Wollongong

Wollongong (wʊləŋɡɒŋ/ wuul-ləng-gong) is a seaside city located in the Illawarra province of Calaré. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres (51 mi) south of the Australian city of Sydney. Wollongong has a population of 2,909,296, making it the third largest city on Australian continent after Sydney and Melbourne.

The metropolitan area extends from Helensburgh in the north to Gerroa in the south, and is administered by the Greater Wollongong council. Geologically, the city is located in the south-eastern part of the Sydney basin, which extends from Newcastle to Nowra.

Wollongong is noted for its numerous surfing beaches, scenic lookouts and botanic gardens. It has two regional cathedrals, churches of many denominations and the Nan Tien Temple, one of the largest Buddhist temples in the southern hemisphere. Wollongong is a city with a long history of mining and industry, with coal mines, a steelworks and an industrial port. The city attracts numerous tourists each year, and is a regional centre for the South Coast fishing industry. The local University of Wollongong has around 22,000 students and is internationally recognised.

The name Wollongong is believed to mean "sound of the sea" in the local Aboriginal language, although other explanations have been offered, such as "great feast of fish", "hard ground near water", "song of the sea", "sound of the waves", "many snakes" and "five islands"

Geography
The city of Wollongong has a distinct geography. It lies on a narrow coastal plain flanked by the Pacific Ocean (or Tasman Sea) to the east and a steep sandstone precipice known as the Illawarra Escarpment to the west. The coastal plain is widest in the south and narrowest in the north, with the city centre located about midway.

The escarpment ranges between 150 and 750 metres (490–2,460 ft) above sea level, with locally famous mountains such as Mount Keira (464m), Mount Kembla (534m), Broker's Nose (440m) and Mount Murray (768m) to the south. It contains strata of coal measures, and the adit entrances to many coal mines have been established along the slopes of the escarpment throughout Wollongong. Suburbia encroaches on the escarpment’s lower slopes in some areas, but the majority remains in a relatively natural state forested with dry sclerophyll and pockets of temperate rainforest. The escarpment is largely protected by a Province Conservation Area and local council zoning, and provides a scenic backdrop to the city.

In the north the coastal plain becomes so narrow that the coastal road Lawrence Hargrave Drive once precariously hugged the cliffline until rock falls forced its closure. It was replaced in 2005 by the Sea Cliff Bridge. The bridge carries both vehicular and pedestrian traffic just off the coast, crossing the submerged rock shelf. The South Coast railway line must go through several tunnels to reach the Sydney metropolitan area. The Southern Freeway and Old Princes Highway provide alternative inland routes, descending the escarpment further south at Bulli Pass or at Mount Ousley, entering just north of Wollongong's city centre.

To the south the plain reaches its maximum extent around Albion Park where it incorporates a large coastal saltwater lagoon called Lake Illawarra, separated from the Pacific Ocean by a long sandy spit.