Business categories in Port Kembla, NSW

Welcome to Port Kembla, NSW

Port Kembla is a waterfront suburb of Wollongong, NSW. It is 8 kilometres south of the Wollongong CBD. It has a population of over 4,800.

History

The area was once home to the Dharawal people.

The suburb’s namesake is the nearby Mt Kembla. ‘Kembla’ is an Aboriginal word meaning “plenty [of] wildfowl”.

Captain James Cook made the first European sighting of the area in 1770. Navigators George Bass and Matthew Flinders began exploring the area in 1796. The first settlers arrived in the area in 1812.

Before 1908, the town was a self-sufficient society. It had a growing commercial centre, and a vibrant civic life. Industry in the form of a copper smelter and refinery arrived in 1908. Metal plants arrived in 1917 and iron and steel works in 1927.

Lifestyle and Entertainment

Waves of migrants moved to Port Kembla in the 1950s and 1960s. They mostly hailed from the United Kingdom, Italy, Macedonia and Germany. It remains one of the most culturally diverse suburbs in New South Wales.

The suburb has one of the largest industrial complexes in Australia. It is home to a seaport, small harbour foreshore nature reserve, and a small commercial sector.