Three Vampire jets are being restored at HARS Aviation Museum including A79-637, which is being returned to airworthy condition. Photo: Ian Badham.
A week of fun both indoors and out lies ahead for the Illawarra, headlined by the always highly anticipated Lifeline South Coast Big Book Fair.
If shopping is your jam but less so books, Wollongong’s Save the Children Op Shop has curated a vintage and retro retail event.
Aviation enthusiasts should make their way to HARS, where some special treats await for the museum’s monthly Tarmac Days, while the Seniors Festival wraps up with an awesome bush dance staged by some local folk favourites.
In between are charity events, live music, art exhibition launches and theatre.
Multiple Days
Looking for a bargain for your big day, a vintage treasure or just a retail experience with a difference? Image: Save the Children.
Save the Children Wollongong Op Shop – Vintage & Retro Event
When: Friday 14 March, 9 am to 5 pm and Saturday 15 March, 9:30 am to 2:45 pm
Where: Save the Children Op Shop, 283-285 Keira Street, Wollongong
Cost: Free entry.
The Save the Children Wollongong Op Shop team has put together a beautiful collection of one-of-a-kind pieces, including stunning wedding dresses, womenswear and bric-a-brac for this special event. Wedding dresses start from $75, and all sales go towards supporting children and young people living in the hardest to reach and toughest places to be a child.
The Neptune 273 in flight above HARS Aviation Museum. Photo: Howard Mitchell.
Three Neptunes at HARS Tarmac Days
When: Friday 14, Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 March, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm
Where: HARS Aviation Museum, Shellharbour Airport, 54 Airport Road, Albion Park Rail
Cost: Adult $30 | Child $15 |Concession $25 | Family $70 | Book via HARS.
The unique sight and sound of three former submarine-hunting and marine patrol Lockheed Neptunes will highlight the upcoming Tarmac Days display at HARS Aviation Museum. Volunteers at the Historical Aviation Restoration Society (HARS) will fire up the piston and turbine engine combinations of the former RAAF Neptune 273 and former French Navy Neptune 566 while the former RAAF Neptune 281 will be on static display. Work will also continue over the weekend to restore three de Havilland Vampire jets. As always you can take additional tours (special fees apply), hit up the cafe for a coffee and a bite to eat, or the retail shop for souvenirs.
Book lovers are already exploring this year’s Lifeline South Coast Book Fair. Photo: Lifeline South Coast.
Lifeline South Coast Big Book Fair
When: Thursday 20, 5 pm to 9 pm, Friday 21 and Saturday 22 March, 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday 23 March, 9 am to 4 pm
Where: Illawarra Sports Stadium, Fred Finch Park South West, 22 Hooka Creek Road, Berkeley
Cost: Gold coin donation ($5 for Thursday preview) | Payable upon entry.
The highlight of the yearly calendar for book lovers all over the Illawarra and beyond. More than 85,000 books await sale at great prices, ranging an average from $1 to $7. Discover a huge range of fiction, non-fiction, biographies, children’s books and special rare finds at unbeatable prices. Every book you buy helps support Lifeline answer more phone calls to people in need, as well as suicide prevention services in the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and South Coast.
Friday
Don those dancin’ boots, Illawarra folk band Chord-eaux is ready to stage a good old-fashioned Aussie bush dance. Photo: Chord-eaux.
Seniors Festival Bush Dance
When: Friday 14 March, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Where: Jamberoo School of Arts, 30 Allowrie Street, Jamberoo
Cost: Free | Book via TryBooking.
Get ready to kick up your heels at the Seniors Festival Bush Dance, featuring the amazing Illawarra folk band Chord-eaux. This highlight on the Seniors Festival calendar promises a fun day out with morning tea, games and, of course, group dances. A dance caller will shout out the moves until the crowd has it down pat. There will be a free bus available from Kiama to Jamberoo and back.
