I used to catch transport often when opal started becoming a thing but I haven’t used it in a couple years. My partner and I have needed to get the bus once or twice a week lately and we’re having trouble with his card tapping on and off, came to realise that it could be that he doesn’t have his money transferred when tapping on, but he believes his card has declined a tap on when he’s had at least $3 in there before. Does anyone have issues of their credit card being declined even though they have funds?

Wollongong indie shoegazers Birdsville have released their latest 6 track EP. Give it a listen and come along to the release party and in-store gig at Music Farmers record store on Saturday November 7

Hawks are home to Brisbane on Saturday night at WIN Entertainment Centre, and the same night Richard Clapton, GANGgajang and Wendy Matthews are at Anita's in Thirroul while Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers play the UniBar. Pete Helliar's at the Builders Club on Friday and Sunday is the Jamberoo Car Show at Kevin Walsh Oval. Halloween is the weekend after - heaps already listed from Friday the 30th, so book the kids' disco early.

Flyer + posters + a map: https://whatsoninthegong.com.au/weekly/2026-10-23

Just announced (on sale now)

• Down Under Championship · 27 nov · WIN Entertainment Centre
• Dried Flower Wreath Making Workshop · 28 nov · 10:30am · Shellharbour Civic Centre · $75
• Jimeoin - Ballyhoo · 8 jan · 7:30pm · The Pavilion Kiama · $69
• The Epics: Volume Two · 20 nov +4 · The Forge · $20
• The Rubens · 13 feb · 7pm · The Pavilion Kiama
• Mel Buttle - 'Well Sorry I Asked!' · 3 jul · Anita's Theatre
• Welcome to IWIB 2027 & be prepared to be motivated! · 5 feb · 12pm · Centro CBD · $84
• Melbourne Cup Luncheon · Tue 3 · 12pm · Illawarra Yacht Club · $90

Halloween weekend

• Enough Said Poetry Slam ft. Sarah Wheeler (Spooky Edition!) · Thu 6:30pm · Side Door Theatre · $5
• Halloween Spooktacular · Fri 30 · 5pm · Shellharbour Civic Centre · free
• HALLOWEEN Musical Theatre Open Mic Night · Fri 30 · 7pm · Side Door Theatre · $22
• Halloween Wax & Wicks · Fri 30 · 6pm · Wests Illawarra Leagues Club · $67
• SCREAMFEST Wollongong - Halloween Festival · Sat 31 · 4pm · UOW UniBar · $40
• Bingo Insanity! Wollongong’s Biggest Halloween Bingo Dance Party! · Sat 31 · 8pm · The Fraternity Club · $44
• WPT 5K ROTATION · Sat 31 · 4pm · Illawarra Yacht Club · $65
• Hot n Fresh BOOlesque Halloween Spectacular... · Sat 31 · 6pm · The Vault · $52
• …and 63 more: see them all

Gigs

• Half Me "Crusade" Australian Tour w/ Deficit // Darkmatter // Cultists · Thu 7pm · La La La's · $45
• The Butter Trackers Irish Session Friday 23 October · Fri · Jamberoo Pub
• Dale on Acoustics · Fri 4pm · The Illawarra Hotel · free
• REMIT (Naarm/Melb) with Bad Form & Cheap Coffins · Fri 6pm · Diamond Dogs Music Lounge & Bar · $15
• The Ultimate Eagles Legacy · Fri 6:30pm · Centro CBD
• CURRENTS W/ Aaron Ball Band (USA) // Ren and The Rudeboys // Rhys Scoular · Fri 7pm · Towradgi Beach Hotel · free
• Civic Video ‘Making Room For Others Tour’ w/ ONIERA // The Pulse · Fri 7:30pm · La La La's · $25
• Thrillhouse · Fri 8pm · The Illawarra Hotel · free
• …and 56 more: see them all

Kids & family

• Kiama Scout Group 100 years celebration · Sat 6:30pm · Kiama Leagues Club · $52
• Rock n Roll Wrestling · Sat 7pm · Warilla Sports Club
• Kid’s Halloween Disco · Thu 7:30pm · Kiama Leagues Club · free
• Messy Makers · Wed · Illawarra Yacht Club
• Next Race Meet · Fri · Southlake Illawarra BMX Club
• Jamberoo Car Show and Family Day · Sun 9am · Kevin Walsh Oval Jamberoo · $5
• Young Engineers Club · On now · Shellharbour Public School (Library) · $200
• Young Engineers Club · On now · Wollongong Public School (K-BLOCK KR0009) · sold out
• …and 33 more: see them all

