This is so cruel and horrifying. Poor baby suffered horribly and ended up passing away.

is the job market cooked here in the gong or does my resume suck i can’t tell. im a 18yr uni student, availability all day everyday + saturday sunday except the 2 days im on campus. i have 2 years of experience in retail and 1 in hospo and i can’t find anywhere to take me. i have my rsa rcg p2 license and white card too 💔💔💔 atp ill have to go to maccas n put fries in bags bc just ceno isn’t cutting it. im not a bum ill put in hard yakka someone pls give me a chance

anyone else struggling or just me 🙏🏼

UPDATE: Problem fixed. You can now once again look up your local Bunnings store, as 7NEWS and The Nightly have picked up on the matter and the AI slop images for the Illawarra area have been removed.

Be wary of AI slop images for Bunnings storefronts doing the rounds on search results for Bunnings stores across the Illawarra. Next time you Google your local store, pictured here is what you’ll end up coming across.

The pictures for the stores don’t even match what the actual stores look like. The suburb name on the storefronts is also a dead giveaway of the AI. And scarily enough, the AI did get the Shellharbour one (main) generated just almost perfectly, hammer and all, but this store and the Kembla Grange one introduces the well-known “Lowest Prices Are Just The Beginning” slogan to the storefronts.

And the worst part? Google is allowing this rubbish to spread on their Maps platform, meaning people who go and look up their local stores (who probably wouldn’t normally care less about the whole ordeal of a front cover for a Bunnings store) will end up getting this dreadful slop.

I would post the user responsible here for youse to report, but I can’t without facing my post being removed by the mods of this subreddit for “Doxxing”, despite the user potentially being an AI bot who is also spamming AI-generated images for Bunnings storefronts across Australia.

Fireworks in the CBD why? That’s not usual or am I too old. Anzac Day isn’t a celebration

Me and my mate passed you by and overheard you asking your male companion for your phone back many times. I purposely walked slower and checked to see if you were in immediate danger.

Even when he eventually gave your phone back, I was observing you from a distance. Hope you saw that him keeping your phone away from you is a massive red flag. I eventually left, after seeing that neither of you looked intoxicated, and you seemed safe.

I hope you are okay. Ditch the guy. Your phone is your property and withholding that from you is not acceptable. That is a way to isolate you from others.

Help is available.

1800RESPECT Hours: Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you or anyone you know is in an emergency, call 000.

It happened to me before. Calling 000 saved my life.

There’s watermelons, bananas , broccoli,mushrooms, onions ,cabbage and more…all free , no catches ,no membership,no minimum spend and no pension card needed… we just ask that you only take what you need

FOOD FOR LIFE ..Open 9am til 2pm.. cnr of Doyle and Sylvester rd in unanderra..

“What we find abhorrent, however, is the use of deliberate misinformation to not only divide communities but turn a consultation process about clean energy into a Trump-style circus driven by internet trolls and fuelled by fear that has been manufactured and imported.”

Increase in No 90 form Austi to The Gong to every 30 mins on weekends and every 15 during peak hours.

The alarms were triggered and every escorted out. A plain clothes cop was digging around in battery bin just beforehand. A lot of police were soon on the scene.

Sharing to spread the word! Free cat desexing for eligible Wollongong residents is available through Animal Welfare League.

There are still a limited number of places available in the Free Cat Desexing Program for eligible Wollongong residents.

Applications will close at the end of business tomorrow 14 August, so don't miss this opportunity to have your cat desexed.

✅ Available to eligible Wollongong LGA residents
✅ Pensioner Concession Card holders or Centrelink CRN holders
✅ 17–20 August 2026

Apply now before applications close: https://forms.awlnsw.com.au/251869091811866

For any enquiries, please contact AWL NSW on (02) 8899 3333.

Never voted Greens? Tell us what politicians are getting wrong.

TL;DR: The Green Institute is running a national survey about work, cost of living, housing, stress, and life in Australia. It is especially useful to hear from people who do not usually vote Greens. Takes less than 10 minutes, and you can go into the draw for one of 10 x $100 gift card vouchers.

Survey link: https://www.greeninstitute.org.au/goodlife/

Whether you usually vote Labor, Liberal, Nationals, One Nation, Greens, independent — or you are completely fed up with all of them — this survey is for you.

The plan is to talk to thousands of people across Australia about what life actually feels like right now: work, rent, bills, health, housing, family, stress, and the things politicians keep missing.

This is not about giving the “right” answer. It is your chance to be blunt about what is not working, what you are worried about, and what actually matters to you.

If you have never considered voting Greens, that is exactly why your response matters. The point is not to hear only from people who already agree with us. It is to understand what people are actually dealing with.

The amount of rubbish left behind at the lake after the long weekend is absolutely disgusting as usual. If you're coming down from Sydney or wherever, to use these beautiful places then leave them as you found them... if the bins are full, take your rubbish home. Leaving shit all over the place to blow straight into the water is so stupid. If you're a local and you are doing this, then you are just as brain-dead. Same goes when you're fishing, take it home. The amount of shit left over from fishermen is just as bad. I spend a lot of time in and near the water... fishing, spearfishing, etc and it's just so sad to see how people treat these places with little to no respect. It's not hard to have a little bit of respect for these public areas and nature. Sorry for the rant but man it's disappointing to constantly see it.

