I’m often asked after I post up a shoot which location I used 🙂

Whilst I can try and answer everyone by personal message I thought I would just share the love by posting a nice big gallery of where are some popular spots to shoot, examples of the textures around and how to get there.

You may already know a few of them, but I figured I had to put them in there, being the most popular wedding photography locations in Wollongong. Now personally I like to scout out new locations so each eSession / shoot is different and custom to the couple. So there are a range of textures and scenes I like to use. Hope this helps!!

 

The Top Wedding Photography Photo Locations in Wollongong / Illawarra.

 

If you’re after Gardens / Greenery / Floral Surroundings, go for:

1) The Rhododendron Gardens – Mt Pleasant: (About 15 minutes North of Wollongong) A beautiful place for a wedding ceremony. It has a beautiful cove of trees making the light really beautiful to shoot in from 3pm in the afternoon.

Includes: A Gazebo, A duck pond covered in moss and liles, lots of greens and some rock steps which are perfect for staggering a bridal party.

 

2) Market Square, Wollongong: A beautiful place for a ceremony or just photos on location after your ceremony.

Features include: A gazebo with stairs, lamp posts to add that olden feel, a pathway with arching trees forming a canopy, palm looking trees.

3) Botanical Gardens, Keiraville (Close to the University of Wollongong): The Rose Gardens inside the Botanical Gardens is a very popular ceremony spot inside the gardens. It’s especially beautiful in April / May with vibrant autumn colours, see below for example.

Includes: Gazebo with quotes on the inside of the roof (cute!), a rose garden full of hedges and blooming roses in spring / summer, a duck pond with another gazebo sitting in the middle which looks amazing as a wide shot. There’s also a chinese bridge.

4) Puckey’s Bridge, Wollongong (Across from Wollongong Lagoon): A nice shady spot in the afternoon and yields beautiful light spots through the trees.

Includes: A wood bridge for texture, a canopy of trees lots of leafy textures.

5) The Lagoon, Stuart Park (Outside the Lagoon Function Centre): A good place to go in bright sunlight as you can hide away from the trees.

Includes: Yellow Grass Reeds, the beach side / sand, a view of Puckey’s bridge, Lots of trees.

If you’ve got time to travel 10 – 15 minutes away from Wollongong there are other places a little further down south.

6) Kembla Grange Race Course (Just before you hit Dapto off the Freeway):

Include: The base of a railway track / a row of posts, reeds / grass, a garden bed full of colourful flowers to sit around, a bridge, a grungy wall if you want a different effect.

7) Mullet Creek, Berkeley Reserve (Off Northcliffe Drive)

Includes a bridge, a lovely creek swimming with ducks, lots of trees, a walkway covered in trees.

If you’re after Rustic / Textured Surroundings, go for:

8) Wollongong Crown St – The perfect location for Non-Lighthouse photographs. These images were taken in an alley way just next to the Wollongong Famous Coffee shop, Lee & Me.

Includes: Textures everywhere! A beautiful archway, a brick Alley way and still a beautiful green leaf bush to still simulate a beautiful Garden look.

9) Port Kembla Outer Harbour (Take a left just before Port Kembla Train Station then the first right and you’re there!)

Includes: Railways, trains & carriages that change all the time, grey fences, Brick delivery blocks, corrugated iron, There are also a few greens down there if you’d like to also simulate something garden-like. I LOVE this location. I shoot there all the time.

10) Port Kembla Train Station (About a 2 minute drive from Outer Harbour above)

Includes: Big drums, a nice brick wall and if you can catch the train when it’s stopped for 10 minutes then you’ll get some great shots in a carriage. Great for a wet weather back up as the fence is sometimes open and you can use it as cover for your entire bridal party 🙂

11) Unanderra Petrol Station (On the main road)

Includes: Cool petrol pumps, Glass windows with a rustic shop inside, gritty grungy white textures and walls and even if you shoot into the night time an automated light should come on to backlight a shot if you need it.

 

If you’re after Water / Beach surroundings, go for:

12) Wollongong Boat Harbour / LightHouse (Just below the harbour front restaurant in Wollongong)

Includes: A whole range of shooting options here! It’s a big circle you can drive around in to use things like the Boat Shed (made of corrugated iron), Wollongong Lighthouse which is a very popular traditional wedding venue. Boats on the water and the rock wall are great too. There’s also a boat ramp you can use to get another perspective of the lighthouse.

Then drive around underneath the Harbour front restaurant and park at the Harbour front Function Centre to walk out onto the pier. At night time the Harbour front Pier lights up beautiful with the spot lights shining down making a great black and white shot.

13) Bulli Boat Ramps on Sandon Point (Just a 15 minute drive from the lighthouse, if you’ve got time to visit here I would highly recommend it!)

Includes:  5 great sections of the boat ramps to give a different backdrop, lots of corrugated iron, metal grates, wood palings on a door & wood ramps leading to the water. There’s also the sand, water, green bushes and the rock wall so it’s a heaven for a good mix of beautiful locations for wedding photos.

 

If you’re after Wet Weather back up locations for wedding photos, go for:

14) Cafe on Crown (Right near Lee and Me cafe on our Crown St location)

Includes: Includes a beautiful red fire wall, great spot lights in the bathroom and cute decor inside their cafe area. The staff are really helpful and are happy to have you in there for photos if you want to flick them a few photos after the wedding.. Vendors always love that!

15) Hotel Illawarra (Just on the Corner of Keira St and Market St)

Includes: There’s a great lounge and if it stops raining you can make your way outside where there’s a vibrant brick wall.

 

15) Wollongong Court House (No Photos available)

Includes: Lots of Archways & undercover sections, a great vintage feel.

16) The Novotel Lobby Bar (Cnr of Cliff Rd & Bourke St. No photos available)

Includes: A Lovely staircase, a lobby bar full of glass windows & sofa chairs, cool paintings to include in the frame.