Fairy Meadow, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fairy Meadow Wollongong, New South Wales
Aerial photo
Fairy Meadow Location in New South Wales
Population	7,512 (2021 census)
• Density	1,707/km2 (4,420/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	2519
Elevation	12 m (39 ft)
Area	4.4 km2 (1.7 sq mi)
Location	81 km (50 mi) from Sydney 4 km (2 mi) from Wollongong
LGA(s)	City of Wollongong
State electorate(s)	Wollongong
Federal Division(s)	Cunningham
Suburbs around Fairy Meadow: Fernhill Towradgi Balgownie Fairy Meadow Mount Ousley North Wollongong

Fairy Meadow is a suburb in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It's part of the Illawarra region. This area is mostly homes, but it also has many shops and businesses along the main road, the Princes Highway. It's only about 4 kilometres from the centre of Wollongong.

What's Fairy Meadow Like?

Fairy Meadow is a great spot for visitors and surfers. It has a long, beautiful beach called Fairy Meadow Beach. You can also see amazing views of Mount Keira and Mount Kembla from here. Most people in Fairy Meadow live in older houses, but new apartments are also being built.

The main shopping area has big supermarkets like Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi. There are also many smaller shops and boutiques.

Guest Park is a fun place to visit. It has a skate park, tennis courts, netball courts, and a large soccer field. An old building there, the Northern Illawarra Council Chambers, is part of the area's history.

South-east of Fairy Meadow, in North Wollongong, you'll find Puckeys Estate Reserve. This is a natural bush area perfect for bird watching. You can walk on its tracks and enjoy the coastal environment. Long ago, it was a place where salt was made.

Fairy Meadow Beach is north of Puckey's Reserve. It has picnic areas, a playground, and toilets. These facilities were updated in 2007. Lifeguards patrol the beach in summer, and there's a surf life saving club that started in 1951.

West of Puckey's Reserve is Brandon Park. This area has a greyhound racing track. It's also home to the Wollongong Science Centre and Planetarium. This science centre is famous for its laser concerts. It opened on May 15, 2000. The building is bright white and easy to spot from higher parts of Wollongong. Outside, there's a sculpture called 'Southern Cross'. It looks like the constellation with pictures on its poles. Inside, the science centre has two floors. You can find a laser theatre, an observatory, and exhibits about dinosaurs, fossils, and electronics. There's even a model train setup that shows how solar power works!

Fairy Meadow has several churches. These include the historic Crossroads Christian Community Anglican church, built in 1928. There's also St John Vianney's Catholic Church, built in 1952, and the Reformed Church.

Who Lives in Fairy Meadow?

In 2021, about 7,512 people lived in Fairy Meadow.

• About 2.2% of the people were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
• Most people (68.6%) were born in Australia. Other common birthplaces included England (3.0%), India (2.5%), and Italy (2.4%).
• About 72.3% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken included Italian (2.9%) and Turkish (2.2%).
• When asked about religion, many people said No Religion (35.3%). Others were Catholic (25.7%) or Anglican (9.8%).

Fairy Meadow's Story

Fairy Meadow was once a small village called Ferrah Meadow. This was back in 1824. Later, in 1841, some land was sold, and the village became known as Fairy Meadow.

Getting Around Fairy Meadow

Fairy Meadow has its own train station, Fairy Meadow railway station. It's on the South Coast line, which is part of the NSW TrainLink network. You can get to the station by climbing steps up to the road bridge on Elliot's Road.

Fairy Meadow is also on Wollongong's free shuttle bus route. This bus can take you to North Wollongong railway station and the University of Wollongong campus in Keiraville. The free shuttle bus routes that serve Fairy Meadow are 55A and 55C.

Schools and Learning

The suburb has two primary schools: Good Samaritan Catholic Primary and Fairy Meadow Demonstration School. There are also two high schools: Keira Technology High School and Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts. Other nearby primary schools include Mount Ousley Public School and Towradgi Public School.

The University of Wollongong has its Innovation Campus (iC) in Fairy Meadow. Many university students live in the Campus East housing complex there. The Innovation Campus is where the university's science faculty is located. The Science Centre and Planetarium, mentioned earlier, is one of the cool features of the iC campus.

There's also a TAFE college site next to Keira High School.

Important Old Buildings

Fairy Meadow has some places that are listed for their historical importance. One of these is the Balgownie Migrant Workers Hostel on Squires Way.

Did You Know? Famous Faces

• Dave Gregory was born here. He was the captain of Australia's very first cricket test team!
• Dr Mary Puckey was also born in Fairy Meadow. She was the first woman to be the head of a hospital in Australia.