Port Kembla

Place name

Parish of Wollongong County of Camden

Port Kembla was originally known as Red Point. It has also been referred to as "Kembla Bay" and "Five Islands Bay". The residential and industrial areas of Port Kembla are situated on 2200 acres of land granted to David Allen in 1817. The land was called "Illawarra Farm". In 1883 a port was opened to ship coal brought from the mine at Mt Kembla. Because of its association with the jetty serving the Mount Kembla mine, the area previously called Red Point became known as Port Kembla. The earliest reference to this name seems to have been in 1892. The new harbour was named Port Kembla by William Burall who opened the Mt Kembla Colliery and constructed the tramway between the colliery and the jetty. Kembla is an aboriginal word meaning "plenty of wild fowl".

Location

Port Kembla is located approximately 10.5 kilometres south of central Wollongong. It is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean. To the north its boundary lies at the northern most aspects of the Steel Works along Springhill Road. On the West, the boundary of the suburb lies along Shellharbour Road, Warrawong and the boundary of the Steel Works to Cringila. To the south the boundary lies along Parkes Street, and Cowper Street, then Surfside Drive to Kemblawarra.