This Illawarra coastal town is undergoing a major transformation

AT A GLANCE: 

• Developer: Legacy Property
• Builder: Growthbuilt
• Address: 27 Railway Street, Corrimal, NSW 2518
• No. of Residences: 181 in Stage One; 550 overall
• Estimated Completion Date: Mid 2027 for Stage One

For more than a century, the Corrimal Coke Works was the industrial heartbeat of this coastal suburb. Now, Australian developer Legacy Property is giving the site a second life, and the result is one of the Illawarra’s most compelling new addresses.

Aptly named The Works Corrimal, the site will be an 18-hectare masterplanned community that reimagines 27 Railway Street as a walkable neighbourhood between the escarpment and the coast, with Stage One now underway and two- to four-bedroom apartments now selling.

“As Stage One progresses toward its mid-2027 completion, The Works represents a significant chapter in Corrimal’s evolution, transforming a site that once powered local industry into a walkable residential precinct designed for its next generation of residents.”

Steve Ball, development director at Legacy Property.

A site with history, reimagined for the future

Opened in 1912 by the Southern Coal Company, the Corrimal Coke Works was the oldest functioning coke works in the Southern Hemisphere until its closure in 2014. Rather than erasing that legacy, Legacy Property has embedded it into the masterplan, preserving the iconic 1912 brick chimney, retaining sections of the original C1 Coke Oven Battery, and adaptively reusing the former powerhouse building.

Interpretive displays and a First Nations Cultural Trail will also be woven throughout the precinct, acknowledging the deep significance of this site on Dharawal Country.

The residences

Stage One delivers 181 low-rise apartments across one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom configurations, designed by DKO to evoke understated, coastal-inspired luxury.

The scale is deliberate: low-rise buildings set within landscaped surrounds, with escarpment views framed by generous balconies that feel like a true extension of the living space rather than a token addition.

Inside, a restrained coastal palette brings the natural beauty of the outdoors in, with engineered timber flooring underfoot, pale granite benchtops paired with timber-grain cabinetry, and floor-to-ceiling glazing that floods every room with light. Kitchens are built around a breakfast bar made for lingering, with induction cooktops and 900mm ovens in three- and four-bedroom homes, perfect for the home chef.

With two interior colour schemes, lighter or warmer in tone, buyers can put their own stamp on the space before they move in.

More than seven hectares of open space

Balancing built form with biodiversity, more than half of the masterplan is dedicated to open space, designed by landscape architects Clouston Associates and Flame Tree.

Southern Park has been designed with the kind of variety that actually draws people outside: a nature play area for the kids, community gardens where residents can grow their own herbs and vegetables, a bush tucker trail celebrating the site’s Indigenous heritage, and a small amphitheatre tucked into the landscape for local events.

The Village Green is the social heart of the precinct, home to generous lawns shaded by tree canopy, covered picnic spots, a children’s playground, and a cultural trail winding through it all.

Adjacent to Corrimal Station, the Heritage Plaza brings everyday retail and a hospitality offering right to the doorstep, with a proposed childcare centre rounding out the neighbourhood conveniences.

Wollongong’s first 5-Star Green Star community

The Works has achieved a 5-Star Green Star community rating – the first development in Wollongong to achieve this certification. Water Sensitive Urban Design, recycled building materials, and energy-efficient construction underpin the sustainability approach, while more than 150,000 predominantly native trees and plants will be established along the rehabilitated creek corridor, restoring biodiversity to the site.

Between the escarpment and the coast

Corrimal has always had strong natural bones – beaches to the east, the dramatic green wall of the Illawarra Escarpment to the west – but The Works gives the suburb something it’s been missing: a genuine neighbourhood centre to anchor it all.

Here, Corrimal Town Centre with a Woolworths, Coles, and ALDI sits just 500 metres away, and Corrimal Station is right on the doorstep, putting Wollongong CBD about 6.5 kilometres south and Sydney within direct rail reach. Corrimal Beach, Towradgi Rock Pool, and Bellambi Lagoon Nature Park are all close by for the kind of everyday coastal life that most people only get on weekends. Cafés, breweries, local schools, and Wollongong’s hospital and university precinct complete the picture.

Two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments are selling.

Prices range from $854,250 for a two-bedroom home with two bathrooms and one car parking space, to $1,850,000 for a four-bedroom residence with a north aspect, two bathrooms, and two car parking spaces.

Click here to learn more or to enquire about The Works Corrimal.