Fairy Meadow, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Fairy Meadow is a suburb in the city of Wollongong
, New South Wales
, Australia
. Located in the Illawarra
, it is a mainly low density residential area, except for a strip on the Princes Highway
.
Fairy Meadow is popular with tourists
and surfers, due to its long beach and views of Mount Keira, and Mount Kembla.
Fairy Meadow residents live mainly in older style houses, though apartments are now being built along the aforementioned strip.
The main shopping area includes a Woolworths
and Aldi
supermarket amongst other stores. Fairy Meadow also has a skate park and tennis court. The skate park is located at Guest Park, west of the Princes Highway commercial area. A local historical building is the old Northern Illawarra Council Chambers.
To the southeast is Puckeys Estate Reserve
, a bush reserve known for bird watching and coastal environment protection, open to the public for walking on the tracks, once site of a saltworks. The area is also bordered by a long beach which stretches from Towradgi Point
in the north, to Wollongong in the south, interrupted only by the rocks at the Fairy Lagoon entrance.
North of Puckey's Reserve and east of Fairy Meadow is Fairy Meadow Beach, the picnic facilities, playground and toilets in 2007 went under upgrades along with several other beachside areas in the Illawarra. The beach is patrolled in summer and has a surf life saving club, established in 1951.
West of Puckey's Reserve is Brandon Park, a greyhound racing track and the Wollongong Science Centre and Planetarium complex as well as an area of university property. The science centre is known for its laser concerts. The science centre was opened on 15 May 2000 by MP Colin Markham. The centre is a white building, and clearly visible from Wollongong's higher points. Outside of the entrance is a sculpture called 'Southern Cross' featuring poles in the shape of the constellation with graphics on them. The centre contains two levels, including a laser theatre, observatory, dinosaur and fossil exhibit, electronics exhibit and other attractions such as a setup demonstrating solar power with a model railroad and a forest logging simulation game.
The area is served by a railway station
on the South Coast line
, which is part of the CityRail
railway network. The station is accessed via steps which climb to the road bridge on Elliot's Road which runs from Puckey's Estate and Fairy Meadow Beach Surf Lifesaving Club to the Princes Highway.
Churches in Fairy Meadow include the historic 1928 Anglican Church, Crossroads Christian Community, the more recent 1952 construction of St John Vianney's Catholic Church, and Wollongong Christian Reformed Church.
, captain of the first Australian test team.
Fairy Meadow host one of the Halls of Residence for the University of Wollongong
, Campus East, being the second largest college in the southern hemisphere.
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...
. Located in the Illawarra
Illawarra
Illawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the Shoalhaven or South Coast region. It encompasses the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and the town of Kiama. The central region contains Lake...
, it is a mainly low density residential area, except for a strip on the Princes Highway
Princes Highway
The Princes Highway extends from Sydney to Port Augusta via the coast through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, a distance of 1941 km or 1898 km via the former alignments of the highway ....
.
Fairy Meadow is popular with tourists
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and surfers, due to its long beach and views of Mount Keira, and Mount Kembla.
Fairy Meadow residents live mainly in older style houses, though apartments are now being built along the aforementioned strip.
The main shopping area includes a Woolworths
Woolworths Limited
Woolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is the:* largest retail company in Australia and New Zealand by market capitalisation and sales...
and Aldi
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
supermarket amongst other stores. Fairy Meadow also has a skate park and tennis court. The skate park is located at Guest Park, west of the Princes Highway commercial area. A local historical building is the old Northern Illawarra Council Chambers.
To the southeast is Puckeys Estate Reserve
Puckeys Estate Reserve
Puckey's Estate Reserve is a coastal nature reserve in Wollongong, Australia. It is mainly she-oak forest, but also has sand dune and wetland areas, including areas along Para Creek...
, a bush reserve known for bird watching and coastal environment protection, open to the public for walking on the tracks, once site of a saltworks. The area is also bordered by a long beach which stretches from Towradgi Point
Towradgi, New South Wales
Towradgi is a small beach-side suburb approximately 5 km north of Wollongong. Towradgi is a corruption of the aboriginal word "Kow-radgi" meaning "guardian of the sacred stones". On an early map it was called Towroger. Towradgi is served by Towradgi station, opened in 1948...
in the north, to Wollongong in the south, interrupted only by the rocks at the Fairy Lagoon entrance.
North of Puckey's Reserve and east of Fairy Meadow is Fairy Meadow Beach, the picnic facilities, playground and toilets in 2007 went under upgrades along with several other beachside areas in the Illawarra. The beach is patrolled in summer and has a surf life saving club, established in 1951.
West of Puckey's Reserve is Brandon Park, a greyhound racing track and the Wollongong Science Centre and Planetarium complex as well as an area of university property. The science centre is known for its laser concerts. The science centre was opened on 15 May 2000 by MP Colin Markham. The centre is a white building, and clearly visible from Wollongong's higher points. Outside of the entrance is a sculpture called 'Southern Cross' featuring poles in the shape of the constellation with graphics on them. The centre contains two levels, including a laser theatre, observatory, dinosaur and fossil exhibit, electronics exhibit and other attractions such as a setup demonstrating solar power with a model railroad and a forest logging simulation game.
The area is served by a railway station
Fairy Meadow railway station, New South Wales
-Neighbouring Stations:-References:...
on the South Coast line
South Coast railway line, New South Wales
The South Coast Line is in the intercity region of Sydney's CityRail services. It serves the coastal region to the south of the Sydney metropolitan area including the Illawarra region, most notably the regional city of Wollongong, and extended services reach as far as Nowra in Shoalhaven.- Line...
, which is part of the CityRail
CityRail
CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...
railway network. The station is accessed via steps which climb to the road bridge on Elliot's Road which runs from Puckey's Estate and Fairy Meadow Beach Surf Lifesaving Club to the Princes Highway.
Churches in Fairy Meadow include the historic 1928 Anglican Church, Crossroads Christian Community, the more recent 1952 construction of St John Vianney's Catholic Church, and Wollongong Christian Reformed Church.
Notable residents
Birthplace of Dave Gregory (cricketer)Dave Gregory (cricketer)
David William Gregory was an Australian cricketer of the 19th century. A right-handed batsman, Gregory was the first Australian national cricket captain, leading the side for the first three recognised Test matches between England and Australia in March and April 1877 and January 1879...
, captain of the first Australian test team.
Fairy Meadow host one of the Halls of Residence for the University of Wollongong
University of Wollongong
The University of Wollongong is a public university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney...
, Campus East, being the second largest college in the southern hemisphere.