Free

• Free Meditation – Relax, Recharge & Reconnect · Sun 10am · Wollongong Conservatorium of Music · free
• Dale on Acoustics · Fri 4pm · The Illawarra Hotel · free
• A New Window into Italy: Pinocchio Turns 200! · Fri 6pm · Dapto Leagues Club · free
• CURRENTS W/ Aaron Ball Band (USA) // Ren and The Rudeboys // Rhys Scoular · Fri 7pm · Towradgi Beach Hotel · free
• Thrillhouse · Fri 8pm · The Illawarra Hotel · free
• Crown St Militia - ‘Heavy Metal II’ EP Launch w/ Astrodeath // Caution // Brute · Sat 7:30pm · La La La's · free
• Halloween Trivia · Tue 6:30pm · Oak Flats Bowling & Recreation Club · free
• Kid’s Halloween Disco · Thu 7:30pm · Kiama Leagues Club · free
• …and 69 more: see them all

LGBTQ+ & Pride

• Dance Factor – Ready, Set, Rainbow · 7 nov · 10am · IPAC · $50
• Halloween Pride Night (Ages 18+) · Fri 30 · 6pm · Wollongong Library · free
• Scary Gayday · Fri 30 · 9pm · Heyday · $10
• TAFFI 2026 Event Tickets · 8 nov · 10am · University of Wollongong · $10
• Kiama Illawarra Pride Choir rehearsal · Mon +1 · 7pm · Coniston Community Centre
• Kiama Illawarra Pride Choir rehearsal · Mon 2 · 7pm · Kiama Uniting Church
• …and 1 more: see them all

Laughs & stage

• Jekyll / Hyde · Fri–sun · The Forge · $20
• Stage Fright - A Side Door Sings Cabaret · Fri–sat 7:30pm · Side Door Theatre · $25
• RTC presents RADS · Sun 2pm · Roo Theatre Company · $16
• Enough Said Poetry Slam ft. Sarah Wheeler (Spooky Edition!) · Thu 6:30pm · Side Door Theatre · $5
• Sebastian · Fri–sat 7:30pm · Wollongong Workshop Theatre · $25
• Harry Jun: Inside Jokes, Outside Voice · Thu 7pm · UOW UniBar · $30
• Pete Helliar – an International Kerfuffle · Fri 6pm · The Builders Club
• Absolutely Fab · Sun 4pm · Albion Park RSL Memorial Club
• …and 17 more: see them all

Sport

• Illawarra Hawks v Brisbane Bullets · Sat 5:30pm · WIN Entertainment Centre
• Rock n Roll Wrestling · Sat 7pm · Warilla Sports Club
• Raoul · Sun 2:30pm · Dapto Citizens Bowls Club
• UFC 333: Volkanovski vs Evloev · Sun 5am · Club Windang
• Next Race Meet · Fri · Southlake Illawarra BMX Club
• Cricket Illawarra 1st Grade: IPCC 1 v University 1 · Sat 11am · Thomas Dalton Park
• Luxury Driving Experience - Kiama, Southern Highlands & Kangaroo Valley · Fri–sat 8am · $500
• Hawks Court Walk · Sat 4pm · WIN Sports & Entertainment Centres · $55
• …and 14 more: see them all

Markets & days out

• A New Window into Italy: Pinocchio Turns 200! · Fri 6pm · Dapto Leagues Club · free
• Twigs and Togs · Fri 10am · Clifton School of Arts
• Jamberoo Car Show and Family Day · Sun 9am · Kevin Walsh Oval Jamberoo · $5
• Poornima · Sun 5pm · Sri Venkateswara Temple
• Wollongong Santa Experience · Sat–sun 8:30am · Lollie Claire Photography · sold out
• DEEPOTSAV 2026 -The Radiance of Togetherness · Sat 5pm · University Hall · $35
• Markets at the Marina · Sun 10am · The Waterfont Shell Cove
• Illawarra Indigenous Business Expo · Fri 10:30am · Novotel Wollongong Northbeach · free
• …and 10 more: see them all

Food & drink

• River Chef’s Selection · Wed · Crooked River Estate · $115
• Bottomless Brunch @ Checho's EVERY WEEKEND · Sat 1pm · $89
• Date Night · Sat 4pm · Clay Wollongong · $170
• Wine & Wheel · Sat 4pm · Clay Wollongong · $85
• Peony Punch · Sat 12pm · Pinot & Picasso Wollongong · $69
• High Tea at Novotel Wollongong North Beach · Fri +5 · 12pm · North Bar at Novotel Wollongong Northbeach · sold out
• Masterclass with Claire Angel Bonner · Sat 10am · Austinmer Uniting Church · $10
• …and 5 more: see them all

Art, film & ideas

• Transformations: Art of the Scott Sisters · On now · Shellharbour Civic Centre
• Bryan & Robyn Carr Art Prize · On now · Red Point Arts
• Baylee Griffin - Artist in Residence · Mon · The Imaginarium
• 'Handmade with Love' Art Exhibition - by ICAN members · Thu · Red Point Arts
• Hidden Lines — Cesar Cueva · On now · SevenMarks Gallery · free
• When Life Feels Too Much: Finding Calm, Space and Balance with Gen Lhachog · Sat 2pm · Thirroul Community Centre
• U3A Monday Talk: Driving through the Rocks of Jamberoo Valley · Mon 2pm · North Kiama Neighbourhood Centre · free
• U3A talk: Australian kookaburra kids · Wed 9:30am · Thirroul Community Centre
• …and 26 more: see them all

Everything day by day, with posters and a map: https://whatsoninthegong.com.au/weekly/2026-10-23

Missed something? Tell me and I'll add the venue. Free, no ads, and I make nothing from it.

