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Illawarra Images

Illawarra Images is a fascinating collection of more than 26,000 photographs of the Wollongong area since the 1800s. Images include people, places, buildings and events.

To find images from this collection, search our catalogue and select 'Illawarra Images' in the drop-down next to the search field.

Using our images

You can use images from our collection, but in some cases you will need permission from the library. Read the information below for details.

Please note, images on our catalogue are scanned at a low resolution. To request higher resolution copies, see the 'Purchase a digital image' section below.

You're welcome to download images from our catalogue for research or private use as long as you use the following acknowledgement:

From the collections of Wollongong City Libraries and the Illawarra Historical Society.

There is no charge to download images from the catalogue for research or private use.

You must get permission from the library before you use any images from our collection taken after 1955 for publishing, community or commercial purposes. This includes reproducing images on the internet.

Use the button below to apply for permission.

Before you apply, please note the following:

  • Make sure you have the image number starting with P for the image/s you want to use (for example, the image on this page is 'P04238'). Image numbers are shown on the detail page for each image on our catalogue.
  • You can request permission for up to 10 images at one time
  • We will contact you about your request within 10 days.

If you want a high resolution version of an image, see the 'Purchase a digital image' section below.

ItemCost
Low resolution JPEG downloaded from our catalogue
Recommended for web pages and non-published works
Free
300 DPI JPEG file, scaled to 3000px
Recommended for A4 prints, publications
$26.50 per image
800 DPI JPEG file, scaled to 8000px
Recommended for large format printing or high definition (HD) quality
$47 per image
USB drive (8GB)$8
CD$5.60
Postage and packaging within Australia
Please contact us for advice for postage outside Australia
$8.50

All prices are in Australian dollars and include GST.

Please note, you must get permission from the library before using an image for publication, community or commercial purposes. See the previous section on this page for details.

Before you apply to purchase a digital image from our collection, please note these points:

  • Make sure you have the image number starting with P for the image/s you want to use (for example, the image on this page is 'P04238'). Image numbers are shown on the detail page for each image on our catalogue.
  • You can request up to 10 images at one time
  • All images will be reviewed before we apply any fees. Fees are shown in the previous section of this page.
  • You will be issued with an invoice. The invoice must be paid before digital images can be sent to you.
  • Requests may take up to 10 days to be processed.

The Illawarra Images collection is also featured on the ImageLink website, along with collections of the Illawarra Historical Society and University of Wollongong Archives.

ImageLink uses image recognition technology to find similar images across the collections, based on their appearance.

Top image: South Wollongong Beach, 1956, image number P04238.
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