Words Jo Failes

Sources: Wollongong City Libraries, Illawarra Stories, Lost Wollongong, Australian Bureau of Statistics

Images From the collections of the Wollongong City Libraries and the Illawarra Historical Society.

Cringila sits on the doorstep of the iconic Steelworks. Once referred to as ‘Steeltown’, Cringila was well known for being a European migrant housing area in the 1950’s, with many households growing vegetables in their backyard gardens. Today it is an eclectic piece of suburbia, celebrated as a cultural food hub for delicious treats like Turkish burek and sweets – plus a world-class mountain bike track.

Cringila, the Aboriginal name for pipeclay used to decorate the body before a corroboree, was a combination of two suburbs which grew as people moved to the neighbourhood to be close to work: the Steeltown housing estate, with its collection of shacks and tents established close to the Steelworks, and Belvedere estate.

The area has a diverse cultural heritage and today, according to the 2021 census, the country of birth of people living in Cringila includes North Macedonia, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Portugal, and Australia. In the 1930s, houses in Cringila were typically weatherboard, with a wooden frame and iconic corrugated iron roof. A house that was the site of the Community Health Centre and then the Migrant Health Centre once homed cycles of migrant families in the 1950s, who stayed until they could afford to move.

Built in 1952, the Cringila footbridge linked Cringila Station to the Steelworks. Hundreds of workers headed across from the train station to the Steelworks – a particularly busy time at peak hour! Given its proximity to the Steelworks, there have been a number of historical environmental movements and initiatives over the years, as awareness grew over issues such as rising pollution levels. The Cringila Community Park was developed to save and rehabilitate remnants of rainforests. And residents banded together and defeated a proposal by BHP to use the land as a coal dump.

In recent years, Cringila has undergone a revival and is filled with hidden treasures and haunts. Did you know there is a mountain bike trail set in the hills of Cringila? With close to 12kms of trails, and designed for all levels of riders, you’ll find a range of obstacles, surfaces, and gradients for cycling enthusiasts of all ages. The Cringila Hills Mountain Bike Park has stunning views of the Steelworks, the ocean and Lake Illawarra and is a great way to explore Cringila.

Another way is via a Foodie Tour with Nina Cantina, where you’ll get to sample famous local cuisine such as Lebanese pizza and Turkish burek and wander the streets to discover the sights and sounds of the community of Cringila.

I Was There When…

I grew up in Cringila and remember having a huge backyard with all different types of vegetables, we shared them with our neighbours. My father worked at the BHP Steelworks, as did many of his family and friends. My son was telling me recently that he’s ridden on the mountain bike path, and it got me reminiscing about Cringila and living in a simpler time – Tony, Wollongong

As a Cringila local, I have seen lots of things change, but also some things stay the same. My friends and I used to speculate what the mysterious half-house in Lake Avenue was used for! I love going for a walk to the sweet shop. There is a real sense of community spirit here – Esra, Cringila