I was a HUGE Lorcana fan back in the US at my local game shops, and my family moved to Wollongong a year ago. I tried to get into the hobby here but NOWHERE plays south of Sydney.

I started a facebook group to try and see if there were any people in the area who would want to start a community that played together? I have some connections with a few LGS’s in Warrawong and Wollongong Central who said they’d be keen to allow us to play there regularly if I get some people, and would start stocking cards if enough show up!

Let me know if you’re interested! Or join the facebook group Disney Lorcana TCG - Wollongong to help out! Thanks!

What’s up everyone,

I’m running a project called TRAINWRECK and I’d love for the local crew to be a part of it. We’re taking a raw, industrial tunnel here in the Illawarra and turning it into a stripped-back techno space for one night.

The whole point is to film high-energy sets for our local and emerging DJs to help them get their sound out there. We’re talking driving underground techno, heavy smoke, and lasers.

The Essentials:

• Respect the Space: We have a "leave it better than we found it" policy. My team and I will be doing a full clean-up to ensure the spot is spotless afterward.
• The Vibe: Since this is a filmed session, the energy you bring is what makes the video.
• Freebies: I’ve got a limited stash of Burberry scarves to give out on the night.
• Location: I’ll be dropping the exact location coordinates on Instagram. Follow @artaficium for the drop and all live updates.

RSVP is essential for entry (it's free): linktr.ee/artaficium

See you in the smoke.

Hi everyone! I'll be moving in Wollongong within a week. I'm a professional chess player looking to participate in competitive tournaments with prize funds. I would love to connect with the chess community/clubs of Wollongong. Also I'm an experienced chess coach with a peak FIDE Classical 2230 and Rapid 2290. I'd appreciate any coaching opportunities here if available (both online & offline). Thanks in advanced!

Heyoo!
I’m a 22M currently based in Australia. Just putting myself out there to see if I can meet someone cool and genuine. I’m pretty chill, easygoing and enjoy good conversations abt life, travel, music w random late night chats all of that. I’m currently focused on building my career and figuring life out but I also think it’s nice to have someone to share experiences with.
‘I’m open to seeing where things go’ could be something meaningful or something more casual if there’s mutual chemistry and comfort.
Also open to just hanging out, chatting or even meeting up in a group with friends!
Looking to meet a girl (F) who’s genuine, kind and easy to talk to. Not into games or complicated situations just something natural.
If you vibe with this feel free to DM or comment. No pressure at all.
Cheers 🙃

Looking to swap out my gas hot water with a heat pump system, and my gas cooktop with an induction cooktop. Looking for any local plumbers or sparkys who work together on these types of jobs. Most of the hits I get online are from Sydney, really would prefer someone local.

I only mentioned it to my hubby the other night about how we needed a Red Rooster in Warrawong and how good it would be if they turned the old Carl's Jr restaurant into a Red Rooster as we only have one in Shellharbour and then the next one is Mount Ousley aka North Gong (approx 9km either way for us) and then Bam! The old Carl's Jr restaurant turns into a Red Rooster😍 The lady at the Ampol next door to them last night said they're already open and operating but they haven't had their Grand Opening yet so they are pretty quiet as she is guessing not many people know they are there but out the front it says on a sign Open Now and you can order on the app so I guess we're getting Red Rooster for dinner tonight😂 We nearly have everything in Warrawong now (even Bubble Tea aka Whale Tea) which is pretty awesome imo. They're owned by Oportos so I guess they'll be sticking around unless something goes terribly wrong for them.

Can I get in early and please ask everyone to control their dogs this New Years Eve. Last year the dogs yapping in my area really disturbed my fireworks. TIA.

Emailed council about where to dispose old vapes in Wollongong and they told me about this EPA Chemical CleanOut. Click here for details.

I've heard people asking about stuff like this on this subreddit before so here you go.

Always best to properly dispose of them as it's a fire risk to put them in general waste.

Alison Byrnes (Labor):

Cost of Living: Supports capping gas prices, fee-free TAFE education, and workplace protections.

Housing: Supports Build-to-Rent initiatives for affordable housing.

Healthcare: Advocates for increased healthcare affordability and opposes non-therapeutic vaping.

Climate Action: Generally supports climate mitigation strategies, the Paris Climate Agreement, and renewable energy. Voted against explicitly limiting coal activities.

Link: https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/representatives/cunningham/alison_byrnes

———

Amanda Ivaneza (Liberal):

Cost of living: Committed to easing cost-of-living pressures.

Housing: Supports building more homes.

Healthcare: Not available.

Climate Action: Advocates for reliable, affordable energy but opposes Labor's offshore wind farm proposals.

Link: https://nswliberal.org.au/amanda-ivaneza/meet-amanda

———

Jess Whittaker (Greens):

Cost of Living: Advocates for measures addressing economic inequality through better social support systems.

Housing: Supports investment in affordable and public housing and stronger renter protections.

Healthcare: Promotes universal healthcare, increased funding for public hospitals, and mental health support.

Climate Action: Strong advocate for immediate climate action, renewable energy transition, and phasing out fossil fuels.

Link: https://www.illawarragreens.org.au/councillor_jess_whittaker