Flagstaff Hill and Smiths Hill Forts Conservation Management Plan

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Consultation has concluded

Help shape the future of Flagstaff Hill and Smiths Hill Fortifications

Council resolved on 25 August 2025, to place on public online exhibition, the draft Conservation Management Plan for the historic Flagstaff Hill and Smiths Hill fortifications, and we are now inviting community feedback.

The Fortifications are part of the State Heritage listed Wollongong Harbour Precinct and are significant military installations that include underground tunnels and above ground structures including the metal cannons.

The sites are being impacted by the weather and tree roots and require conservation works as well as ongoing maintenance to ensure they are in good condition and safe. Undertaking conservation works is complicated due to the age of the structures, interaction with the ocean environment, limited safe access and heritage approvals required under State Government legislation.

To address these issues, Wollongong City Council has worked with prominent heritage consultants, GML Heritage and a range of key local stakeholders to develop a draft Conservation Management Plan. The document is intended to inform Council's asset management of these sites and will support programming of future maintenance and conservation works. The draft Conservation Management Plan also provides policy guidance to inform decision making in relation to the future use of the Fortifications, such as how Council might make them safe for guided tours.

In preparing the draft Plan, Council has undertaken a range of targeted engagement with key stakeholder groups. These groups have included the Wollongong Heritage Reference Group, the National Trust of Australia (NSW) Illawarra Shoalhaven Branch, Wollongong Rotary Club, Destination Wollongong, Inside Industry as well as a significant group of key local Community Members who have a history of involvement with the site, including local historians and local Military Heritage Experts, some of whom have had significant past involvement in historical research and developments relating to the history of the fortifications.

The draft Flagstaff Hill and Smiths Hill Forts Conservation Management Plan is on exhibition from Wednesday 15 October to Wednesday 12 November 2025 and can be viewed:

  • At Wollongong City Library during opening hours
  • At Council’s Customer Service Centre, Ground Floor Administration Building, 41 Burelli Street Wollongong, between 9am and 5pm weekdays
  • Online via the Document Library

To find out more review the:

Share your thoughts by:

Please provide your feedback by Wednesday 12 November. For written, phone and emailed submissions, please quote: 'draft Flagstaff Hill and Smiths Hill Forts Conservation Management Plan'. Any submissions become public documents and may be viewed by other persons on request. Please read Council's Privacy Policy before submitting your feedback.

Accessibility and language assistance

If you’re d/Deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech or language difficulty, you can contact us through the National Relay Service. If you need an interpreter, you can contact us through the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450. You’ll need to provide our phone number 02 4227 7111 for either service.

Help shape the future of Flagstaff Hill and Smiths Hill Fortifications

Council resolved on 25 August 2025, to place on public online exhibition, the draft Conservation Management Plan for the historic Flagstaff Hill and Smiths Hill fortifications, and we are now inviting community feedback.

The Fortifications are part of the State Heritage listed Wollongong Harbour Precinct and are significant military installations that include underground tunnels and above ground structures including the metal cannons.

The sites are being impacted by the weather and tree roots and require conservation works as well as ongoing maintenance to ensure they are in good condition and safe. Undertaking conservation works is complicated due to the age of the structures, interaction with the ocean environment, limited safe access and heritage approvals required under State Government legislation.

To address these issues, Wollongong City Council has worked with prominent heritage consultants, GML Heritage and a range of key local stakeholders to develop a draft Conservation Management Plan. The document is intended to inform Council's asset management of these sites and will support programming of future maintenance and conservation works. The draft Conservation Management Plan also provides policy guidance to inform decision making in relation to the future use of the Fortifications, such as how Council might make them safe for guided tours.

In preparing the draft Plan, Council has undertaken a range of targeted engagement with key stakeholder groups. These groups have included the Wollongong Heritage Reference Group, the National Trust of Australia (NSW) Illawarra Shoalhaven Branch, Wollongong Rotary Club, Destination Wollongong, Inside Industry as well as a significant group of key local Community Members who have a history of involvement with the site, including local historians and local Military Heritage Experts, some of whom have had significant past involvement in historical research and developments relating to the history of the fortifications.

The draft Flagstaff Hill and Smiths Hill Forts Conservation Management Plan is on exhibition from Wednesday 15 October to Wednesday 12 November 2025 and can be viewed:

  • At Wollongong City Library during opening hours
  • At Council’s Customer Service Centre, Ground Floor Administration Building, 41 Burelli Street Wollongong, between 9am and 5pm weekdays
  • Online via the Document Library

To find out more review the:

Share your thoughts by:

Please provide your feedback by Wednesday 12 November. For written, phone and emailed submissions, please quote: 'draft Flagstaff Hill and Smiths Hill Forts Conservation Management Plan'. Any submissions become public documents and may be viewed by other persons on request. Please read Council's Privacy Policy before submitting your feedback.

Accessibility and language assistance

If you’re d/Deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech or language difficulty, you can contact us through the National Relay Service. If you need an interpreter, you can contact us through the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450. You’ll need to provide our phone number 02 4227 7111 for either service.

  • CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

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