Arts & culture

Ahead of Readers & Writers Festival, local author David Stavanger shares the books that shaped him

The South Coast Readers & Writers Festival returns to Thirroul in less than a month! Join us over the weekend of July 5 and 6 for gripping and challenging conversations, tales ancient and new, poetry readings, current affairs, and insights into...

Elizabeth Heffernan

June 2025

Arts & culture

SPAT Singers present Riversong winter supper shows

By Lauren Mitsak of Stanwell Park Arts Theatre (SPAT) Riversong is this year’s SPAT Singers Show, compiled and directed by our musical maestro, Lindy Sharp. Performances will be held on Saturday, June 21 and Saturday, June 28, both at 7pm. There...

Lauren Mitsak

June 2025

Arts & culture

Celebrate NAIDOC with song

By Felicity Woodhill, founder of Inspire Music Australia In July, the monthly free Music and Tea at Wollongong Art Gallery concert welcomes Ron Callaghan and Kyarna of the Yuin Nation to share their songs and stories, honouring the strength...

Felicity Woodhill

June 2025

Arts & culture

MerrigongX creator invites us on a walk through love and loss as ‘Dog People’ comes to IPAC

Local theatre maker Lucy Heffernan explores love, loyalty and loss in MerrigongX’s latest show, Dog People, which will run from Thursday, June 19 to 21 at Illawarra Performing Arts Centre.

Tyneesha Williams

June 2025

Arts & culture

Behind the Curtain with ‘Oliver!’ and the Arcadians

They’re in good hands – Victoria has studied at NIDA, stage-managed So Popera productions at the IPAC and WEC, and joined the crew for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in Melbourne. Matthew has worked on Schools Spectacular and Southern Stars...

Brian Kelly

June 2025

Arts & culture

Winter Workshops at the South Coast Writers Centre

Coming up in June and July are a series of fantastic writing workshops for writers of all ages. On Sunday, 22 June, Bernadette Foley returns with her popular Editing and Publishing Masterclass. This intensive workshop with esteemed publisher and...

Elizabeth Heffernan

June 2025

Arts & culture

From IPAC stage to festival page, Pip Williams set to entertain Illawarra readers

Wollongong is having something of a Pip Williams moment, with her bestselling novel The Dictionary of Lost Words hitting the stage just weeks before she headlines the local writers festival. The excitement began building on May 12, when hundreds...

Tareyn Varley

May 2025

Arts & culture

Q&A with Camille Booker, a local author at South Coast Readers & Writers Festival

The South Coast Readers & Writers Festival returns to Thirroul over the weekend of 5–6 July with a vibrant lineup of literary talent. The full festival program is now LIVE featuring local voices, return guests, and internationally bestselling...

Elizabeth Heffernan

May 2025

Arts & culture

Soundscapes at Clifton School of Arts

The experience of performing at Clifton School of Arts as a musician is unique: not just because of its famously good acoustics, well-suited to intimate concerts by solo instruments, but because the venue has such an active soundtrack of its own...

Caroline Baum

May 2025

Arts & culture

Barracks Art Studios open for Thirroul Seaside Festival weekend

The exceptional visual artists at Barracks Art Studios Thirroul will open their work spaces to the public on Saturday, 31 May and Sunday, 1 June from 10am-4pm as part of the Seaside Festival. Located in an old brick building near the railway line at...

Genevieve Swart

May 2025

Arts & culture

Thirroul Art Show draws artists and visitors to Seaside Festival

Usually, if David Manks is about to win at Thirroul’s art show, the organisers give him a quiet heads-up to make sure he’ll be there on the night. But last year, the phone never rang – so he assumed it just wasn’t his year. Then, as he stood...

Tareyn Varley

May 2025

Arts & culture

Time to reflect: Clifton School of Arts president David Roach on turning 70

Turning 70 came as something of a surprise to Wombarra resident, David Roach. “It’s not the age itself, it’s the fact that I am still getting the same kick out of doing the things that I used to do as a teenager; jumping on my bike to go and...

Janice Creenaune

May 2025

Arts & culture

SPAT Singers plan Supper Shows

The premiere of Tap Cats of the Sunshine Coast was a huge success, with all four shows sold out. Congratulations to author/playwright Christine Sykes, director Katie Peach and their sterling cast! With mulled wine and a three-course meal Riversong...

Lauren Mitsak

May 2025

Arts & culture

Can local action change the world? Find out at Sydney Writers’ Festival: Live & Local

After more than 200 millimetres of rain fell on the Illawarra in just a few hours last April, locals rolled up their sleeves and did what they do best in a crisis. They turned up at the hardest-hit homes with mops and shovels, asking where to start...

Tareyn Varley

May 2025

Arts & culture

DJ Jordan Quill mixes sunset, stunning views and tropical house music on Windang Island

In April, 21 year old Wollongong-based DJ Jordan Quill performed and recorded the first ever DJ set played at Windang Island. “It was the perfect spot. There’s a beautiful spot at the very end where you can see a bit of the cliff, a bit of the...

Tyneesha Williams

May 2025

Arts & culture

Let us entertain you at Coledale

By Wombarra playwright Lindsay Fisher My husband and both my children are professional performers, so I have collected a million stories around what it really means to make a career as an entertainer. From singing in a bar while the footy plays on...

The Illawarra Flame

May 2025

Arts & culture

Scenes From The Climate Era opens on Wednesday at IPAC

Scenes from the Climate Era opens tomorrow at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre (IPAC), with nibbles on everything from zombie mice to a post-aeroplane planet. Of the 50 scenes in David Finnigan’s play, actor Nic English is most looking forward to sharing the story of Smiley the frog.

Genevieve Swart

May 2025

Arts & culture

Photographer Geoff Smith shoots ‘For the Love of Trees’

Shellharbour’s Geoff Smith has turned his love of photography into a lifelong passion. Since he was a teenager and learnt the craft under the guidance of his father, Geoff has worked in dark rooms producing black and white images, discovering a creative connection with photography that he didn’t feel with painting or drawing.

Lesley Roulston

May 2025

Arts & culture

Meet Jessie Tu at South Coast Readers & Writers Festival

The South Coast Readers & Writers Festival returns to Thirroul over the weekend of July 5 and 6 with a vibrant lineup of literary talent. The full festival program is now live, featuring local voices, return guests, and internationally...

Elizabeth Heffernan

May 2025

Arts & culture

Full South Coast Readers & Writers Festival program announced

The South Coast Readers & Writers Festival returns to Thirroul over the weekend of 5 and 6 July with a vibrant line-up of literary talent. The full festival program is now live, featuring local voices, return guests, and internationally...

Elizabeth Heffernan

May 2025

Arts & culture

AFTRS graduates channel grief into tender film about loss, love and friendship

The film tells the story of 11-year-old Mallee and his best friend, Alby – who, like Ruby and Layla, are navigating the loss of a parent. Nothing And The Sun is a tender story of friendship and perseverance.

Tyneesha Williams

April 2025

Arts & culture

Despite the rain, Sunday’s ZZ Top show is still on, with a venue change

The curse of Stuart Park at North Wollongong as a venue for major music events has struck again. After wet weather forced several concert cancellations in the past, and created havoc for Yours and Owls, sparking a search for new venues in the city...

Jeremy Lasek

May 2025