Church of England came to the Illawarra with the establishment of a military detachment. Captain Bishop of the 40th Regiment and Charles Throsby Smith were authorised to conduct religious services.

Smith’s barn was used as a church—not only for Anglicans but for all denominations. Father Therry celebrated mass and Rev. Redhall took divine services for Anglicans.

The town of Wollongong was surveyed by Major Mitchell. Charles Throsby Smith had received a 300 acre land grant from Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1820. He gave a 2-acre block on one of the highest rises of his property to the Church of England—including a condition that the church block be approached by a street on each of its four sides. This caused Major Mitchell a good deal of mental anxiety! A plaque in the Northern Porch reads “To the glory of God and in memory of Charles Throsby Smith who gave the land on which these buildings stand.”

First St Michael’s built in Corrimal Street. This church building was demolished in 1859.

Bishop Barker laid the foundation stone for the new church building on its present site.

Bishop Barker consecrated the church building in the name of St Michael the Archangel. Psalm 24 was read as being appropriate for the ‘Church on the Hill’.

Pipe organ installed. Built by Walker & Son, London, which with freight cost 300 pounds.

Gas lighting replaced kerosene lamps and candles.

Bulli mine exploded. 81 miners died. Special services were held and the interior of St Michael’s was draped in black and the dead march was played on the organ.

Rectory foundation stone laid—completed in 1894.

Mount Kembla mine disaster. The burial register of St Michael’s records the deaths of men and boys killed on that day.

Small hall (now church offices) opened.

WWI. During these years St Michael’s bell rang each day at noon to summon people to pray for soldiers and for a “speedy termination of the war”.

A memorial tablet “to the Fallen” erected in church.

Main hall dedicated.

Stone fence erected to honour pioneers.

Laying up of the colours of the 34th Infantry Battalion. These flags are located in the Northern Transept.

St Michael’s Pre-school Kindergarten (the first pre-school in the Wollongong Area) began. Finished in 2005.

Covered way built, connecting office hall to church building.

Extension of large hall.

Original baptismal font now located in Northern garden besides the church.

Marketview built on Western third of the block.

Siteworks completed to improve disability access, improve drainage around Cathedral sandstone and upgrade the carpark.

New slate roof on the Cathedral, new bell housing and re-pointing of the upper Sandstone.

St Alban’s Anglican dedicated – a wooden structure across the road from the current church site. It was originally part of the Bulli parish.

Purchased three blocks of land (the current site).

First Curate, Rev. John King-Brown started.

Brick church building erected and the wooden church moved to the current site by bullock team and used as a hall.

A rectory (now the office & small hall) is built.

Rev Mutton absent, serving as Chaplain AIF (1943-45).

Bellambi Church Hall opened.

A church hall was built and opened in East Corrimal.

St Paul’s Fairy Meadow a provisional district, separated from Corrimal Parish.

New hall and rectory built. The old timber hall moved to Tarrawanna.

Bellambi and East Corrimal church halls sold.

Church refurbished – choir stalls and pulpit removed. New carpet laid.

Church moved into ministry space in the hall. Church building turned into ‘Hub’ for community ministries.

St Michael’s Wollongong + St Alban’s Corrimal become one Parish.

New Parent & Multi-purpose room in hall at Corrimal and Wollongong ‘1908 hall’.

At St Michael’s Anglican we are one church family with 6 congregations across two sites!
Our vision is to see more disciples of Jesus shining as lights in our city.