Illawarra region
The Illawarra region covers the Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama local-government areas. It is a narrow strip of land, bounded by the Illawarra escarpment to the west and the coastline to the east, Garie Beach to the north and Gerroa to the south. The region’s terrain and coastal position influence local weather patterns and consequently air quality.
Monitoring and reporting
We monitor air quality at Wollongong, Kembla Grange and Albion Park South. Download the network site information (XLSX 44KB).
Using data from these stations, we provide hourly updated air quality categories (AQC).
Research studies
In 2015 the Department did a study on air quality trends in the Illawarra. This study is documented in a report titled Air Quality Trends in the Illawarra (PDF 4.6MB).
This report describes how air quality has changed in the Illawarra over the past two decades. It draws on data from DPE's air quality monitoring network, emission inventories, air quality modelling and particle speciation studies. It also describes the local airshed and identifies areas of future research to expand our understanding of air pollution and its impacts.
An overview of study findings is given in the infographic (PDF 6.2MB) showing air quality monitoring, air quality trends, health effects and sources of air pollution, and in Illawarra Air Quality Summary (PDF 393KB).
The summary is also available in:
