Illowra Hill 60 Battery

Today the Illowra Hill 60 Battery gives fantastic views over the Illawarra Coastline, however, in World War Two it was the front line of defence for the region. With an observation post on top of the hill, the two guns placed below had commanding views of fire to defend Port Kembla and its steel industry.

Getting There

Located in Port Kembla near Fisherman’s Beach, the Hill 60 Lookout has a small car park and lookout platform which lets you admire views up and down the coast. Once you have finished here, drive to the lower car park, to the tunnel entrances.

The Illowra Hill 60 Battery Tunnels

Built to allow access to the gun emplacements, two tunnels descend steeply from the entrance. The steepest sections have concrete stairs, but be careful, as rocks and dust provide trip and slip hazards. Adjacent to the stairs are the pathways a small gauge trollyway ran on, delivering shells to the guns below.

Although dark, the tunnels have been decorated by previous visitors and almost every blank space is covered with the grafiti.

At the end of each tunnel are the remains of the concrete gun emplacements. The mounting plates are still present at both while No. 2 emplacement still has the gun-shield.

A cross tunnel connected No 1 and No, 2 tunnels, meaning you do not have to return to the same entrance. This was far darker than the main tunnels, which added to the interest in following it.

During our visit both tunnels were accessible, however both also had large metal doors. These may be locked at times.

View over the Coast From the Top of Hill 60.

Illowra Hill 60 Battery No. 2 Gun Position

No. 1 Gun Position Tunnel Illowra Hill 60 Battery — No. 1 Gun Position Tunnel

No. 1 Gun Position Mounting Plate Illowra Hill 60 Battery — No. 1 Gun Position Mounting Plate

Entrance to the No. 2 Gun Position Tunnel

What Did We Think?

We had a great time exploring these tunnels, as they were interesting for their history as well as being deserted and different to the usual abandoned emplacements on the coastline. They were easy to find and parking was easy and with great views.

Our photos are available for purchase on

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

Kurri Kurri Murals and Street Art

For an enjoyable few hours you can wander around the Hunter Valley town of Kurri Kurri and enjoy the over forty murals that have been painted on the town’s buildings.

We did the walk early on a Sunday morning, when there were few other people around. The tourist information and coffee shop were open though, so we did get our morning fix. Parking was easy in the main street and most of the murals are available either on, or just off Lang Street.

By following the local tourist map, we did not miss any in the town centre.

Kurri Kurri Buildings

The walk was very easy and on the trip, you get to see some of Kurri’s other interesting sites. There are two hotels on the main Lang Street, the Kurri Kurri Hotel and the Chelmsford. The Chelmsford looks like it needs some attention, but the Kurri Kurri looks very nice.

On our walk around we ran across the Masonic Temple.

Kurri Kurri Rotary Park

In the centre of town, you will find the Rotary Park. This contains the Big Kookaburra, the Miner’s Memorial and the War Memorial. The miner’s memorial commemorates all miners killed in the local coal mining industry. There is also a commemoration of the miners at Hill 60 near Ypres in World War One. We have visited this in our recent European trip and it was great to see this in the miner’s home town.