We are a group of friends from around the State who are having our annual catch up weekend in Wollongong next month. Mixed crowd aged 40-48. Looking for lively venues for a night out. Somewhere with music and a bit of a dance floor. Prefer older 80s/90s style music but up for anything fun. Staying in Thirroul but happy to travel a bit. Any recommendations?

How many more ABC articles are there going to be about e-bikes and shared pathways in the Illawarra?

“Two mothers said their toddlers had been hospitalised with broken bones when they were struck in separate incidents on a shared path along Wollongong's coastline.

Former ABC presenter Margaret Throsby was also struck and badly injured on the same pathway.”

I think the answer is simple, they are practically motor bikes. Illegal or not, they should be registered and ridden only by 17 year olds and older with a license on the road, not shared pathways.

Come along if you dare! Strictly R18+, of course... 🫣

What a time to be alive!

My wishes are gone and granted today

up from sydney for the weekend with my partner, hired bikes in thirroul and was doing the ride down to the lighthouse. about 10 min past bellambi my back tyre goes. And of course I had no spare, no pump, and no f*kn clue.

we’re standing there like idiots and this older bloke on a road bike pulls over without us even asking. pulls out a pump + patch kit, has the wheel off before I’ve even worked out how the quick release works. talks the whole time about how he’s ridden that path every morning for 15 years and the glass near the rock pool is “a known problem” lol

fixed it in about 10 minutes, wouldn’t take any money. then says if we’re heading south we should stop at a cafe in north wollongong because the owner’s his daughter. we go, mention his name, and she just laughs when we explain what happened and gives us both coffees on the house

rest of the day was perfect. sunny, ocean was ridiculous, the escarpment behind everything, people swimming at the rock pools, finished with fish and chips at the harbour watching the boats come in

I don’t know why but sydney never feels like this. people up here just seem to have time for you

if you’re reading this, guy in the blue jersey with the very strong opinions about glass on the bike path, thank you. you made our weekend

For anyone in Wollongong following rental policy, Jenny Leong MP is introducing the Greens’ Rent Control Bill in NSW Parliament this Thursday.

When: Thursday 22 October, 9:45am–11:15am

Where: NSW Parliament, Legislative Assembly — or watch online via the Parliament livestream:

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Pages/webcasts.aspx

The proposed bill would:

1. Freeze rents for 12 months

2. Cap future rent increases at 2%

3. Give tenants a mechanism to seek rent reductions

4. Make two-year fixed leases the standard

People can attend Parliament or watch online.

RSVP/details:

https://www.jennyleong.org/rent-control-rsvp

Given how much rental affordability has become an issue in Wollongong and across the Illawarra, I thought this might be of interest to people here.

What's on in the Gong is a 100% free thing I built. The goal is to get every event that's happening in the gong in there + every steak night round the place. Wests is doing one for $15 tomorrow night!

I’m working hard to get every venue set up. Coverage is pretty good already (over 500 venues) but I’m sure there are gaps. If I've missed anything let me know and I'll get it added. This week there’s nearly 1,000 things on from one-off gigs to the weekly trivia nights.

It's got some goodies too - I got a bit carried away:

• you can search for your favourite niche - thrash metal, breathwork, pottery, etc and it will find it
• follow your favourite searchs and you'll get an email when things are coming up
• there's a page specifically for where to get a cheap steak each night - and other meal deals

I know this is promoting something I built - I make no money out of this and I think it helps the community. I built it beacuse I wanted it and I hope it can help other people too. I hope it's OK posting here 🤞

Hey everyone, I'm currently looking for part time work around Wollongong/Illawarra area and I'm interested in getting a job at a service station/servo.

I'm finding it surprisingly difficult to figure out how to actually approach them:

A lot of independent or franchise-operated servos don't list the owner's or hiring manager's contact details. The only phone number available is the main store number, which just goes to the employee working at the counter.

Some franchisees don't seem to have any careers page or online application process.

For company-operated servos, I often can't find any vacancies listed for the individual locations, and I'm not sure where those jobs are actually advertised.

I don't really want to spend money and time travelling around to every servo just to drop off a resume if there's a better way to contact the person who hires.

