Cringila - Historic buildings

Residential Building
Address: 26 Lake Avenue, Cringila

This residence was built in the 1930's in Cringila as a family residence. Built from weatherboard, wooden frame and corrugated iron roof.

In the 1950's this residence was home to many migrant families who lived here a short time, saved sufficient money so they could move to another suburb. This became a cycle for many families. The Campara family purchased the house in the 1960's because they could not afford a new house. They sold it in 1975.

The residence was purchased and renovated by the Wollongong Community Health Services and it became a Community Health Centre. In 1988 it was used as a Migrant Health Centre for the Illawarra Region and in 1919 the centre closed and a purpose built centre was opened.

The house was sold to a Cringila resident in 1994 and apart from the renovations done in 1975 the house is largely the same as it was in the 1930's. (Local Studies Cuttings File)

Cringila Footbridge
Location: Railway bridge and Cringila Station

Built in 1952 to provide access to Port Kembla Steelworks. A steel welded through Warren truss. Concrete decks were now standard for most new Footbridges and for the replacement of timber decks.

By the Mid-1930's welding had become an established technology, but Railways were slow to use it for underbridges subjected to dynamic loads. However, for Footbridges with light static loads, welding was ideal. Costly drilling and riveting was eliminated at joints by simple runs of welds, after an easy assembly of members. Initially double angles were used for the flanges but later, T-sections were used. (NSW Heritage Office, 2004)