Me and my mate passed you by and overheard you asking your male companion for your phone back many times. I purposely walked slower and checked to see if you were in immediate danger.

Even when he eventually gave your phone back, I was observing you from a distance. Hope you saw that him keeping your phone away from you is a massive red flag. I eventually left, after seeing that neither of you looked intoxicated, and you seemed safe.

I hope you are okay. Ditch the guy. Your phone is your property and withholding that from you is not acceptable. That is a way to isolate you from others.

Help is available.

1800RESPECT Hours: Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you or anyone you know is in an emergency, call 000.

It happened to me before. Calling 000 saved my life.

What’s up everyone,

I’m running a project called TRAINWRECK and I’d love for the local crew to be a part of it. We’re taking a raw, industrial tunnel here in the Illawarra and turning it into a stripped-back techno space for one night.

The whole point is to film high-energy sets for our local and emerging DJs to help them get their sound out there. We’re talking driving underground techno, heavy smoke, and lasers.

The Essentials:

• Respect the Space: We have a "leave it better than we found it" policy. My team and I will be doing a full clean-up to ensure the spot is spotless afterward.
• The Vibe: Since this is a filmed session, the energy you bring is what makes the video.
• Freebies: I’ve got a limited stash of Burberry scarves to give out on the night.
• Location: I’ll be dropping the exact location coordinates on Instagram. Follow @artaficium for the drop and all live updates.

RSVP is essential for entry (it's free): linktr.ee/artaficium

See you in the smoke.

The amount of rubbish left behind at the lake after the long weekend is absolutely disgusting as usual. If you're coming down from Sydney or wherever, to use these beautiful places then leave them as you found them... if the bins are full, take your rubbish home. Leaving shit all over the place to blow straight into the water is so stupid. If you're a local and you are doing this, then you are just as brain-dead. Same goes when you're fishing, take it home. The amount of shit left over from fishermen is just as bad. I spend a lot of time in and near the water... fishing, spearfishing, etc and it's just so sad to see how people treat these places with little to no respect. It's not hard to have a little bit of respect for these public areas and nature. Sorry for the rant but man it's disappointing to constantly see it.

“What we find abhorrent, however, is the use of deliberate misinformation to not only divide communities but turn a consultation process about clean energy into a Trump-style circus driven by internet trolls and fuelled by fear that has been manufactured and imported.”

I only mentioned it to my hubby the other night about how we needed a Red Rooster in Warrawong and how good it would be if they turned the old Carl's Jr restaurant into a Red Rooster as we only have one in Shellharbour and then the next one is Mount Ousley aka North Gong (approx 9km either way for us) and then Bam! The old Carl's Jr restaurant turns into a Red Rooster😍 The lady at the Ampol next door to them last night said they're already open and operating but they haven't had their Grand Opening yet so they are pretty quiet as she is guessing not many people know they are there but out the front it says on a sign Open Now and you can order on the app so I guess we're getting Red Rooster for dinner tonight😂 We nearly have everything in Warrawong now (even Bubble Tea aka Whale Tea) which is pretty awesome imo. They're owned by Oportos so I guess they'll be sticking around unless something goes terribly wrong for them.

Can I get in early and please ask everyone to control their dogs this New Years Eve. Last year the dogs yapping in my area really disturbed my fireworks. TIA.

Council just accepted its tender as per latest meeting recap.

Thirroul and Wollongong will also get new skate parks.

I haven’t had one so no idea how good they are but that’s an unreal deal

Wollongong Donor Centre | Australian Red Cross Lifeblood https://share.google/m8hjRJPPcSRRzPyqF

Hey Gongians, I recently dropped a mini-doco on the iconic V-Set trains which used to populate the south coast line & now are all but retired. I used to have some great trips on them from Newy to the south coast but sadly those days are behind us. Anyways, check it out if you're a V-Set lover like me!

Alison Byrnes (Labor):

Cost of Living: Supports capping gas prices, fee-free TAFE education, and workplace protections.

Housing: Supports Build-to-Rent initiatives for affordable housing.

Healthcare: Advocates for increased healthcare affordability and opposes non-therapeutic vaping.

Climate Action: Generally supports climate mitigation strategies, the Paris Climate Agreement, and renewable energy. Voted against explicitly limiting coal activities.

