A handsome but elusive cockerel has the Wollongong community cock-a-hoop

Wollongong is home to plenty of celebrities, but few are as beloved as the mysterious, majestic – and elusive – Fairy Creek rooster.

The rooster, who, to preserve his privacy, goes by several names, including Stuart and Reggie, took up residence in the dense lantana beside Squires Way early last year.

His escapades have become a hot topic across several Facebook community pages.

When premature news of the rooster’s death circulated online, Jen McDowens created a dedicated Facebook page so fans of the fowl could keep each other updated on his wellbeing.

While she initially had her doubts about whether others shared her deep fervour for the errant bird, within 24 hours more than 200 people had joined.

Jen remembers first seeing him looking dazed and confused with a white rooster companion, who has since inexplicably disappeared – perhaps a victim to fame (or a marauding fox).

“I first noticed them when I was driving to work and they looked so lost,” she said.

“Everyone dumps rooster and my stomach just sank. After a few days, the white one disappeared, and I thought it was a matter of time until a fox or something got him.

“But every day on my commute to work he was still there, and the feeling changed to ‘Wow, he’s doing it.’

“I had a really rough year and my day would be that bit better if I saw him. There’s a note in my diary one day, ‘Today I was feeling sad but then I saw the rooster so I felt happy.’

“He was just this constant.”

Jen wasn’t the rooster’s only admirer.

He’s attained the same level of avian fame as the Woonona magpie, and the University of Wollongong’s evil duck, although he arguably inspires more positive emotions among his followers.

He’s often seen in the company of admiring – or at least tolerant – magpie friends, and receives plenty of enthusiastic greetings from people hanging out of the passenger side of their best friend’s ride.

At the end of 2024, one of his devotees posted a touching tribute.

“Despite all of the horrible things in the world, at least we know the Fairy Creek rooster is ok,” the post read.

Some passers-by have been so concerned about the rooster’s welfare that they’ve tried to capture him – with little success.

Jen is concerned that well-meaning attempts to capture the rooster would do more harm than good, not least because of the stress they cause him and his would-be captors.

Jen, who has an environmental sciences degree and has worked in environmental management, says the legendary cockerel looks to be in good condition and would have a minimal to non-existent impact on his environment.

“I was comparing early photos of him with more recent photos the other day, and he’s very shiny and his tail feathers have grown,” she said.

“He’s in good health, so we’re not worried about him spreading disease, and he’s not going to breed.

“He can’t fly so he’s not going to transport weeds, and he’s often seen with native birds, so he isn’t disturbing them.

“Over the Christmas busy period he disappeared for three weeks, then after the rush finished he popped back out, so I think he’s pretty clued on.

“He’s just living his best life, really.”

Keeping roosters is not permitted in residential areas in the Illawarra, however, many people keep backyard chooks, and sometimes a cute bird grows up to be an assertive, outspoken rooster rather than a quiet laying chook.

If their crowing causes problems, roosters are often dumped in the bush to fend for themselves, like the Fairy Creek resident.

Organisations such as the RSPCA will rehome roosters, but adoption rates are low.

Jen said a dedicated rooster rescuer had offered the Fairy Creek bird a home, but given he’s made it clear he has no interest in being caught, she thinks attempts to catch the evasive chicken are probably more harmful than helpful.

“There are all these ethical dilemmas,” she said.

“I’m sure it would be nice for him to have friends but he also seems happy where he is, and there’s been an overwhelming response from everyone that he should be left alone to live his life because he’s doing a good job of it.

“People drop off food scraps for him, and he’s boosting the social and emotional wellbeing of a community – it would take a cruel person to take that away.”