Wollongong — known affectionately as "the Gong" — is the third-largest city in New South Wales, sitting on the coast 80 kilometres south of Sydney with the dramatic Illawarra Escarpment rising steeply behind it. The name is generally said to mean "sound of the sea" in the local Aboriginal language, which feels right: this is a place defined by its coastline.
The city has a long industrial history — coal mines, steelworks, a working port — but it has increasingly reinvented itself around its university and its natural setting. The University of Wollongong draws a large international student population, giving the city a younger, more cosmopolitan feel than you might expect.
The beaches are excellent and far less crowded than Sydney's. Wollongong City Beach is the most central, with Flagstaff Point lighthouse at its southern end. Nan Tien Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in the Southern Hemisphere, is worth a visit for its scale and the serenity of its gardens. The Sea Cliff Bridge, a cantilevered coastal road north of town, is one of the most scenic drives in Australia.
Getting here from Sydney is easy: the train follows a scenic coastal route that takes about 90 minutes, or you can drive the Grand Pacific Drive, one of the finest coastal roads in Australia.