Shellharbour is a city of about 60,000 people located in the Illawarra region, about 100 km south of Sydney. It also gives its name to the Local Government Area, City of Shellharbour. The area was inhabited by indigenous Australians for thousands of years. European habitation began from about 1817 onwards.
Geography
It is bordered by Wollongong City to the north, and Kiama Municipality to the south. It is on the southern side of Lake Illawarra and the north side of Bass Point.
It contains the suburbs of Shellharbour Village, Shell Cove, Lake Illawarra South, Warilla, Barrack Heights, Barrack Point, Oak Flats, Flinders, Mount Warrigal, Blackbutt, Albion Park and Albion Park Rail.
History
Indigenous occupation of the area - particularly of Bass Point - is said to have traced back to 17,000 BP. European settlement began after Bass and Flinders discovered the area in 1796 sometime between 1817 and 1831. The township was founded in 1851 and was originally called Peterborough.
Attractions
Shellharbour Village is undergoing extensive development with many new retail outlets and units being constructed. The village's main road goes to the harbour which is a popular picnic area.
Shellharbour City Centre is located a few kilometres west of the Village and includes a major shopping centre, resturaunts and the Illawarra's newest cinema complex. Plans for the city centre include a new library and pub.
The area is popular with SCUBA divers. There are a number of well liked dive sites around Bass Point just to the south.
Education
There are seven high schools and many primary schools in the area including government and private schools.
See also
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