ABC Illawarra

15/01/2026

Severe Weather ⛈️ HAIL, DAMAGING WINDS and HEAVY RAIN
​​​​​​​👉GIANT HAIL POSSIBLE EAST OF GOULBURN, INTENSE RAINFALL ON THE FAR SOUTH COAST
​​​​​​​⚬ DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORMS are likely to produce large, possibly giant hailstones, damaging winds and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding over the next several hours in parts of the Illawarra
Locations: Goulburn, Nowra, Bilpin, Katoomba, Blackheath and Calga

⚬ Park your car under secure cover and away from trees, powerlines and drains
⚬ A warm, moist, unstable atmosphere and a surface trough is producing thunderstorms across the State today.
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ℹ️ ​​ABC Emergency: ab.co/ABC-NSW
⚬ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Bureau of Meteorology: ab.co/BOMNSW
⚬ SES: www.hazardwatch.gov.au/

14/01/2026

Op shops are asking people to be mindful of what they donate following an influx of donations over the new year.

Volunteers say many items being donated are not usable. Read more: https://ab.co/45bus1B

13/01/2026

Lawyers for Chad Littmann have told a court he was camping when he lit two small fires in the Royal National Park near Sydney in December.

The magistrate has said the fires could have been "catastrophic", but his defence lawyer has argued he did not intend to cause damage or harm.

A magistrate tells a 48-year-old bus driver prison is his "only possible sentence" after he lit two small fires near Sydney in December.

13/01/2026

POST OFFICE RETURNS TO SHOALHAVEN HEADS

A new postal service has been set up at Shoalhaven Heads five months after the local Australia Post shop closed its doors.

The service will operate Monday to Friday, as well as until 1230pm Saturday's, for the delivery and collection of parcels and sale of stamps.

It comes after a petition with almost 400 signatures was supported by Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips to restore a service for the communtiy.

Ms Phillips said a new Australia Post post box will also be installed outside the Heads shopping centre for residents to easily mail letters.

13/01/2026

Wildlife rescuers say more black and grey-headed flying foxes could die in the coming days as a result of Saturday's heatwave.

A record-breaking 700 animals died at two known camps in Wollongong, with hundreds more in Sydney and southern NSW.

Read on... https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-13/hundreds-of-flying-foxes-die-in-east-coast-heatwave/106223198

12/01/2026

A woman has been airlifted to hospital after a car ran into a concrete wall near the Princes Highway at Shellharbour this afternoon.

Police say the single-vehicle crash happened at around 12:30PM when the car appeared to have left the road and hit a concrete wall near the roundabout at Shellharbour Road, Croom near the Princes Highway.

A 68-year-old female passenger was treated by paramedics at the scene and airlifted to St George Hospital in a serious condition with hip injuries.

The male driver in his 60s and an 8-year-old boy travelling in the back of the car were treated for minor injuries and taken to Wollongong Hospital, both in stable conditions.

Local police and the Crash Investigation Unit are investigating the cause of the crash and have appealed for anyone with dashcam footage or information to come forward.

RFS and Fire and Rescue NSW crews also attended to help with the removal of the car and fire suppression.

12/01/2026

RECORD-BREAKING FLYING FOX DEATHS

Australia's peak wildlife rescue organisation has confirmed a record-breaking number of black and grey headed flying foxes have died in the Illawarra as a result of Saturday's heatwave.

Bushcarer Marcus Burgess found around 500 dead animals on the ground and in low-hanging branches at Brooks Creek near Dapto.

Another 170 from a known camp at Figtree also died.

Storm Stanford is a bat carer for WIRES and said its the Illawarra's largest mass casualty event on record and trumps animal deaths in Sydney.

"And the reason for that is the black flying foxes are much less adapted - they're much more tropical animals," she said.

"At Wolli Creek, which is mostly grey headed flying foxes, they had at least 40 animals that are dead but a lot of that camp you can't get into so that's just a sample.

"We know that hundreds of animals have died at Parramatta and at Windsor."

