Best 26 Real Estate Agents In Port Kembla [2025]

Port Kembla Suburb Overview

Port Kembla is a suburb of Wollongong 8 km south of the CBD and part of the Illawarra region of New South Wales. The suburb comprises a seaport, industrial complex , a small harbour foreshore nature reserve, and a small commercial sector. It is situated on the tip of Red Point, first sighted by Captain James Cook in 1770. The name “Kembla” is Aboriginal word meaning “plenty wildfowl”.

Before Port Kembla was an industrial suburb of Wollongong, it was a town with a remarkably self-sufficient society, a growing commercial centre, and a vibrant civic life. Town subdivision began in 1908, and by 1921 there were 1622 residents. Economic expansion propelled further population growth.

A new copper smelter and refinery, the Electrolytic Refinery and Smelting Company of Australia, began production in 1908, followed by the opening of Metal Manufactures in 1917 and finally the arrival of the Hoskins Iron and Steel Works in 1927, which became Australian Iron and Steel in 1928. By 1947 the town’s population has increased to 4,960 with smaller satellite suburbs such as Cringila and Lake Heights, mushrooming on its fringes. That year, 1947, marked the climax of a local campaign for municipal autonomy which was ultimately thwarted by the creation of a Greater City of Wollongong. In the post second world war period there was an inexorable decline of a ‘Port Kembla’ society as local town boundaries were slowly but surely absorbed into a more Wollongong-focused or regional identity.

Despite the decline from the heyday of the 1920s, the town experienced major social and demographic change in the 1950s and 1960s. Waves of migrants, mostly from the United Kingdom, Italy, Macedonia and Germany, moved to the town. During this period, Port Kembla was on the cusp on changes affecting Australian society generally as new ethic and cultural influences found a place in local society. With its long migration history accommodating waves of migrant workers and their families, Port Kembla is still one of the most culturally diverse suburbs in New South Wales.

Port Kembla’s highest point, Hill 60, overlooks the Five Islands and Red Point. Hill 60, originally the site of an Aboriginal settlement, was used by the army during World War II to make a coastal gun emplacement known as Illowra Battery. In September 1942, Aboriginal inhabitants were forcibly evicted from the area. It has remained in the army’s ownership and is now a public lookout reserve, despite a vigorous campaign to return some of the land to its Aboriginal owners.

Dated: 1944 No. 2 gun Illowra Battery, Showing it’s original BL 6 inch Mk XI gun

Gun position No. 2 at Illowra Battery, which formed part of the Kembla Fortress defences in World War II

Port Kembla is known for the BlueScope Steel steelworks operations on Springhill Road and throughout North Port Kembla. Other notable industrial operations in the suburb are: Port Kembla Coal Terminal, Port Kembla Copper, Port Kembla Port Corporation, Incitec, Adstream Services, Port Kembla Gateway and GrainCorp.

Port Kembla has a CityRail railway station on the Port Kembla branch of the South Coast railway line. It is the terminus of the branch line, and serves the residential area of the suburb of the same name. The station has one side platform, used for terminating trains. It is served by approximately one train per hour, usually a local service to Thirroul, but extra direct trains to and from Sydney are provided in the peak hours.

Pacific National operates daily coal trains to the Inner Harbour section of the port, and into the blast furnace section of the steelworks. Downer Rail has a workshop opposite the CityRail passenger terminus that services diesel powered locomotives for Pacific National.

Port Kembla Harbour is a major export location for coal mined in the southern and western regions of New South Wales. As part of the state governments plan to divert ships containing auto mobiles, the port has received significant upgrades and infrastructure including a new Maritime Office and many jobs have been created as the need for port logistics grows. Patrick Corporation holds a contract for integrated port services in the harbour and transports goods by road or rail through its parent company Pacific National.

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