Council
History
| 1816 | Organised settlement began in Wollongong and land grants were made |
| 1834 | Town of Wollongong was planned by the Surveyor-General, Major Thomas Mitchell, and gazetted on 26 November 1834 |
| 1843 | Illawarra District Council was formed. It covered the coastal plain from Bulli to Nowra and also Kangaroo Valley |
| 1859 | Two local government areas were formed. Municipality of Wollongong which was proclaimed on 22 February. Central Illawarra Municipality which was formed on 19 August 1859 (this took in the area from Unanderra to Macquarie Rivulet) |
| 1868 | North Illawarra Municipality was formed on 26 October 1868 and included the area from Fairy Creek to Bellambi |
| 1887 | The railway line between Sydney and Wollongong was completed |
| 1903 | Town water came to Wollongong in 1903 |
| 1904 | Telephone system was installed |
| 1906 | Bulli Shire was proclaimed on 15 May 1906 |
| 1926 | The first steelworks was established |
| 1927 | Wollongong's new Town Hall opened by Mayor Norman Smith |
| 1942 | Wollongong was proclaimed a city in NSW Government Gazette 125 on 11 September 1942 |
| 1947 | The City of Greater Wollongong was formed by the amalgamation of the City of Wollongong, the Shires of Bulli and Central Illawarra and the Municipality of North Illawarra, under the Local Government Act, 1919 in the NSW Government Gazette 104 of 12 September 1947 |
| 1947 | The new City of Greater Wollongong Council takes over the electricity supply responsibilities of the four constituent councils |
| 1948 | First amalgamated Council elections held |
| 1956 | New Council Chamber opened |
| 1958 | The Illawarra County Council was formed signalling the end of direct local government control of the electricity supply in the Wollongong area |
| 1959 | Alderman Rube Hargrave was the first female to be elected to the Council of the City of Greater Wollongong. She was elected on the 5th December, 1959 |
| 1970 | A Lord Mayorality was conferred on the City on the eve of the visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 10 April 1970. Alderman Ford became the first Lord Mayor |
| 1970 | The City of Greater Wollongong became City of Wollongong - gazetted on 30 October 1970 |
| 1981 | A new City Flag design was adopted following a community competition |
| 1987 | Ward boundaries were abolished |
| 1987 | Wollongong won the 1986 A R Bluett Award for Excellence in Local Government |
| 1987 | The new administration Building and Library was officially opened on 18 July 1987 |
| 1990 | Return to Ward boundaries. 5 Wards were gazetted on 29 June 1990 |
| 1994 | Wollongong City Council wins prestigious Australian Quality Award |
| 1997 | 50th Anniversary of amalgamation of Bulli, North Illawarra, Central Illawarra and City of Wollongong to create the City of Greater Wollongong |
| 1998 | Opening of the new $20M, 6,000 seat Wollongong Entertainment Centre |
| 1999 | University of Wollongong named University of the Year |
| 2004 | Wollongong City Gallery celebrates 25th Anniversary |
| 2004 | Wollongong City Surf Life Saving Club's new premises opens on the corner of Marine and Endeavour Drives |
| 2005 | The Sea Cliff bridge opened on December 11, 2005, re-connecting the villages of Coalcliff and Clifton |
| 2005 | Qantas establishes a daily air service from Wollongong to Melbourne |
| 2006 | Illawarra Escarpment Strategic Management Plan signed off by Wollongong City Council and the Minister for Planning |
| 2007 | Chief Executive Officer, Rod Oxley resigns after 19 years as Chief Executive of Wollongong City Council |
| 2007 | Southern Gateway tourist centre to go ahead after a $13 million funding injection from the Federal Government |
| 2007 | Wollongong City Council celebrates 60 years of amalgamation on Setember 12 |
| 2007 | David Farmer is appointed as General Manager of Wollongong City Council |
| 2008 | Council's elected representives are replaced with three Administrators Colin Gellatly, Gabrielle Kibble and Robert MacGregor |
Last Modified: 18/06/2008
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Contact us
For more information, please contact our Central Library
Phone:
4227 7414
Visit us:
Council's Adminstration Building, Ground floor, 41 Burelli Street, Wollongong
Suburbs of Wollongong
For more information you may like to visit our library website where you can locate historical information about the suburbs of Wollongong.