Thirroul, New South Wales

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Lookout from the Illawarra Escarpment above Wombarra over the northern Illawarra plain viewing Austinmer, Thirroul, Bulli, Wollongong up to Port Kembla in the far.

Thirroul (34°18′S, 150°54′E) is a northern suburb of the city of Wollongong, Australia. It is a fairly old town, dating back to when Wollongong was a mere farming settlement. It has a lot of heritage. It hosts the Thirroul Seaside & Arts Festival, in the first weekend of April. It is also the beginning (or end) to the bike track that runs south to North Wollongong.

The English author D. H. Lawrence visited Thirroul with his wife in 1922. During his stay he wrote Kangaroo, a novel about Australian fringe politics after the First World War.

Thirroul is served by express and all stations trains on the CityRail network. In 2005, Thirroul station had elevator facilities installed.

Thirroul holds many shops and cafes with beautiful views of both the beach and the escarpment. It is steadilly growing in population and there are different shops added regularly. One of the popular cafes is Oscars Wild. It has a growing collection of books, music and artworks. There are also homewares and collectables shops, such as Nest, Kalidascope and I'Scarp. There are two supermarkets, a Franklins and a Bi-Low. Shops in Thirroul are mainly located along the main road or in the Plaza. The Beaches Hotel is also located on the main road.

There are two primary schools, St. Michaels and Thirroul Public School.

Thirroul are represented in the Tooheys Illawarra Rugby League by the Thirroul Butchers. They have been around for 90 years and their star players currently are Ben Couchman, Aaron Beath and Fuad Suljkanovic. The Thirroul Butchers attract crowds between 500 and 1500 a game, depending on their opponents.

Artist Brett Whiteley died from a drug overdose in the Beachside Motel in Thirroul.[1]