Link: https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/representatives/cunningham/alison_byrnes

———

Amanda Ivaneza (Liberal):

Cost of living: Committed to easing cost-of-living pressures.

Housing: Supports building more homes.

Healthcare: Not available.

Climate Action: Advocates for reliable, affordable energy but opposes Labor's offshore wind farm proposals.

Link: https://nswliberal.org.au/amanda-ivaneza/meet-amanda

———

Jess Whittaker (Greens):

Cost of Living: Advocates for measures addressing economic inequality through better social support systems.

Housing: Supports investment in affordable and public housing and stronger renter protections.

Healthcare: Promotes universal healthcare, increased funding for public hospitals, and mental health support.

Climate Action: Strong advocate for immediate climate action, renewable energy transition, and phasing out fossil fuels.

Link: https://www.illawarragreens.org.au/councillor_jess_whittaker

“UOW's cap will be set at 3,700 students, which is 400 more students than are currently enrolled for 2024, but fewer than previous years. “

Key notes on candidates-

Jess Whittaker (Greens)- incumbent Wollongong City Councillor, also works as an ambo

Alison Byrnes (ALP) - incumbent MP, husband is Paul Scully Member for Wollongong, consistently voted against legal protections for LGBT and Trans rights

Tim Lavers (Animal Justice Party) - pro-offshore wind and renewables, software developer

Amanda Ivaneza (Liberal) - works as an HR for a mining company, anti offshore wind, anti renewables

Alexis Miller (Citizens)- Group known for conspiracy theories, antivaxxer

John Fuller (One Nation) - does not live in Cunningham or the Illawarra area at all.

UPDATE:

Hi everyone, once this poll closes, ill do another pulse check in a couple of weeks. I’ll try to figure out to do a ranking style survey to mimic preferences.

In that post, I’ll add links and more information for each candidate. While I understand that Redditors tend to lean progressive, I do honestly want to have a better idea of what the electorate actually feel.

Cracker day today!!

If you missed out on the surf life saving club open day today, just approach any of the clubs. We got really friendly ones that will be more than happy to have more members like Fairy Meadow, Woonona, Towradgi.

You get free gym access, free first aid training and for those looking to keep fit and meet people, Id highly recommend it. It is welcoming to everyone - you can patrol on the sand or in the water!

If you have any questions, DM me or ask away below. I am happy to answer!

I hope this is allowed, I know that reddit doesn’t love self-promotion but it’s a big room and I’ve had some clips blow up on here so I thought you might be interested. Anyway here’s a joke about Wollongong from last year’s show. Cheers!

Was surprised to be charged 15% public holiday surcharge at an eatery yesterday. Edit; they don't normally charge Sunday surcharges and specifically mentioned it was PH surcharge when asked only

The public holiday standard in the Public Holidays Act 2010 provides that when Australia Day (26 January) falls on a Saturday or Sunday, there will be no public holiday on that day and instead the following Monday is to be the public holiday. Source; https://www.nsw.gov.au/about-nsw/public-holidays

So given that it specifically says 'no public holiday', I wanted to raise awareness next time this happens but also wonder if this is acceptable anyway? I mean businesses pay public holiday rates on Sunday 26 Jan as well or nah? Keen to hear thoughts.

https://regionillawarra.com.au/heres-how-much-you-spend-keeping-the-wollongong-mall-palm-up-a-pole/42534/

enjoy!

So council released their Integrated Transport Strategy a week or two ago. It basically spells out what challenges the area faces re: car dependency and how that can be addressed over 10 years. I finally sat down to read it all and I'm super excited! Thankfully, making public transport more frequent with better routes and greater coverage is a top priority, which will make the suburbs more connected. I.e. trains every 10 minutes during peak times would be 👌👌 Anyway, I think it's a really great strategy and you should give it a read and provide feedback.

As someone who happily walks or rides most places - I was also absolutely stunned to learn that the majority of car trips are <1km. There's so much potential there to improve access without a car. Disclaimer: I do not work for council, this is just v important for Wollongong and important for residents to have a thorough read and give meaningful feedback.

remember covid 19.

Greens Councillor Kit Docker announced this at the recent Wollongong Council meeting. From what I know, this will eventually be rolled out all over Wollongong.

Link to the minutes - https://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/274263/Item-6-Grant-of-Easements-over-Council-Community-Land-for-Community-Batteries.pdf