Wollongong is a coastal city in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, about eighty kilometers south of Sydney, and a rental car is the easiest way to take in the region's escarpment, beaches and the famous coastal drive north. Wollongong has its own city-based car rental desks alongside a handful of options near the harbor and central business district, so visitors arriving by train or coach can pick up a vehicle without needing to travel first to Sydney, though Sydney Airport remains a common alternate pickup point for those flying in internationally.
From Wollongong, the Grand Pacific Drive runs north along the coast toward Sydney, threading past the Sea Cliff Bridge - a dramatic stretch built out over the ocean itself - and through small beach towns like Austinmer, Thirroul and Stanwell Park, a drive that typically takes ninety minutes to two hours if you stop at the lookouts along the way. Heading south instead takes you toward Kiama and its blowhole, and further on to Jervis Bay's white-sand beaches, both popular day-trip destinations from the city. Inland, the Illawarra escarpment rises sharply behind Wollongong, with lookout points reachable by a short, winding climb from the coastal flats.
Driving is on the left throughout Australia, which takes a little adjustment for visitors used to right-hand traffic, and Wollongong's roads range from busy city streets and the Princes Highway to narrower coastal lanes along the Grand Pacific Drive that reward unhurried, attentive driving. Fuel stations are plentiful in the city and along the main highway, though they thin out on some of the smaller coastal detours, so it is sensible to top up before a full day exploring the escarpment or heading south toward Kiama and Jervis Bay on any Illawarra road trip out of Wollongong. Parking in the city center is generally straightforward compared with Sydney, another reason many visitors base a coastal itinerary here.