Port Kembla, New South Wales facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Port KemblaWollongong, New South Wales |
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View of Port Kembla from Hill 60 Park looking North West at sunset
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 Port Kembla
Location in New South Wales
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| Population | 5,088 (2021 census) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2505 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 19 m (62 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10) | ||||||||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | AEDT (UTC+11) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | City of Wollongong | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Wollongong | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Whitlam | ||||||||||||||
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Port Kembla is a town located about 10 kilometers south of Wollongong, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It has a busy seaport, a large industrial area, a small nature reserve by the harbor, and a small shopping area. Port Kembla sits on a point called Red Point. Captain James Cook first saw this area in 1770. The name 'Kembla' comes from an Aboriginal word meaning "plenty of wild birds".
Contents
A Look Back: Port Kembla's History
Before Port Kembla became a big industrial area of Wollongong, it was a town that could mostly take care of itself. It had a growing shopping center and a lively community. The town started to be divided into blocks for building in 1908. By 1921, about 1,622 people lived there. More jobs meant more people moved to the town. Port Kembla got its name because it is close to Mount Kembla.
Growing Industries
A copper factory, called the Electrolytic Refinery and Smelting Company of Australia, started making products in 1908. Then, Metal Manufactures opened in 1917. Finally, the Hoskins Iron & Steel Works arrived in 1927. This steelworks became Australian Iron & Steel the next year.
By 1947, the town's population grew to 4,960 people. Smaller towns like Cringila and Lake Heights also grew nearby. In 1947, people in Port Kembla wanted their town to be its own city. But instead, it became part of a bigger Wollongong city. After World War II, Port Kembla slowly became less of its own separate town. It became more focused on Wollongong and the wider region.
A Mix of Cultures
Even though the town changed after its busiest times in the 1920s, it saw big social changes in the 1950s and 1960s. Many people from other countries moved to Port Kembla. Most came from the United Kingdom, Italy, Macedonia, and Germany. During this time, new cultures and ways of life became part of Australian society. Port Kembla has a long history of welcoming workers and their families from many places. Because of this, it is still one of the most culturally diverse towns in New South Wales.
Hill 60: A Special Place
Hill 60 is the highest point in Port Kembla. From here, you can see the Five Islands and Red Point. Hill 60 was originally a place where Aboriginal people lived. During World War II, the army used it to build a coastal gun area called Illowra Battery. In September 1942, Aboriginal people were asked to leave the area.
Hill 60 is still owned by the public and is now a lookout spot. There was a strong effort to give some of the land back to its Aboriginal owners. Even though they are not officially open for tourists, the old army tunnels can be explored on foot. You can find the entrance to the tunnels almost under the coastguard tower on Hill 60. Look down to your left when you are standing at the information board, facing southeast.
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Dated: 1944 No. 2 gun Illowra Battery, Showing its original BL 6 inch Mk XI gun
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Gun position No. 2 at Illowra Battery, which formed part of the Kembla Fortress defences in World War II
The HMAS Adele Shipwreck
On May 7, 1943, an Australian ship named Adele hit the wall protecting the harbor at Port Kembla. The ship was badly damaged and could not be fixed. The remains of the Adele are now protected under the New South Wales Heritage Act, 1977.
Important Protests
Port Kembla was the place of the Dalfram Dispute in 1938. During this time, union workers at the docks refused to load pig iron (a type of iron) onto a ship going to Japan. This was after the Nanking Massacre, a terrible event in China. In 1974, a "green ban" was put in place by the Builders Labourers Federation. This stopped tall buildings from being built and helped turn the beach area into a park.
The Jobs for Women campaign fought for women to be allowed to work at the Port Kembla steelworks. This campaign won a very important court case under the Anti-Discrimination Act. This win helped set a new rule for women to work in jobs that were not traditionally for them. It also changed how direct and indirect discrimination was understood.
Heritage Sites
Port Kembla has some places that are listed as important heritage sites. These include:
- Military Road: Hill 60
Who Lives in Port Kembla?
According to the 2021 census, there were 5,088 people living in Port Kembla.
- About 4.5% of the people were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
- Most people (70.6%) were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were North Macedonia (8.1%), Italy (2.4%), and England (2.0%).
- About 71.1% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Macedonian (12.0%) and Italian (3.0%).
- For religion, the most common answers were No Religion (33.5%), Catholic (23.7%), Eastern Orthodox (14.1%), and Anglican (8.3%).
