Shellharbour

Minnamurra redirects here. For the rainforest, see Budderoo National Park

Shellharbour is a coastal city of 76,271 (2021) in between Wollongong and the Shoalhaven, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales halfway between Wollongong and Kiama.

Understand

Shellharbour a satellite city of Wollongong, 85 km south of Sydney. It has a town centre that has civic buildings and the major shopping mall of Shellharbour Square. It has a township on the water, adjacent to a small harbour and a beaches. Shell Cove is a major housing development adjacent to the town, and to the water.

Visitor information

• 1 Shellharbour Visitor Information Centre, Addison St, Shellharbour Village, ☏ +61 1300 656 169. 9AM-5PM. (updated Jan 2017)

Get in

By train

Shellharbour Station

1 Shellharbour Junction station is a commuter station with parking and a bus interchange - quite distant from facilities or towns. It really looks quite in the middle of nowhere getting off the train there. It is around a 4-km walk to Shellharbour town, going up and down a few hills.

2 Albion Park Station is outside the town, but quite close to the HARS Aircraft Museum.

If you want to get the bus into town, or to Shellharbour Square, a better bet may be to get off at 3 Oak Flats Station and get a bus. They run with around a 2 hour frequency to town, and quite frequently to Shellharbour Square. Check the timetable, and get the first bus to Shellharbour Square if it makes sense to do so.

By bike

See also: Cycling in New South Wales#Illawarra

If you are a keen cyclist, it is also a nice ride from Wollongong mostly along the coast.

By car

The town is about 85 km and 2 hours' drive from Sydney. Go past the end of the freeway from Sydney, and Shellharbour town is off to your left, follow the signs. A scenic route goes via Wollongong and Warilla, and follows the water. Exit the freeway at Five Islands Road, follow the signs to Warilla at the second major right hand turn and on to Windang Rd, then follow your nose.

Get around

There are limited bus services, as well as three train stations.

See

World's last flying Super Constellation on display at the HARS flying museum

• 1 HARS Australian Historical Flying Museum, Illawarra Regional Airport (south of Wollongong on the Princes Highway, or take the train to Albion Park Station). A project was started to build an exhibition facility for the aircraft of the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society who have an existing base there. HARS has completed a major hanger, part of an ongoing project. HARS has an extensive static aircraft display and many operational aircraft including the only remaining flying Super Constellation in the world.  

Do

Killalea State Park

• 1 Killalea State Park (The Farm). Free. (updated Jan 2017)
• 2 Blackbutt Forest Reserve. (updated Jan 2017)
• 3 Warilla Beach, 7 Osborne Parade, Warilla. (updated Jan 2017)
• 4 Shellharbour North Beach. (updated Jan 2017)
• 5 Shellharbour South Beach. (updated Jan 2017)
• 6 Mystics Beach (Minnamurra Beach), Killalea Access Rd. (updated Jan 2017)
• 7 BIGWAVE Skydive, Bass Point Tourist Road, Shell Cove, ☏ +61 432 715 031, toll-free: 1300357604, info@bigwaveskydive.com.au. 8AM-5PM. Tandem Skydiving over Shellharbour Marina and Bass Point. Photogenic location makes for the perfect skydive backdrop. Skydiving around Sydney at its best. Only 90 minutes south of Sydney and 20 minutes south of Wollongong. $399. (updated Dec 2023)

Wildlife watching

• 8 Shellharbour Wild, 9 Marina Drive, Shell Cove. Whale-watching boat tours leaving from Shellharbour, south of Wollongong. The two-hour tours run May–November and take you into the Tasman Sea to look for migrating humpback whales. In winter the whales head north for warmer waters, and in spring they come back south with their new calves. Outside of the migration season, Shellharbour Wild also offers nature tours to the Five Islands, where you might see dolphins and seals. $79 for adults, $49 for children. (updated Jun 2022)

Buy

• 1 Shellharbour Square. Large shopping complex including a Stockland mall. (updated Jan 2017)
• Shellharbour Village Harbourside Rotary Markets, Little Park, Addison Street, market@shellharbourcityrotary.org.au. 4th Sunday of each month from 9AM to 3PM. (updated Jan 2017)

Eat

Before the Albion Park Rail Bypass of the Princes Mwy was built, traffic was essentially forced to use a short non-freeway section of highway in Albion Park between two freeways. This resulted in many fast-food chains such as Maccas, Subway, Oporto and Taco Bell in addition to local eateries to open up on the southbound section, which gave Albion Park an unusual amount of eateries. If you find it hard to find a good place in the city centre or if many of the restaurants close early (typical for Australia), many fast food chains will still be open in Albion Park.

• 1 Aharn Thai Restaurant, 1/28 Mary St, ☏ +61 2 4296 6888. Stir-fries, noodles, curries and salads in a cosy setting. (updated Feb 2018)
• 2 Taco Bell, Shop 3/61 Princes Hwy, Albion Park Rail, ☏ +61 2 4257 3673. 10AM–10PM. (updated Dec 2021)

Drink

• Shellharbour workers club - famous for its live music.

Sleep

• 1 Ocean Beach Hotel, 2 Addison St, ☏ +61 2 4296 1399. (updated Jan 2017)

Go next

• Wollongong - large coastal city to the north
• Kiama - picturesque coastal town to the south
• Budderoo National Park - rainforest to the southwest
• Macquarie Pass National Park – small national park to the west

Routes via Shellharbour

Helensburgh ← Wollongong ←

N M1 S

→ Kiama → Nowra