Belinda's Guidebook

There are plenty of excellent beaches and ocean pools. Patrolled beaches include Bellambi beach (access via Morgan place), East Corrimal beach, Towradgi, North Wollongong beach. Woonona beach (home of the coldest ocean pool in the Illawarra). Other nice patrolled beaches include Bulli, Thirroul, Austinmer and Stanwell Park beach. Some unpatrolled beaches are worth checking out including Little Austinmer beach and Sharky beach in Coledale and McCauly's beach, Bulli. For more information go to visitWollongong.com/top-beaches-and-pools-wollongong or beach safe.org.au/nsw/Wollongong.

There is a shared Cycle track that runs up the coast from Wollongong to Stanwell Park. Park at Bellambi point car park, Nicholson Park, Woonona, East Corrimal beach at Bellambi lagoon or Bulli beach and Sandon point in Bulli for convenient access. Cringilla Hills Mountain Bike Park, Cringilla. Purpose built trail park about 20mins south of here. There are mountain bike trails along the escapment. See Trailforks.com/Illawarra for more information.

There are many. We’d recommend Haven Espresso in Corrimal, Fangerz and Frank 'n Beans in East Corrimal, GF Eats, Bellambi (gluten free everything), Olive's in Bellambi, (looks basic it has great coffee and good food), North Break Cafe in Woonona, Sketch Coffee and Art at Towradgi and Coledale, Ruby's and Bulli Beach Cafe in Bulli, Diggies, North beach pavilion and Levandi's in North Wollongong. However there are many more great cafes in Corrimal and up and down the coast.

Corrimal Rsl 10 min walk. The Corrimal Hotel 15min walk. Big screen for sports. 2 Quench Cafe and Cocktail Lounge in Corrimal. 15 min walk. Corrimal Bowlo, less than 10 min walk. Recently renovated. A short drive/ride away The Reub Goldberg Brewing Machine in Tarrawanna. (No food but next to the excellent La Rose Thai and Tarrawanna Fish and Chip shop.) Resin Brewery in Bulli. The Balgownie Hotel, Balgownie Towradgi Beach Hotel - largest pub in the area. Towradgi The Headlands Hotel in Austinmer, The Scarborough Hotel and the Clifton Hotel have brilliant views. Parking can be limited.

Manjits, Corrimal. Indian. Jin's Place, Corrimal. Japanese. Gambino's, Corrimal/Fernhill. Italian. (Good gluten free pizza base.) Al Aseel, Fairy Meadow. Lebanese. Samaras, Woonona, Lebanese. La Rose Thai, Tarrawanna ( best Thai around. Popular, but can be noisy at their end when ordering takeout. Use the numbers on the menu to make sure the order is heard correctly.) Tarrawanna Fish and Chip shop, Tarrawanna. (Takeaway only) Slightly posher restaurants Steamers Bar and Grill, Wollongong. Steak, seafood, pizza. The Lagoon North Wollongong. Seafood. Harbourfront Seafood, Wollongong