This article is about the local government area. For the Illawarra region suburb, see Shellharbour, New South Wales.
City of Shellharbour
lga
Statensw
Pop76,271
Pop 2 (2018 est.)72240
Area147
Coordinates34°35′S 150°52′E
Est1859
SeatShellharbour City Centre[1]
MayorChris Homer
RegionIllawarra
StategovShellharbour
Stategov 2Kiama
FedgovWhitlam
Fedgov 2Gilmore
Near-nwWingecarribee
Near-nWollongong
Near-neTasman Sea
Near-wWingecarribee
Near-eTasman Sea
Near-swWingecarribee
Near-sKiama
Near-seTasman Sea

The City of Shellharbour is a local government area in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The city is located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of Sydney and covers the southern suburbs of the Wollongong urban area centred on Shellharbour. At the , it had an estimated population of 76,271.

The area is bordered by the City of Wollongong to the north, with the boundary being the Lake Illawarra entrance (and the suburb of Lake Illawarra) and Macquarie Rivulet (Albion Park Rail). The Municipality of Kiama is to the south of the City of Shellharbour.

The mayor of the Shellharbour City Council is Cr. Chris Homer.[2]

History

Indigenous occupation of the area, particularly of Bass Point, can be traced back to 17,000 BCE.[citation needed]

The area was discovered by Europeans Bass and Flinders in 1796.[3] Free settlers began arriving between 1817 and 1831 and the township was founded in 1851. The Shellharbour (Municipal) Council was constituted on 4 June 1859 following a proclamation in the New South Wales Government Gazette by the Governor Sir William Thomas Denison establishing the Municipality of Shellharbour under the Municipalities Act 1858.[4] The municipality was proclaimed as the City of Shellharbour from 1 January 1996 by Governor Peter Sinclair and notified in the New South Wales Government Gazette on 22 December 1995.[5] In May 2009, Shellharbour City Council celebrated its sesquicentenary.[6]

A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that the City of Shellharbour merge with the City of Wollongong to form a new council with an area of 831 square kilometres (321 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 276,000.[7] On 13 February 2017, the New South Wales Government decided not to forcibly amalgamate Shellharbour Council with Wollongong Council.

Heritage listings

The City of Shellharbour has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Suburbs

The City of Shellharbour contains the following suburbs and localities:

Council

Current composition and election method

As of 2023, Shellharbour City Council is composed of eight councillors elected proportionally in four wards. Under the , councillors are elected to hold office until September 2024. Since 2021, the mayor has been directly elected.

The current council, elected in 2021, is:

WardCouncillorParty
Mayor Chris Homer
A Ward Kellie MarshKellie Marsh Independents
 Maree Edwards
B Ward Moira Hamilton
 John DaveyLocal Voice
C Ward Colin Gow
 Lou Stefanovski
D Ward Jacqueline Graf
 Rob Petreski

Attractions

Shellharbour City has many attractions for family entertainment and recreation. In Albion Park Rail there is a Light Rail Museum and steam trains, Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) Museum, and Albion Oval; a local sports ground. Shellharbour Village, the beach and playground are also popular attractions. Excellent fishing at Lake Illawarra and superb surfing at Warilla beach. A cycleway goes from Oak Flats to Barrack Point. The Macquarie Valley (Shellharbour) provides scenic views and also includes the Macquarie Pass National Park.

There are various beaches in Shellharbour such as the Blacks Beach, Shellharbour North Beach, Shellharbour South Beach, Warilla Central Beach, Warilla North Beach, and Warilla South Beach which are some of the major crowd pullers.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Shellharbour City Council". Department of Local Government. Archived from the original on 2006-09-06. Retrieved 2006-11-26.
  2. ^ shh-admin (2018-12-04). "Chris Homer (Mayor)". Shellharbour Council. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  3. ^ "Bass and Flinders". Australian History. 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2012-10-05.
  4. ^ "Municipality of Shellharbor, Proclamation". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 105 (Supplement). 8 June 1859. p. 1291.
  5. ^ "Local Government Act 1993 Proclamation, City of Shellharbour". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 156. 22 December 1995. p. 8771. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  6. ^ "Our History". Shellharbour City Council. Archived from the original on 2008-02-08. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
  7. ^ "Merger proposal: Shellharbour City Council, Wollongong City Council". Government of New South Wales. January 2016. p. 7. Archived 2016-03-10 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-03-10. – via Amazon Web Services.
  8. ^ Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  9. ^ Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  10. ^ Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  11. ^ Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  12. ^ "Beaches and pools". Shellharbour City Council. 7 November 2018. Archived 2019-05-14 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-05-21.