Cringila, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Cringila is a densely populated southern suburb in the city of Wollongong
, New South Wales
, Australia
, about 4 km along Springhill Road. The suburb is bounded by Berkeley
, Unanderra
, Lake Heights and Warrawong
.
The suburb is planned on a north-south residential/commercial strip and the east west streets that adjoin it, making a rectangular pattern. From the hilltops fine views of Lake Illawarra
to the south and Port Kembla steelworks and industries to the north are had.
Cringila Community Park is a 78 ha
site purchased by Wollongong City Council
after residents defeated a proposal by BHP to use the land as a dump for industrial waste. Its main purpose is to regenerate the local area's natural wildlife.
Surrounding Cringila's primary school is a spectacular protected rain forest which is much loved by the entire community. The rain forest contains much flora and fauna, which is admired by Cringila and surrounding suburbs.
Immediately west of Cringila is a reservoir topped hill.
Cringila gained its fame in Wollongong for being the setting for the movie A Man's Gotta Do
starring John Howard
.
A fraction of Cringila is the Port Kembla steelworks which employs many people in the local area. It was the focal point of the region as it attracted many workers from overseas. This led to an influx of ethnic groups, primarily Macedonian
and Portuguese
immigrants. This in turn transformed the demographics of Cringila significantly and in 2001 Macedonian
was more spoken than English
thus becoming the only suburb in Australia where Macedonian is more spoken than English at home.
The word Cringila is actually an Aboriginal
name - the town was formerly called Steeltown. In 1928 the first blast furnace opened up at the Port Kembla steelworks.
In 1935 the first public school opened, it was known as Steel Town School. In 1957 Cringila Public School opened.
By then many overseas migrants had settled in Cringila, primarily Macedonians, Turks, Portuguese, Lebanese and the rest of the mid-Illawarra to be employed at the steelworks.
The main operating shops include a butcher, the Cringila Hotel, a few burek
shops, a newsagency
, a pharmacy
and convenience store
. Other businesses include a petrol station, kebab
shops, and a florist.
Problems in Cringila are such things as pollution due to the fact it is so close to the Port Kembla steelworks. This has resulted in a higher case of lung related diseases such as asthma due to the pollution.
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, about 4 km along Springhill Road. The suburb is bounded by Berkeley
Berkeley, New South Wales
Berkeley is a suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales. The suburb is located in Wollongong's southern suburbs, on the northern shore of Lake Illawarra....
, Unanderra
Unanderra, New South Wales
Unanderra is a suburb of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 10 km south-west of the Wollongong CBD. It is bordered to the west by Farmborough, Cordeaux Heights and Farmborough Heights in the Mount Kembla foothills, the north by Figtree, the east by Berkeley...
, Lake Heights and Warrawong
Warrawong, New South Wales
Warrawong is a suburb of Wollongong, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It is situated on the northeast corner of Lake Illawarra.Warrawong is home to Westfield Warrawong, one of three major regional shopping centres...
.
The suburb is planned on a north-south residential/commercial strip and the east west streets that adjoin it, making a rectangular pattern. From the hilltops fine views of Lake Illawarra
Lake Illawarra
Lake Illawarra is a large coastal lagoon located in the city of Wollongong about 100 km south of Sydney, New South Wales.The lake receives runoff from the Illawarra escarpment through Macquarie Rivulet and Mullet Creek, and has a narrow tidal entrance to the sea at Windang...
to the south and Port Kembla steelworks and industries to the north are had.
Cringila Community Park is a 78 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
site purchased by Wollongong City Council
City of Wollongong
The City of Wollongong is a Local Government Area in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Freeway and the South Coast railway line....
after residents defeated a proposal by BHP to use the land as a dump for industrial waste. Its main purpose is to regenerate the local area's natural wildlife.
Surrounding Cringila's primary school is a spectacular protected rain forest which is much loved by the entire community. The rain forest contains much flora and fauna, which is admired by Cringila and surrounding suburbs.
Immediately west of Cringila is a reservoir topped hill.
Cringila gained its fame in Wollongong for being the setting for the movie A Man's Gotta Do
A Man's Gotta Do
A Man's Gotta Do is a 2004 Australian award winning film from Australian director, Chris Kennedy. The film stars John Howard.- Tagline :...
starring John Howard
John Howard (Australian actor)
John Howard is an Australian stage and screen actor. Howard is best known for his appearances in the film The Club, and the television series SeaChange, Always Greener, All Saints and Packed To The Rafters.-Film:Howard's first role was in 1978's My Boys Are Good Boys, in a minor role...
.
A fraction of Cringila is the Port Kembla steelworks which employs many people in the local area. It was the focal point of the region as it attracted many workers from overseas. This led to an influx of ethnic groups, primarily Macedonian
Macedonians (ethnic group)
The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs: "... the term Slavomacedonian was introduced and was accepted by the community itself, which at the time had a much more widespread non-Greek Macedonian ethnic consciousness...
and Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
immigrants. This in turn transformed the demographics of Cringila significantly and in 2001 Macedonian
Macedonian language
Macedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
was more spoken than English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
thus becoming the only suburb in Australia where Macedonian is more spoken than English at home.
The word Cringila is actually an Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
name - the town was formerly called Steeltown. In 1928 the first blast furnace opened up at the Port Kembla steelworks.
In 1935 the first public school opened, it was known as Steel Town School. In 1957 Cringila Public School opened.
By then many overseas migrants had settled in Cringila, primarily Macedonians, Turks, Portuguese, Lebanese and the rest of the mid-Illawarra to be employed at the steelworks.
The main operating shops include a butcher, the Cringila Hotel, a few burek
Burek
Börek is a family of baked or fried filled pastries made of a thin flaky dough known as yufka . It can be filled with cheese, often feta, sirene or kaşar; minced meat, or vegetables...
shops, a newsagency
Newsagency
Newsagency can mean:*News agency, an organization of journalists established to supply news reports to organizations in the news trade.*The Australian English term for a newsagent's shop or news stand....
, a pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
and convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
. Other businesses include a petrol station, kebab
Kebab
Kebab is a wide variety of meat dishes originating in Middle East and later on adopted by the Middle East, and Asia Minor, and now found worldwide. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer...
shops, and a florist.
Problems in Cringila are such things as pollution due to the fact it is so close to the Port Kembla steelworks. This has resulted in a higher case of lung related diseases such as asthma due to the pollution.
Sport
Cringila also has a local football (soccer) team which participates in the local Illawarra Premier League. They are supported strongly by the Macedonian community of Cringila and Wollongong. They play their local games at their home ground at John Crehan Park, Merrett Avenue, Cringila. In 2008 Cringila had finished 4th in the local Illawarra Premier League and also won the Corrimal League cup which also led to greater success in winning the Bert Bampton Cup. Cringila Lions have a strong rivalry with Wollongong United also backed heavily by the Macedonian community.Transport
Cringila railway station in on the Port Kembla Branch of the South Coast railway line.Country Of Birth
| Country of Birth | Number | Percentage of total inhabitants |
|---|---|---|
 Australia |
1,011 | 46.4% |
 Republic of Macedonia |
404 | 18.5% |
 Lebanon |
121 | 5.5% |
 Portugal |
76 | 3.5% |