Parish: Kembla
County: Camden
Wongawilli is a suburb in the west Dapto area. It is a growing residential area, and has strong associations with mining.
We're currently working on more information for this page.
Local communities of Aboriginal people were the original inhabitants and Traditional Custodians of Illawarra Land. Their dialect is a variant of the Dharawal language.
Before European settlement, the Aboriginal people of the region lived in small family groups with complicated social structures and close associations with specific areas.
Suburb boundaries do not reflect the cultural boundaries of the local Aboriginal community.
Traditional Custodians today are descendants of the original inhabitants and have ongoing spiritual and cultural ties to the Land and waterways where their ancestors lived.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1906 | Coal mine to be opened at Wongawilli, 3 1/2 miles from Dapto Railway Station and 7 miles from Wollongong |
| 1910 | 40 horses and 10 bullocks with eight drays were drawing coal to Dapto Station; 40 tons of coal a day was being produced |
| 1916 | Wongawilli mine was opened and developed by G & C Hoskins Limited to supply coke to Lithgow; 150 tons at grass face. A railway to transport the coke was needed. Hoskins sought a railway link from Wongawilli |
| 1916 | The railway to Wongawilli was being built and excavations for the coke works were proceeding |
| 1917 | Men arrived to work at the Wongawilli mine. 20 out of 40 coke ovens were completed and in use. The incline to the colliery was also ready for use |
| 1918 | Wongawilli sent 1600 tons of coke from the coke works, a crusher was installed to crush coal for coking |
| 1922 | After a closure whilst the works were improved, there were now 52 ovens available. Direct Dapto to mine transport was required and a school needed |
| 1923 | The coke trade was brisk with 27 trucks to Lithgow. Three coal washing machines were installed and a direct road to Dapto was needed |
| 1925 | An Epsicopalian Church Hall was built 'a few years ago' close to the mine |
| 1927 | Wongawilli Public School was opened in the Church Hall and the Wongawilli Parents and Citizens Association formed |
| 1927 | An additional 25 coke ovens were operational, making 105 in total |
| 1928 | Wongawilli Public School was opened by W. Davies ex. M.L.A. |
| 1939 | Mount Pleasant Loco No. 2. to Wongawilli Coke Ovens |
| 1943 | Mount Pleasant Loco No. 1. to Wongawilli Coke Ovens |
| 1951 | 85 ton AIS electric diesel loco hauls load from Wongawilli to steel works |
| 1976 | Wongawilli Public School closed |
| 1993 | Wongawilli Colliery was consolidated with Kemira and Nebo mines to become the Elouera Colliery officially opened on 1 February 1993 |
| 2004 | Proposal to turn Elouera Colliery into a tourist coalmine after its planned closure |
| 2005 | BHP Billiton stops production at Elouera in June. In October contract miner Delta begins extraction of coal under an agreement with BHP Billiton |
| 2005 | Wongawilli suburb boundaries finalised and gazetted by the Geographical Names Board |
| 2007 | BHP Billiton sells Elouera Colliery to Gujaret NRE. Gujaret NRE re-christens the Elouera mine as the NRE Wongawilli Colliery |
Top image: Bankbook Hill, Wongawilli, 1969. See image details on our catalogue