johnd Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 we live just south of 'the gong' which is the 3rd largest city in new south wales!!!!. and after a recent trip back to the uk, ( we are going for good soon please god!), i couldnt help but compare a lot of things. wollongong is like a city in two halves, the front is nice and presentable but the rest.....it looks like it was done up when rick astley and bros were in the charts!!!. i know its an industrial town but i come from the north east uk and i can definatley say wollongong is years behind any large town there, ( regarding shops and facilties), although stockton-on-tees is fast becoming a dump, but it is still good for a night out!. the point is the 'gong' is a large regional centre and it is basically run down , the drive into town with vacant lots and boarded up shops is terrible. i for one will not be sorry to see the back of 'city of innovation', ha,ha, whoever thought up that one must have been smoking something illegal at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 I'm not surprised that the Gong is years behind any of the UK's towns and cities John, the Gong, Shellharbour and Kiama are only 150 years old, everyone used to shop in the Gong until they started building shopping centres in Corrimal, Warrawong, Warilla, Shellharbour and Dapto just to name a few. Apart from the harbour and surf beaches, I am not keen on the Gong either, but the reason for the decline in the Gong is due to the previous council, back handers, etc, etc, that's why they got the sack and administrators were put in their place. Many buildings were bought by developers, some even knocked down, and the whole city centre was going to be revamped, unfortunately the world economic crisis came along, so developers were not that keen to borrow money to start these projects, and that's why the Gong is in the state it is at the moment. If what is going on in the major town's and cities in the UK is what you call progress John, then I would rather them leave the Gong as it is and live in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnd Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 all depends on what you mean ,"whats going on in uk towns etc", we have all seen the documentries of pissed up men and women fallng around in the uk, etc, but i have seen this in the gong. i think the gong gets a bad rep for violence on a weekend as i havnt really seen much that much myself, i would probably agree with the stats on pub violence in the uk but i wont be going into the towns on a night myself, well not much. i suppose my posts can sometimes be a little 'colourful', buts thats how i view things in my head. i have seen a lot of 'derelicts' walking around in the gong, and it makes me think "what am i doing here this place is a dump", abandoned buildings/lots etc, which you have to a certain extent agreed. i know you get these type of people/problems in uk cities/towns, but my point is that i am from teesside which is hardly an outstandingly beautiful place, but on my recent trip back it SEEMED as if each seperate town, hartlepool, darlington, etc, was making an effort to look and feel 'better'. the shopping area in darlo on an afternoon was quite pleasent and it was interesting to walk about. yes there were the usual scum floating around but as the majority of the people were 'normal' and the surroundings ok it was just well.....pleasent. i definatley cannot say that about the gong. you have stated the reasons why it is in this way....but it is a regional centre!!, 3rd biggest city in nsw which in a country that had 'full employment' 18 months ago, but still had higher than the national average unemployment!!, it makes you think that somebody somewhere has forgotten about this part of oz....just keep pumping the steel out and she'll be right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Things will come good again in time John, the part of Crown St near the station is the worst part of the Gong, there are 2 methadone clinics, a refuge for homeless kids, plus prisoners released from prison are sometimes put up at a motel in that area, I don't have any problem in that area as I worked for Corrective Services for 15 years. I have seen the Gong grow from having one tower block and one main st to what it is today, it's only a matter of time before the new developments get underway, but it won't benefit me as I don't go there very often. After seeing some of the Sydney suburbs, we don't have a problem, the thing that gets to me is the size of Albion Park these days, it was the size of Jamberoo when came to live here, in my opinion, the area where the A'Park skate park is, is a bigger eye sore than anything I have seen in the Gong, and there is a lot more goes on there than meets the eye, some people leaving the pub around midnight on weekends is a problem too, I had a shock when I came past there a few months ago, loutish behaviour etc. In my native Sheffield there is at least one shooting per week, unemployment is far greater than it ever has been, and that is not uncommon in most UK cities from what I read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVN Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Hi John, sorry to hear things have not worked out for you over here in AP. I guess the grass is not always greener for some folk. I also live in AP and was not sure of it when I first got here, but 8 months in and I really like the area. There are a few Bogans around I agree LOL, but they are part of the culture and they are better than pikeys...hee hee. Maybe its still all new to me, but I simply love being near the coast, mountains, countryside. Im happy with my daughters school and we all have found a better life here than we had in the UK. ok yes the clothes shops are not to UK standards but thats not why i moved here, but hey there is always on line shopping for your old favourites. All the best for your return journey and i hope the cats get homes soon. have you tried advertising at the vets/local paper or perhaps the RSPCA in Unanderra. RVN x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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