Gladys: A Musical Affair
When: Friday 14 March, 8 pm
Where: IMB Theatre, IPAC, 32 Burelli Street, Wollongong
Cost: Adult $50 | Concession (Pension/Senior), Student, Group 8+ and Under 30s $45 | Book via TicketSearch.
The Wollongong team behind the satirical Gladys COVID videos present a new musical journey about Gladys Berejiklian, “The Woman Who Saved Australia”. The crack team now takes you through the early life of Ms Perfect, from her flawless leadership through two disasters, until her biggest disaster.
With music and lyrics by local ABC presenter Nick Rheinberger, Tia Wilson returns as Gladys in several colourful blazers. Expect big rock numbers, epic ballads, Armenian matchmaking, tap dancing and even more musical press conferences.
Saturday
Detail of Rise and Fall, 2024, c-type photograph by Karla Dickens. Photo: Karla Dickens and STATION.
In Conversation and Official Opening of Karla Dickens: Rise and Fall
When: Saturday 15 March, 1 to 4 pm
Where: Wollongong Art Gallery, 46 Burelli Street, Wollongong
Cost: Free.
Rise and Fall is a powerful new installation by acclaimed Wiradjuri artist Karla Dickens. This evocative work responds to the climate catastrophe that struck Dickens’ hometown of Lismore during the devastating floods of February 2022. A compelling exploration of the climate crisis from a First Nations perspective, the exhibition offers a poignant commentary on resilience and the fight for a better future.
Karla Dickens will be in conversation with curator Daniel Mudie Cunningham from 1 to 2 pm before the exhibition is officially opened by award-winning curator, writer, artist, educator and advisor Tess Allas. Tess has strong links to Tharawal country in Wollongong, and has worked in Indigenous cultural development since the early 1990s and is the First Nations Curator at the Museums of History, NSW.
Sunday
The Water Runners Play The Railway Institute Hall Thirroul
When: Sunday 16 March, 4:30 to 6 pm
Where: The Railway Institute Hall, 14 Railway Parade, Thirroul
Cost: $20 | Book via Humanitix.
Hailing from Kiama, NSW on Dharawal country, The Water Runners have returned to the Illawarra to share the vibrant blend of bluegrass-infused Australian folk that has been enjoyed at festivals and venues nationwide. Their virtuosity and well-crafted songs offer a rich storytelling experience ranging from the serious to the seriously fun.
Lace up and walk or jog for a more dementia-friendly world. Image: Memory Walk & Jog Facebook.
Memory Walk and Jog, Illawarra
When: Sunday 16 March, 7:30 am
Where: Lang Park, 1 Marine Drive, Wollongong
Cost: Family $87.75 | Adult $29.25 | Senior or Child $22.75 | Dog $10 | Junior Free | Book via Memory Walk.
Memory Walk & Jog is determined to beat dementia to the finish line by empowering you to raise funds for people impacted by dementia. The events are designed with the whole community in mind, so whether you’re super fit or a Sunday stroller, you can walk, jog, or run the course. With multiple distances there is something for everyone; guaranteeing you will have fun, raise funds and help create a dementia-friendly world. Walk courses are dog-friendly, too, but pooch passes are limited so be sure to register them for the event.
Thursday
Ocean Film Festival Tour
When: Thursday 20 March, 7 to 10 pm
Where: University Hall, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Keiraville
Cost: Adult $32 | Child $24 | Group $29 | Book via Humanitix.
Designed to mesmerise and enthral, the Ocean Film Festival World Tour showcases a three-hour celebration of our oceans comprised of sublime footage taken above and below the water’s surface. This unique collection of short films from around the globe documents the beauty and power of the ocean and celebrates the divers, surfers, swimmers and oceanographers who live for the sea’s salt spray; who chase the crests of waves; and who marvel at the mysteries of the big blue. The films feature captivating cinematography, complete with awe-inspiring underwater scenes and fast-paced wave sequences that have been captured from unbelievable vantage points.
