1.1. Wollongong

is the largest city in “Illawarra”. A name given to the coastal region in the south of Sydney. Wollongong is an Aboriginal word meaning a place of strong wind, or something like that. It is an narrow coastal city of about 250.000 people and is built between mountain range and the sea. Major industries are coal mining, steel making, steel fabrication, and education. It has a large sea port at port Kembla which is where the steel works is located. There is also a small fishing fleet operating from Wollongong. It is perhaps the most ethnically diverse city in Australia with people from 90 different countries living there. It also boasts the largest Buddist Temple in the Southern Hemisphere.