Explore The Fun + Funky Vibe Of This Once Industrial Town
Known as Port to the locals, Port Kembla is a multicultural beachside suburb south of central Wollongong.
It sure has seen its fair share of ups and downs over the years but a resurgence is underway!
The once-quiet streets of Port are filling up with cool cafes, boutique shops and trendy bars. It’s a haven for artists, the alternative and damn good coffee – what more could you want?
Here’s The Fold’s guide to this one-of-a-kind town in the Illawarra.
GREAT OUTDOORS
The suburb sits right on our gorgeous Illawarra coastline, so it’s all about the beaches. Port Kembla Beach is the most popular beach in the area and for good reason. Excellent for swimming, surfing and fishing, it’s right next to the Port Kembla swimming pool so it’s a best of both worlds type sitch
Further up the coast is MM beach, and whilst swimming is not recommended at this beach, letting the pups run loose is! MM is one of the Illawarra’s best dog-friendly beaches and the well-maintained footpath that runs right alongside is the place for a MOST scenic stroll [especially when the paragliders are out doing their thang along the southern end of the path].
The Port Kembla breakwater is another fantastic spot to get those steps in and on the right day, you might even spot some sleepy seals snoozin’ on the lower rocks towards the end of the track. The breakwater is also a popular spot for fisherfolk to cast a reel [just an FYI gang, in dangerous surf conditions, local authorities close the whole place up for the safety of visitors].
RETAIL THERAPY
More and more local businesses are popping up along Wentworth St [the main drag of Port Kembla], and we’re all about it!
We love love love Habitat Plant House for its stunning selection of indoor plants, plant accessories and gorgeous giftwares. It’s run by the lovely local Daniel, who knows his stuff when it comes to plant care. The shop has everything from leafy greens to hampers and handy supplies. It’s part of the Wild Fowl Collective, a cool space with local retailers. We reckon it’s almost impossible to walk in here and come out empty handed.
We also adore A Gifted Touch for their range of beautiful gifts and homewares as well as The Bead Shoppe for a dazzling array of beads, pretty much anything you need to bead, they’ve got it!
Thrift shoppers will love Second Life Thrift Shop for some fab finds.
For the adventure lovers among us, Coast to Mountain Running is the shop for you! They pride themselves on being a boutique road, trail and ultra-running store that encourages runners of all ages and abilities to achieve their goals, love it!
And we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the awesome Boutique Markets at The Wentworth held the last Saturday of every month. So many handmade and specialty treasures to be found.
WINING + DINING
Wentworth Street has a fair share of excellent coffee shops, multicultural cuisines and tasty bites.
Good Times Only Group [the legends behind Wollongong’s Howlin’ Wolf and Dagwood] have delighted us with a friendly neighbourhood bar on Wentworth St, called The Iron Yampi, and boy we sure are impressed! They’re slinging loads of tasty beer and wines, have a funky beer garden for hangs and a casual but delicious food menu. Saturdays with the gang = sorted.
If you’re a muso, or just love a good boogie, then Servo Food Truck bar is the place to be on weekends. They host tons of rockin’ gigs in lots of different music styles and genres as well as a revolving array of popular local food trucks, there’s pretty much something for all tastes [literally]
Black Metal Motor Co has all the courtyard bar coolness. Throw in top-notch trivia and great cocktails, and we’re hooked.
Also on Wentworth St, you’ll find Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food masters, Port Beirut. Grab a mate and order up one of their mouth-watering meat or veggie platters or go your own way with tasty burgers, wraps and skewers. Mmmm!
Little Thai at Port is a go-to for a Thai food fix. For those with a sweet tooth [guilty], Delicioso Dessert Bar delivers with their brownies, loaded cookies and choc-dipped strawberries, plus more. The iconic Tonitto Cakes is known across the Illawarra for its cannolis, plus a solid lineup of pies, sausage rolls and pastries.
Coffee fiends are well looked after. Wentworth Street’s cafe scene is strong, especially now that Arthur’s Food Store has moved into The Wentworth. Scratch Coffee Co just up the road is another solid pick.
