To celebrate History Week 2025, Water Stories our Boating in the Illawarra photographic exhibition focuses on how we as a community have embraced our natural environment, its lake, rivers, and harbours, for both pleasure and industry. Wollongong, as a city by the sea, has an abundance of stories surrounding how water influences our everyday lives. Water is integral to Wollongong’s life, economy, and leisure.
You can see the Boating in the Illawarra exhibition on display from September 2 – December 2, 2025 at Wollongong Library level 1.
To view images and their captions, go to the slideshow belowor click on individual images within the gallery.
To see more images from the Wollongong City Libraries’ Illawarra Images collection or to order high resolution copies of images, go to: Illawarra Images
P51643 Lisa Ryan on surf ski. Illawarra Mercury Image Collection. 21 Sept 1991
P51615 Group of men prawn fishing using nets by kerosene light. Far right Reuben Sylvester James. c. 1965
P42087 Control tower located at Port Kembla Harbour.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection
23 August 1966
P41471 “An old sailor gets with it all again.” Mr Lochhead with a boat at Wollongong Harbour.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection
2 July 1966
P41170 Boats sailing on Lake Illawarra. Illawarra Mercury Image Collection 1 Feb 1966
P40360 Sailboard ‘Competitors on their way to big ships’.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection
1986
P40355 Action on Lake Illawarra as Warwick Hansen steers Risky business (nearest camera) to win in the Southern Home Improvements Trailable Yacht Winter Series.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection 20 Aug 1990
P40239 Shipping, Bellambi Coal Company. Marjorie and Malachite loading the Prinz Sigmund. (Hail & Co. 108)
Date Unknown
P40151 Shipping, Bellambi Coal Company. South Bulli Jetty.
Date Unknown
P39737 Ship Master, Capt. Derrick Bolas on the bridge as BHP’s superloader, Iron Pacific, is loaded at Port Kembla with a small mountain of coal for Korea, 12 March 1987.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection 13 March 1987
P39719 Olivia cargo ship docked at Port Kembla Harbour and the seamen demonstrating against the ship’s condition.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection
28 June 1978
P39710 Submarine HMAS Orion prepares to berth in Port Kembla Harbour for a four-day visit as part of the Festival of Wollongong. Illawarra Mercury Image Collection 7 October 1988
P39702 HMAS Brisbane visiting for the Harbourfest ’93 at the No.4 Jetty, Port Kembla Harbour.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection
2 May 1993
P38953 Father and daughter Ken and Kerrin Oats, 11, with the model yachts at Lake Illawarra.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection
31 July c.1980
P35391 A boat dry docked at Wollongong Harbour.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection
16 May 1966
P34410 Workmen at No. 3 jetty, Port Kembla Harbour.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection
25 May 1965
P34326 Bill Alison, Snowy Russell, and Johnny Williams on a tugboat in Port Kembla Harbour. Illawarra Mercury Image Collection 27 April 1965
P33111 Amphibious car does 8 knots. Convertible in Wollongong Harbour.
3 April 1964
P27933 ‘West Tuna’, Esso-BHP’s drilling platform leaves Port Kembla.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection
Oct 1996
P26867 North Wollongong IRB crew in action at Illawarra branch titles. North Wollongong Surf Life Saving Club inflatable rescue boat (IRB) crew in action at Illawarra branch championships off Stanwell Park Beach. Illawarra Mercury Image Collection 23 April 1993
P26554 The Ruby Princess leaving after being moored at Port Kembla on 5 April 2020 to allow 542 crew to be repatriated after COVID-19 outbreak on board. It departed on 23rd April, 2020.
Dawn Harridge, Wollongong Camera Club
P26387 Aerial view of Port Kembla Outer Harbour.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection 29 June 1979
P26268 Iron ore loader, Port Kembla Harbour. The Iron Pacific (ship) at the Iron Ore Loader with tugboat in the foreground, Port Kembla Harbour.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection 8 March 1993
P26246 New pilot craft the Governor Bourke at Port Kembla Harbour.
Illawarra Mercury Collection 15 Sept. 1987
P25744 Marlin catch, Belmore Basin. Wollongong fisherman John Bessi with the 75 kg marlin he caught off Wollongong Harbour.
Illawarra Mercury Collection 9 Jan 1984
P24195 Merinda ship at wharf on Lake Illawarra.
Graeme Andrews Collection
1987
P24181 SS Bellinger in Wollongong Harbour.
Comet Series postcard, No. 92
1917
P22773 Port Kembla Harbour Drill rig operators take samples from the floor of Port Kembla Harbour.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection 8 Aug 1992
P22169 Fishermen at Bellambi Boat Ramp.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection
28 July 1989
P21797 Workmen retrieving the superstructure of the sunken Dutch cargo ship Gabriella, in Port Kembla Harbour.
Illawarra Mercury Collection 3 Oct 1986
P21024 Various fishing boats and pleasure craft with Wollongong fish markets and Harbour Front restaurant in background.
18 May 2006
P19871 Cranes and shipping vessel Port Kembla Harbour.
c.1960
P18818 Belmore Basin Postcard, part of a set of four promotional postcards and posters designed and produced by Wollongong City Council.
1989
P18816 Lake Illawarra, part of a set of four promotional postcards and posters designed and produced by Wollongong City Council.
1989
P18154 Boat sheds Sandon Point
Photographer: Robert Westacott
2007
P17918 Boat sheds at Windang on Lake Illawarra.
Date unknown
P03754 The “Dumaresq” was the first tugboat built in Wollongong Harbour and was built for the timber trade. It was launched at the end of December
1909
P02290 Family outing Mullet Creek Date Unknown
P52590 Illawarra Mercury Water ski series on Kanahooka Bay. Brad Hughes skiing behind Top Gun took out formula one section of the Shell Marine Grand Prix on Lake Illawarra.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection.
26 May 1992
P52589 Jason Stone Water Skiing on Lake Illawarra
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection
31 March 1988.
P52550 Windsurfing race in Lake Illawarra.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection
28 December 1993
P51648 Phillip & Matthew Gregory in their Maricat, Catabatic in youth regatta at the Illawarra Yacht Club.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection
24 February 1991
P51647 Yachts surge towards the starting buoy yesterday in the Australian 16 ft Skiff titles on Lake Illawarra.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection
9 January 1988
P51644 Rowing on Lake Illawarra. Out from Illawarra Yacht Club. Rowers L-R Nathan Campbell, Graham Williams, Mark Lowe, Evan Stillwell & Ainsley Campbell.
Illawarra Mercury Image Collection 2 Jan 1992
