Options for the Lake Illawarra Entrance

Both Wollongong and Shellharbour City Council’s on the 26 and 27 of May resolved to call on the NSW Government to “resource and undertake a Strategic Business Case to deliver a long-term management solution” considering “Option 4 and Option 5 or variations thereof” from the Lake Illawarra Entrance Channel: Management Options Assessment report.

In the interim, both councils resolved to complete further informing studies to support a business case and to investigate “short and medium-term foreshore protection works along the Windang foreshore” under the Coastal Management Program.

The councils also resolved to further engage with the community and keep them informed of progress.

You can read the full media release here - Councils call for support to pursue lake entrance management options | City of Wollongong

Future updates and engagement opportunities

For updates on projects and programs concerning Lake Illawarra, see the webpage here. Engagement for this project has now finished. For future opportunities to leave feedback and be involved on projects that matter to you and your community, head to Our Wollongong and register for our newsletter.

Berkeley, let’s talk!

On Tuesday 24 June, teams from Wollongong City Council will be heading to Berkeley Neighbourhood Centre, 40 Winnima Way, Berkeley for the afternoon. From 3:30 – 5:30pm, we will have staff available to chat through projects happening not just in Berkeley, but in the surrounding suburbs of Lake Heights, Cringila, Warrawong, Kemblawarra, Primbee and Windang. The team who led the Lake Illawarra Entrance Options Study will be there talking about what was heard during the engagement last year, and other works that are happening nearby the lake. Staff will also be able to give updates on the Southern Suburbs Community Centre and Library, plus give you information on services that Council offers that you may not have heard about.

There is no presentation at this event, so drop-in any time that will suit you.

We hope to see you there!

Thank you for your participation and interest in the Lake Illawarra Entrance Options Study project.

Engagement with our community took place from November – December 2024. Across Wollongong and Shellharbour local government areas, we heard from more than 550 voices.

Incorporating what we heard from our community, we have put forward a series of recommendations as Item 2 in the Council Business Paper for the 26 May. In this Item 2, you will find Wollongong City Council’s recommendation for what the next steps for this project look like, background on the project, a summary of the consultation and communication, and the Engagement Report for both Wollongong and Shellharbour City Council.

Councillors will evaluate the recommendations and decide whether to endorse the proposal.  If you would like to watch the Council meeting, you can watch all Council Meetings online via our webcast, or to watch in person, seats in the public gallery are available from 5.45pm. Note that if you're attending in-person, you must follow the Public Gallery Conduct Standards.

Shellharbour City Council’s meeting will take place on Tuesday 27 May. Following this, we will look to contact you with the outcome of the two meetings and what our next steps on this project will be.

A big thank you for getting involved in the Lake Illawarra Entrance Options Study.

Across Wollongong and Shellharbour local government areas, we heard from more than 550 voices! We got the word out about this project through the Our Wollongong and Let’s Chat websites, our social media channels, signs around the lake, e-newsletters, information at our libraries, newspapers, radio stations and local news channels. We spoke with many members of our community at our drop-in sessions at Warilla and Windang and online information sessions. We collected feedback through these conversations, as well as the online surveys set up on our engagement website, hard copy surveys and emails.

Attendees of the community drop-in session at Windang Senior Citizens Centre on Saturday 30 November 2024.

Pleasingly, a wide range of lake users and stakeholders were reflected with different ages, opinions and ideas for this shared asset.

Our community’s responses were highly considered and showed a clear passion for preserving and protecting Lake Illawarra and all that it offers. One key theme that shone through the responses was about water quality and how it supports the ecology and recreational use of the lake.

Managing the lake’s entrance remains a complex problem with no easy fix. Lots of respondents appreciated this and asked that we be measured in our approach to protect the many things Lake Illawarra means to our community.

Next steps

A report is being prepared to go before both Wollongong City Council and Shellharbour City Council in the coming months. It will include a thorough analysis of community feedback received on the management options, and recommendations for the next phase of this project.

The community will be notified when these reports are confirmed to go before Council with instructions on how to tune in to the meeting.

Your questions answered

Throughout the engagement period we were asked many questions through emails, face-to-face conversations, phone calls and on our social media channels. We have updated the webpage here with answers to the most commonly asked questions – FAQs | Options for the Lake Illawarra Entrance | Our Wollongong

A recording of the online engagement session held in December is available here with lots of great questions put to the project team by community members.

Have something else you want to ask? You can call us on 4227 7111 or email council@wollongong.nsw.gov.au and one of our team’s members will get back to you.