A Wollongong City Libraries online photographic exhibition for History Week 2021
The exhibition showcases the Wollongong steel industry from its inception in the 1920’s through to the present day. The photographs have been selected from the Illawarra Images Collection of Wollongong City Libraries.
The images depict not only the steel works’ physical growth and presence over the years, but the people that surround it, are supported by and support it, including: the bosses, workers, unions, migrants, families and communities. As well as the obvious economic benefit, the steel industry in Wollongong has been integral to its growth as a strong, diverse multicultural regional city.
To view images and their captions, go to the the slideshow below or 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:
1927 – Excavations for furnace foundations (right) and stoves and raw material bins at centre. Gantry incline construction (left) with Five Islands Road at rear – P06901 
1929 – Australian Iron & Steel – aerial view looking over the steelworks towards the harbour – P11033 
1934 – The blooming mill motor during erection. Vic Rule in centre – P20764 
1936 – Painter – P13689 
1945 – First Christmas party given to Australian Iron & Steel employees held in the machine shop – P13198 
1945 – Shell lathes made at Australian Iron & Steel – P13201 
1949 – Early construction of Hot Strip Mill – P24745 
1954 – Aerial view of the Steelworks – photo from the Arthur Cratchley Collection – P16566 
1955 – Hoskins Kembla Works, Tin Plate Mill. Workshop interior at the official opening of the mill – P19097 
1950s – Five Islands Road – P01238 
1961 – Australian Iron & Steel – from the Jack Southern collection – P14656 
2 December 1963 – Immigration delegation touring the Plate and Strip Mills – P06639 
1964 – Workers housing, Cringila – from the Illawarra Mercury Collection – P36088 
1967 – Operator in rolling mill – P06660 
1974 – Port Kembla Steelworks and Harbour from Mount Keira Lookout – Eric Nicholson – P19912 
16 September 1980 – Flinders Street, Port Kembla – Wind blown dust from Steelworks coke ovens – P23756 
25 June 1986 – No. 4 Blast Furnace, Port Kembla Steelworks – from the Illawarra Mercury Collection – P27264 
31 October 1991 – Steelworkers picketing outside BHP’s Springhill works. The entire Port Kembla steel industry shut down when 10,000 steelworkers stopped work – from the Illawarra Mercury Collection – P27310 
28 July 1993 – Steelworks viewed from north side of Port Kembla Inner Harbour – P27329 
1993 – The Iron Pacific (ship) at the Iron Ore Loader with tugboat in the foreground, Port Kembla Harbour – from the Illawarra Mercury Collection – P26268
