Coniston, New South Wales

Coniston is just north of the Port Kembla Steelworks and includes the Greenhouse Park, a one time waste pile converted into a natural park area with a weather station. The hill, known locally as "The Overseer" has a lookout over the city and Port Kembla. Coniston is also bordered to the west by the hill suburbs of Mangerton and Mount Saint Thomas.

Coniston has a variety of businesses including The Coniston Hotel, formally Gilmore's Hotel, a bakery, 24 Hour petrol station and several other specialty stores. Coniston has long been serviced with its own Bulk Billing Medical Centre, Coniston is also well known for its successful soccer club, Coniston juniors.

History

Coniston takes its name from HMS Coniston, a British naval vessel that visited the Illawarra during the early 1800s. Its name was formerly known as Mount Drummond, after J. Drummond, a landowner of the area.

Originally inhabited by the Tharawal people, European settlement began in the early 19th century and the area was later used for industries of agriculture and coal mining. In 1923, with the construction of the Illawarra railway line, Coniston was transformed into a residential suburb, now part of Wollongong.