make fun for them selves, there a lot of things to do in wollongong if you need any more help inbox me more then happy to help
 
B

burkie

Likes Bikes
zen zen said:
General populus behaviour- % of Bogan? I don't need to move somewhere with more idiots than here! Every one is pretty chill but you do get few more wankers/ bogans more south you go such as dapto unanderra and such.
Click to expand...
Thats a pretty big call from someone who lives in one of the biggest housing commission areas of wollongong
 
Jake_6693

Jake_6693

Likes Dirt
Obviously everyone has been helpful with the riding side and some-what helpful with the employment/residential/dining/"lower-class citizen" situation, but to shed some light on the "alternate clubbing and art scene" in Wollongong the variety is huge.
Go to Dagwood, His Boy Elroy, Little Prince or Howling Wolf on your visit if you like quaint bars with good beer. (Find them on Facebook)
Hostage nightclub holds an evening usually once a month for an alternate nightclub in Sydney called Hot Damn to bring hardcore/punk/metal bands to play live in the nightclub then after, has their Dj's play the rest of the night. Most of the time the crowd unfortunately consists of cocky drunken wank jobs, but they usually get shoved out of the mosh if they are taking the piss.
BUT, the hardcore and emo punk music scene is pretty strong and you can always see bands playing at a cafe called Yours and Owls, the Wollongong Youth Centre and more places up the coast and in Sydney. Just add the local booking agents on facebook and you'll be on top of it all.
As for art, don't go to the Wollongong Art Gallery in the CBD unless your at least 70 years old and enjoy knitting and looking at pottery.
The art scene is good if you like posca drawn cartoons, graffiti and photography, heaps at the cafes Yours and Owls and Lee and Me. Clifton Arts School near the Seacliff bridge holds exhibitions and most places in Wollongong have exhibitions, just be vigilant when in the mall and surrounding areas for posters.
Hope that answers the questions that are related to lifestyle and that.
 
S

Sethius

Crashed out somewhere
Anyone know of casual work going?? Jakey thanks for the awesome reply! Very good insight indeed!


Just have to find a place with a decent workshop n storage!
 
D

driftking

Wheel size expert
burkie said:
Thats a pretty big call from someone who lives in one of the biggest housing commission areas of wollongong
Click to expand...
Not really just means there are even more as you move down south. Housing commission is not always full of bogans. There are some suburbs within wollongong that standout more than others and it does seem the further south you go the more idiots you get, maybe its just because of smaller population they standout more i don't know but generally the culture is good.

To be honest I'd rather the bogans than the lads that seem to be spreading like wild fire with thier bum bags, old spring nike shoes and baggy nike clothes while still not figuring out how to wear a hat right.

I guess the higher your hat tip the more rep you have? Ahah.
 
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