Mr Burgess said it's a huge blow to the colony.

"We counted 1500 bats [at Brooks Creek] so its potentially a third of the population that has been killed this time unfortunately," he said.

Ms Stanford said the total number of fatalities could grow due to the impact of high temperatures on the animal's bodies and food.

"There's often a food shortage after a heat event because of course the nectar has dried as the trees are affected by the heat.

"The other animals affected by the heat will have renal failure and will take longer to die."

12/01/2026

ILLAWARRA FILMMAKERS SHINE

Five filmmakers from the Illawarra have been named as finalists in an international festival dedicated to films shot on smart phones.

Among locals honoured at the Smart Fone Flick Fest are child filmmakers Lucette Meisner and Aston di Donato who made the kids category finals with their films Transformation, and Naive.

Vladimir Zokitch's short film Namaste made the mini category, while Brandon Fairley and Steve Alexander-Wilson's film Cactus is listed as a gala finalist.

Mr Fairley says his film follows a man's battle with a gambling addiction and redemption.

"I've heard stories about people who lost homes or businesses or relationships, I thought I would incorporate something that is true," he said.

It will be played at the Sydney Opera House on Friday January 23 as part of the festival.

Mr Fairley said it was a huge moment for him when he found out he'd been named a finalist.

"When I found out it was a really good experience, I was gobsmacked," he said.

11/01/2026

A man remains behind bars charged over a car crash that left a 17-year-old girl dead at Appin on Thursday.

Luke Heathcote Heller didn't apply for bail in the virtual court on Saturday, where he faced 14 charges including driving under the influence of alcohol, and dangerous and aggravated driving occasioning death.

Police allege the 22-year-old's ute collided with a sedan on Appin Road in Appin Village on Thursday evening.

A teenage girl in the sedan died at the scene and two other people were airlifted to hospital where they're in a stable condition.

A 12 year old boy in the car sustained minor injuries.

Mr Heathcote-Heller was treated for minor injuries under police guard and charged on Friday afternoon.

He'll return to Campbelltown local Court in March.

For more on the crash, visit https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-09/appin-fatal-crash-a-22-year-old-driver-charged-/106212740

11/01/2026

A man who allegedly assaulted two police officers during a welfare check at Bawley Point has been granted conditional bail.

Police allege officers tried to speak to a 21-year-old man not wearing any clothes at Bawley Beach last Friday night when he became uncooperative and assaulted a male senior constable.

He allegedly resisted arrest - punching a female constable in the head and kicking the same male constable in the face, causing serious facial injuries.

The man was taken to Nowra Hospital under police guard before being taken to the local station and charged with four offences.

He was granted conditional bail on Saturday to reappear at Nowra Local Court later this month.

10/01/2026

Olympic medallist Jessica Hull has anchored Australia to victory in the mixed relay event at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida.

Hull teamed up with Oliver H***e, Linden Hall and Jack Anstey to win gold, with the Australians recording a time of 22 minutes and 23 seconds across the four 2 kilometre legs of the race.

Australia stopped the clock three seconds ahead of France, with Ethiopia third (22:34).

It is Australia's fifth medal in World Athletics Cross Country Championships history.

Olympic medallist Jessica Hull guides Australia home in the mixed relay event at the world titles in Florida.

10/01/2026

Surf Life Saving South Coast says a life jacket worn by a man swept off rocks at Kiama Blowhole helped save his life.

The 29-year-old was fishing early Sunday morning when he was knocked into the water by heavy waves.

Multiple agencies involved in the man's rescue found him about 50-metres offshore before an ambulance helicopter winched him to safety within half-an-hour.

He suffered only minor cuts.

Emergency Coordinator Josh Douglas said the life jacket allowed the man to float away from the rocks edge and await help.

“He wasn’t a strong swimmer,” he said.

“Naturally people panic and try to get back onto the rocks but that’s how they do further injury to themselves.

“But just having that life jacket, he was able to calmly float away from the sharp rocks and wait for help to come.”