A Wollongong City Libraries online photographic exhibition for Australian Heritage Week 2022.
This exhibition showcases the wonderful and at times weird side of life in the city of Wollongong. It highlights the sense of fun of the locals and their willingness to try anything. The photographs have been selected from the Illawarra Images Collection of Wollongong City Libraries.
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:
The region’s first Beer Can Regatta – Lake Illawarra, January 1979 
P01377 – Forced landing of “Memma” mail plane on Thirroul beach, 18 March 1936 
P03859 – House being moved across the Point Street railway bridge at Bulli 
P13480 – Wollongong City Mission pole sitting charity funds drive in January 1996 
P13481 – Wollongong City Mission pole sitting charity funds drive in January 1996 
P21413 – Seaweed swimming costumes, Austinmer beach, 1950. 
P22004 – Norman Gunston, The Little Aussie Bleeder (alias actor Garry McDonald), star of the ABC television program “Wollongong the Brave” 
P22196 – Barry Neilson, the production manager at Buttercup Bakeries in Unanderra measures the world record 30 metre bread loaf which was cut into pieces and sold for $2 each to raise funds for dialysis machines for Wollongong Hospital – 22 July 1978 
P22198 – The 30 metre, world record bread loaf baked at Buttercup Bakeries in Unanderra is carried by more than 80 volunteers along Springhill Road to Wollongong. It was cut into pieces and sold for $2 each to raise funds dialysis machines for Wollongong Hospital – 22 July 1978. 
P23524 – Stuntman Daredevil Dave (Dave Horton) plunging his car into Mullet Creek to promote his stunt team at the Dapto Show – 18 January 1973 
P23918 – King Gee employees Bethel Millan and Anna Sesto in oversized jeans at the King Gee Factory in Bellambi 
P24631 – Volkswagen Beetle with shark fins at the Festival of Wollongong parade, 27 August 1984 
P24814 – Spaghetti-eating contest at the St. John the Baptist Festival held at the Wollongong Showground, 9 December 1990. 
P28037 – Dandy the German Shepherd carrying Charlie the white parrot around on a driftwood perch at North Beach – 5 March 1963 
P30565 – 198 people join forces in the car park of Westfield Figtree to attempt to break the world record for the number of people in a Conga line – 26 January 1985 
P33446 – Bass player Rob Laurie of local Wollongong band Man Bites Dog and a four-legged friend – 26 May 1989 
P35577 – Actor Robert Grice during his transformation into the King of Siam for The Guild Theatre’s production of The King and I – 13 April 1993 
P12545 – Mount Keira Scout Camp 
P19539 – Celebration of the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953. Children dressed in various national costumes on the British Empire float in the parade. 
P21181 – Men in ballet tutus on stage during the performance of “Swan Like” – Council concert, Wollongong Town Hall, July 8 1962
The region’s first Beer Can Regatta – Lake Illawarra, January 1979
P01377 – Forced landing of “Memma” mail plane on Thirroul beach, 18 March 1936
P03859 – House being moved across the Point Street railway bridge at Bulli
P12545 – Mount Keira Scout Camp
P13480 – Wollongong City Mission pole sitting charity funds drive in January 1996
P13481 – Wollongong City Mission pole sitting charity funds drive in January 1996
P21413 – Seaweed swimming costumes, Austinmer beach, 1950.
P22004 – Norman Gunston, The Little Aussie Bleeder (alias actor Garry McDonald), star of the ABC television program “Wollongong the Brave”
P22196 – Barry Neilson, the production manager at Buttercup Bakeries in Unanderra measures the world record 30 metre bread loaf which was cut into pieces and sold for $2 each to raise funds for dialysis machines for Wollongong Hospital – 22 July 1978
P22198 – The 30 metre, world record bread loaf baked at Buttercup Bakeries in Unanderra is carried by more than 80 volunteers along Springhill Road to Wollongong. It was cut into pieces and sold for $2 each to raise funds dialysis machines for Wollongong Hospital – 22 July 1978.
P23524 – Stuntman Daredevil Dave (Dave Horton) plunging his car into Mullet Creek to promote his stunt team at the Dapto Show – 18 January 1973
P23918 – King Gee employees Bethel Millan and Anna Sesto in oversized jeans at the King Gee Factory in Bellambi
P24631 – Volkswagen Beetle with shark fins at the Festival of Wollongong parade, 27 August 1984
P24814 – Spaghetti-eating contest at the St. John the Baptist Festival held at the Wollongong Showground, 9 December 1990.
P28037 – Dandy the German Shepherd carrying Charlie the white parrot around on a driftwood perch at North Beach – 5 March 1963
P30565 – 198 people join forces in the car park of Westfield Figtree to attempt to break the world record for the number of people in a Conga line – 26 January 1985
P33446 – Bass player Rob Laurie of local Wollongong band Man Bites Dog and a four-legged friend – 26 May 1989
P35577 – Actor Robert Grice during his transformation into the King of Siam for The Guild Theatre’s production of The King and I – 13 April 1993
P19539 – Celebration of the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953. Children dressed in various national costumes on the British Empire float in the parade.
P21181 – Men in ballet tutus on stage during the performance of “Swan Like” – Council concert, Wollongong Town Hall, July 8 1962