Port Kembla's Weather
Port Kembla has a warm oceanic climate. This means it has humid summers and mild, clear winters. The town gets a lot of sunshine, with about 111 clear days each year.
| Climate data for Port Kembla (1957–1976) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 41.9 (107.4) |
36.1 (97.0) |
39.4 (102.9) |
32.5 (90.5) |
29.4 (84.9) |
25.6 (78.1) |
25.8 (78.4) |
28.3 (82.9) |
35.0 (95.0) |
35.0 (95.0) |
39.2 (102.6) |
39.8 (103.6) |
41.9 (107.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 24.1 (75.4) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.1 (75.4) |
22.4 (72.3) |
19.4 (66.9) |
17.5 (63.5) |
16.7 (62.1) |
17.3 (63.1) |
19.2 (66.6) |
20.7 (69.3) |
22.4 (72.3) |
23.4 (74.1) |
21.0 (69.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 18.4 (65.1) |
18.7 (65.7) |
18.0 (64.4) |
15.7 (60.3) |
12.7 (54.9) |
10.9 (51.6) |
9.8 (49.6) |
10.3 (50.5) |
11.8 (53.2) |
13.7 (56.7) |
15.3 (59.5) |
17.1 (62.8) |
14.4 (57.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 13.3 (55.9) |
13.0 (55.4) |
10.6 (51.1) |
10.0 (50.0) |
5.6 (42.1) |
5.3 (41.5) |
1.1 (34.0) |
2.2 (36.0) |
2.2 (36.0) |
7.2 (45.0) |
9.2 (48.6) |
10.0 (50.0) |
1.1 (34.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 116.1 (4.57) |
157.5 (6.20) |
183.7 (7.23) |
92.9 (3.66) |
89.0 (3.50) |
140.3 (5.52) |
62.6 (2.46) |
87.7 (3.45) |
55.0 (2.17) |
108.0 (4.25) |
94.3 (3.71) |
90.4 (3.56) |
1,260.6 (49.63) |
| Average precipitation days | 11.6 | 12.5 | 13.4 | 9.1 | 8.0 | 9.7 | 7.4 | 9.5 | 8.2 | 11.2 | 11.1 | 11.0 | 122.7 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 75 | 76 | 74 | 68 | 62 | 61 | 57 | 57 | 61 | 67 | 67 | 72 | 67 |
Industry and Transport
Port Kembla is famous for the BlueScope steelworks. This is a very large industrial operation. Other important industries in the area include the Port Kembla Coal Terminal, Port Kembla Copper, Incitec, Adstream Services, Port Kembla Gateway, and GrainCorp.
Train Services
Port Kembla has a train station on the Port Kembla branch of the Illawarra railway line. It is the last stop on this line and serves the homes in the area. The station has one platform for trains. Trains usually run about once an hour, often going to Thirroul and Waterfall. During busy times, there are extra direct trains to and from Sydney.
Pacific National runs daily coal trains to the Inner Harbour part of the port. They also run trains into the steelworks. Downer Rail has a workshop near the station that fixes diesel trains for Pacific National.
The Port of Port Kembla
Port Kembla harbour is a very important place for sending coal from New South Wales to other places. The port has been improved a lot to handle more ships carrying cars. This has created many new jobs in port logistics. Patrick Corporation helps manage the port services and moves goods by road or train.
The port has different areas for loading coal, grain, shipping containers, and other goods. A new gas export terminal is also being built there. In 2023, the Australian Defence Department said that Port Kembla is the most likely place to be home to future Australian nuclear-powered submarines. These submarines are expected to be ready after 2030.
Fun and Games: Sports and Leisure
Sports Teams
Port Kembla has teams for both younger and older players in popular local sports leagues:
- Port Kembla Rugby League plays in the Illawarra Division Rugby league. Their home games are at Noel Mulligan Oval.
- Port Kembla Cricket Club plays in the Cricket Illawarra Competition. Their home games are at King George V Park.
- Port Kembla Soccer Club plays in the Illawarra Football Association. Their home games are at Darcy Wentworth Park.
- Port Kembla AFL Club plays in South Coast AFL and AFL Illawarra. Their home games are at Kully Bay Park.
It's interesting to note that the home grounds for Port Kembla Rugby League, Soccer Club, and AFL are not actually in Port Kembla. They all play in parks across Warrawong.
Parks and Beaches
Port Kembla has many parks, nature reserves, beaches, and a Saltwater Olympic pool:
- King George V Park is a park by the water, close to Port Kembla Beach. It is used for Port Kembla Cricket Club games in the summer.
- Hill 60 Park is a popular spot for hang gliders and paragliders to take off. It has BBQ areas, picnic shelters, seats, and tables where you can enjoy the great views.
- Port Kembla Beach (also called Perkins Beach) is an award-winning beach. Lifeguards patrol it from September to April. It is home to the Port Kembla Surf Life Saving Club.
- Fishermans Beach is a small, calm beach at the bottom of Hill 60's eastern side. It faces the Five Islands Nature Reserve.
- North Port Kembla Beach is also known by locals as MM Beach. This is because it is very close to the Metal Manufacturers site. You can still see parts of an old tidal rock pool near the southern end of the beach.
Getting Around: Public Transport
Train Stations
Port Kembla has two train stations on the Port Kembla branch of the NSW TrainLink South Coast Line.
Port Kembla railway station is the last stop on the line. It serves the homes in Port Kembla. Port Kembla North serves the industrial area of the town. This station is the closest to the BHP site.
Both stations have one platform. The platform at Port Kembla is used for trains that end their journey there. Trains usually run about once an hour. They are often local services to Thirroul, but extra direct trains to and from Sydney are available during busy times.
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Port Kembla station
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Port Kembla North station
Bus Services
Premier Illawarra runs three bus routes to and from Port Kembla railway station:
- 34 – to Wollongong via Berkeley
- 43 – to Dapto
- 65 – to North Beach