Leaving Wentworth St and heading closer to the water, Lo Stretto at the Maritime Centre, is where to go for eats with a view. We know the Illawarra boasts some pretty gorgeous places to chow down but we can confidently say that this is one – the pizzas and pasta [as well as everything else they serve up] are as wonderful as the restaurant’s ocean views, so you’re guaranteed to have a memorable meal.
Cakes By Rach Cafe is a buzzy spot for brekkie, lunch or a cuppa, and we’re suckers for a chill on the front deck on a sunny day.
ARTS & CULTURE
Port Kembla has a real arty vibe and Red Point Arts inside The Wentworth is a great example of this. It is a not-for-profit arts collective that offers free art exhibitions running continuously in their two gorge galleries. They also host open artist studios, classes, workshops and even markets.
For live entertainment look no further than The Vault. Here you can catch some truly one of a kind shows with anything from drag bingo and raunchy burlesque to hilarious comedy acts or Beatles cover bands as well as everything in between.
Number 99 is a totally incredible space for all types of creatives with plenty of different classes and workshops for adults and kids, plus pop-up events. Ring making, beading, drawing, painting and soooo much more.
STEP BACK IN TIME
Because of its waterside location, Port Kembla has played a huge role in the Illawarra’s Industrial and Military History. The Breakwater Battery Military Museum is a great spot to learn about Port’s history and although it’s currently closed, you can still explore the military installations that are around the museum and take some insta-worthy shots in the heritage park, lovingly known as the ‘white pyramids’ to locals.
Hill 60 is a heritage-listed Aboriginal site due to its rare and important significance to the original inhabitants of the area. It is also home to the Illowra Battery, a former artillery battery that was used in World War 2.
Pack a picnic and spend the morning exploring the area and if you come in season, you may even be lucky enough to spot a whale or two in the ocean below.
JUST FOR KIDS
Port Kembla Pool is ideal for the kiddos because it has a toddler pool, a medium-sized pool and beach style entry into the Olympic pool for just splashing around. There is no charge for entry so you can save your dollars to spend on hot chips from the kiosk attached [lathered in saucy goodness of course].
Across from the pool is a cute and colourful park for the kiddos to play on, excellent for when everyone’s done swimming but they’ve still got energy to burn.
For those rainy days when the beach or park ain’t an option, Illawarra Inflatable Play Centre is on hand, only a couple of minute’s drive away, it’s packed with towering slides, an obstacle course and bounce houses to keep the rugrats entertained for hours. Psst, there’s a cafe on site for parental entertainment too!
If there’s a birthday party coming up for your little one, check out Print & Paint Parties. Kids can hand-screenprint and paint tote bags, t-shirts and canvases with their pals. All the fun for them, no clean-up for the grown-ups… sorted.
SPECIAL EVENTS
The annual Port Kembla Festival is held along Wentworth St and is a celebration of music, light installations and all the wonderful and quirky things Port Kembla has to offer.
Wonderwalls is Australia’s largest AND longest-running street art festival and you can check out some of it around the streets of Port. See street artists in action as they turn outdoor spaces into a public gallery for locals to enjoy in the years to come.
Port Kembla Fear Fest is a family-friendly spooky-ooky day and night festival. This is community fun at its finest, keep an eye out on socials for what to expect this year.
WHAT’S NEARBY
Just down the road in the neighbouring suburb of Warrawong, you can find the Gala Cinema, Illawarra’s only remaining independent and locally owned cinema. Here you can watch all the best local, Australian and international films AND the old-fashioned style candy bar has some pretty good deals to boot.
Putting pals can check out Port Kembla golf club [actually located in Primbee, go figure] a challenging and well-laid course with helpful and friendly staff. Fore!
There are some fab local businesses in Port Kembla, and our Business Directory is the place to find them! From mechanics to medical centres, landscapers to legal services, beauty salons to builders…The Fold’s Business Directory has got you covered.
