Wollongong's Illawarra Indigenous Business Expo has grown to 67 stalls since its 2023 debut. Nearly 600 people attended the fourth expo at Novotel. Organiser Maiquilla Brown, who runs the event through her Bimbala Collective business, said many visitors were non-Indigenous allies. Exhibitors included weavers, tradespeople, a plant nursery and a dairy launching in Western Sydney. Wollongong's Lord Mayor, Tania Brown, said the council started the expo with 30 businesses and now has over 65.
NSW Police are asking the public for help finding Ewan Meades, a 16-year-old boy last seen on a northbound train at Woonona at about 11:15 am on Thursday, 22 October. He was reported missing on Friday, and Wollongong Police have begun inquiries. Police and his family are concerned for his welfare, as he lives with autism. Ewan may be using the rail network to travel. Anyone with information about where he is should contact Wollongong Police.
Seven filmmakers from the Illawarra region have made the finals of the SmartFone Flick Fest, the world's largest smartphone film festival. Three of the 13 films picked for the main gala finals at the Sydney Opera House come from the region. The festival, now in its 12th year, was founded to make filmmaking accessible to anyone with a phone. Its director, Angela Blake, said the region has a lot of talent. The festival runs from Saturday, 31 October to Sunday, 1 November at the Opera House and White Bay Power Station.
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The Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog has been named October's frog of the month. It is found along eastern Australia and is very common within its range. Growing up to 2.5 centimetres, the frog makes a sharp, loud call for its size. It is usually found around ponds or swamps with plenty of reeds or sedge. A photographer spotted a male basking on a Lomandra bush beside the duck pond at the University of Wollongong, and in spring has counted up to 20 frogs in that single bush.
Australian Alexander Volkanovski defended his UFC featherweight title with a second-round TKO of unbeaten Russian Movsar Evloev in Abu Dhabi. The referee stopped the fight with six seconds of the second round left. It was Volkanovski's ninth UFC featherweight title fight win, a record. The 38-year-old, from Windang on the NSW South Coast, said he may keep fighting. In the co-main event, Petr Yan retained the bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili on a unanimous decision.
Dr Alison Haynes, a writer and conservation biologist, is introducing a new nature series for the Illawarra Flame. She moved to the Illawarra from Sydney in search of space and a garden. Rediscovering her interest in biology led her to a conservation biology degree, then a PhD studying how urban mosses survive city stresses. Her work has included field surveys of lizards, small mammals and bandicoots, and a four-week research trip to Antarctica in 2020. She plans to write about urban moss, city nature and community walks.
Eight Christmas markets across the Illawarra region are running from early November to late December. Events include the Wollongong Makers Market at UOW's Innovation Campus on 7 and 8 November, and a Port Kembla market at Red Point Arts Precinct on 14 November. Shoppers can find handmade jewellery, ceramics, gourmet treats and local crafts. Several markets offer live music, face painting and photos with Santa. The Kiama Seaside Markets on 20 December feature more than 150 stalls beside the Kiama Lighthouse.
Kiama council is progressing plans for a two-year trial of a special entertainment precinct, which could start by early next year. The precinct aims to boost live music, hospitality and the night-time economy through more flexible sound limits, longer trading hours and less red tape. Some critics say the proposal lacks ambition and want higher sound limits for longer periods. Councillors voted to progress the draft as originally recommended, with a month-long public exhibition still to come. Wollongong council is also investigating whether a similar precinct would suit its city centre.
A local history writer has long sought the architect of Rondanella, an unusual house at Kanahooka on the shores of Mullet Creek. Land title searches by researchers Wendy and Terry Nunan showed Charles Ormond Smith owned the property by 1914. The property passed to William James Johnson by mortgage in 1916 and was sold to Major Richard Pudsey Dawson in 1936. The writer suspects the Howard Smith family's architect, Verton Howard Bruce Smith, may have been involved, but says the link remains unproven.
Wollongong Pet Connection has named Tommy and Brock as its pets of the week, both seeking forever homes. Tommy is a two-year-old cat who is wary of people and needs a patient family to let him progress at his own pace. Brock is a five-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier cross who loves human company, long walks and time with other dogs. He has some fear of being confined in garages or rooms with closed doors. Interested adopters can apply through the Wollongong City Council website, and a council officer will arrange a meet and greet.
Parramatta Lanes recorded its biggest year yet, attracting more than 386,000 visitors over four nights from 21 to 24 October. The free festival used the city centre's streets, laneways and car parks for more than 400 performers, 70 food vendors and 10 stages. Lord Mayor Cameron MacLean said the event showcased the city's cultural diversity and its growing appeal in Western Sydney. The City of Parramatta said the festival was funded by the council and the NSW Government, with a $350,000 Open Streets grant to help deliver the event over three years.
Beau Lamarre-Condon has told a jury he wanted to tell the truth and do the right thing for the families of the couple he is accused of killing. He has pleaded not guilty to murdering TV presenter Jesse Baird and Qantas host Luke Davies at Baird's Paddington home in February 2024, and is arguing self-defence. In a phone call to a police helpline, he claimed he had suffered trauma and had been severely bullied by NSW Police officers. In a statement to police, he alleged a friend, known in court as Elizabeth Kennedy, urged him to hide the bodies.
Infrastructure Department officials have contradicted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's statement that a $6 million grant to the Marrickville Golf Club was meant to address sewage problems. At a Senate estimates hearing, officials confirmed the project does not include sewerage works. Albanese had told the House of Representatives the funding would fix a septic system that sends raw sewage into the Cooks River during floods. Opposition figures, including Dan Tehan and Senator Bridget McKenzie, have called on him to correct the record.
Brendon and Emma Reynolds have put the historic Junee Hotel on the market so they can move closer to family. The couple took over the lease in 2023 and later bought the property, restoring its rooms, bathrooms and bar. They have added community events, including a singles night that Emma says led to five relationships. Emma criticised government taxes on regional pubs and staffing rules that limit backpacker workers. The couple plan to live in the hotel while a sale progresses, which they say can take six to 12 months.
A surfer has died after being pulled from the water at Number One Beach in Seal Rocks, on the NSW Mid North Coast. Members of the public dragged the man from the water about 2.20pm on Monday. He was unresponsive. Paramedics tried to save him, but he died at the scene. He has not been formally identified but is believed to be in his 60s. The secluded beach sits opposite a caravan park and is popular with swimmers and surfers.
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Credit Corp Group, which buys bad debts at a discount and collects them, is on track for another record result this year. The listed business posted a record $105.5 million net profit in 2025/26 and is targeting between $112 million and $120 million this financial year. Chief executive Thomas Beregi told shareholders the purchase of one of HSBC's run-off credit card books was a key driver. Its consumer lending arms grew almost a fifth in the September quarter, led by its Wallet Wizard loans, which carry an annual interest rate of 47.8 per cent.