For those who currently work at a servo or have worked at one before:

How did you actually get the job? Did you apply online, walk in with a resume, contact the owner directly, find the job through SEEK/Jora, or get referred by someone?

Any advice on how to find the actual hiring contact or where these jobs are normally advertised would be really appreciated.

Don’t have any firearms experience but I am wondering if there are any places in Wollongong or surrounds you can learn/shoot at some targets?

Hey all, I'm looking for a solid optometrist in the Gong. Ideally someone thorough who takes the time to explain things properly, rather than rushing you through and pushing expensive frames.

Bonus points if they bulk bill the eye test or have a decent range of glasses that don't cost a fortune. Happy to travel a bit, anywhere from Thirroul down to Shellharbour works.
Who do you go to, and would you recommend them? Thanks!

I have a new colleague moving from Italy to Wollongong with his wife and 2 children.

They have secured long term accommodation from 15 February but require something from 14 December until 14 February.

Their budget is $180 per night, $1,260 per week or $11,160 for the entire stay. The place would need to be furnished as their furniture will arrive a long time after they do.

Maybe you even know of someone who is going on an extended holiday and would be keen to rent their place out?

Hi! Just wondering if there were any social groups around gong for people in their 20s or so? I've been looking to make some more mates to catch up and do random stuff with as well as people who like a good night out occasionally. I know urban rec is a good option for being social but was just wondering if there were any others, cheers!

I need a disgustingly indulgent cookie, something like butterboy cookies. i had a little look but i can’t find anything… help me out!
edit: ok guys, i tried a butterboy cookie, thanks for telling me where you could find them! but, they’re AWFUL. dont waste nearly $10 on them please. you can make better cookies from the cookie dough rolls at the supermarket.
delicioso cookies are cheaper, HUGE, and absolutely delicious. thanks everyone!

Yeah dogs pre hard like we got one too but genuinely bro most nights whoever is in cordeaux their dog does not stop. Like seriously just kinda get the dawg to calm down surely a lil bit? Don't think i'll write a complaint ever but like surely get em to chill a bit whoever it is.

EDIT: Good afternoon, after backlash from the community I have decided to re - write my post. I would just like to establish, my post is not hate towards the owner or their dog, merely just expressing my slight discomfort. Someone in that vicinity has a dog that barks regularly at night. It barks sometimes early into the night and sometimes late. While I understand that having a dog is a challenging experience for all individuals sometimes, I ask that whoever owns this dog may please look into training the dog to not bark.

I have a date coming up and wanted to get fresh lilacs as its one of their favourites- but cant find any and am wondering if anyone knows where I could find or buy some?

Bit of a different post for the Wollongong crowd. I've been in business a long time, started an asphalt company with a $30k truck and grew it into a seven figure operation, and these days I also work as a divisional manager running a large recycling operation and managing around 50 people. I've learnt plenty about sales, quoting, staff, cashflow, leadership, customers and what happens when things go wrong, usually the expensive way. I'm at a point now where I'd love to connect with someone older or more experienced than me who's built something serious and is happy to share some knowledge. I'm always trying to learn and I know there are people around the Illawarra with decades of experience I could learn a lot from. On the other side of that, if your younger, starting a business, trying to get your first customers or just need someone who's been through it to bounce ideas off, I'm happy to help there too. I'm not selling coaching or a course, I'd just like to build a better network of people locally who are willing to help each other. If your an experienced business owner who's open to mentoring, or someone starting out who could use a bit of guidance, send me a message. Happy to grab a coffee, jump on a call or just have a yarn.

Hey all,

Looking to join a gym. Suggest me some good place to workout. I live in figtree.

Will be heading to the gym usually after 7pm. I need someplace less crowded. So If you guys can suggest what is the ideal time to get a less crowded gym?

PS: I used to be in weightlifting for 6 years straight left. Stopped it post covid

Hi everyone,

I’m currently considering purchasing a townhouse in Balgownie for myself and my toddler. I’ve previously rented out spare rooms in Sydney with absolutely no issues finding housemates, but I'm completely unfamiliar with the Balgownie rental ecosystem.

I’m hoping to get some local insight on a few things:

• Rental Demand: Is it difficult to find flatmates in Balgownie, or is there a steady stream of people looking in the area?
• Public Transport / Uni Students: The townhouse is located very close to the main street/village. Is it easy for a university student to catch a bus or a shuttle from there to the University of Wollongong (UOW) campus?
• The Setup: The room itself would have its own private balcony, and I’d be offering it at a very reasonable, fair rent.
• The Toddler Factor: Since I have a toddler, I know my demographic pool might change compared to my previous Sydney sharehouse experiences. Do people generally mind living with a young child if the price and room are great?

Would love to hear from anyone living in Balgownir or anyone who has managed a sharehouse in the northern suburbs. Thanks in advance!