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The Daily Mavericki

Bellambi outdoors: weather, beaches and tides

Beaches, tides, trails and things to do in the fresh air.

Updated

Sunday 25 October 2026 · No. 11

Community. Information. Together again.

Australia’s first free regional hub, sourced by AI, powered by U. No editorial. No opinions.

Refine to your area

Source: The Northern Rivers TimesFour Charged After Alleged Drug, Firearm And Police Uniform SeizureFour Charged After Alleged Drug, Firearm And Police Uniform Seizure Police allege officers seized four kilograms of illicit drugs, six rifles, ammunition and Queensland Police uniform items during an operation at Banora Point. Three men…Thu, 1 Oct · Read the full story →
One app instead of 40+ (37 here)

= 1 Daily Maverick

Live alerts: 1 fire within 100 km · 1 weather warning. See alerts →

Coming up in the sky: Asteroid 2025 UK9 passes closer than the Moon (314,648 km away), Sat, 31 Oct in 6 days · Asteroid 524522 passes 15.7 times as far away as the Moon, Tue, 3 Nov in 9 days. More in the sky →

–Weather
–Rain chance
–Wind
–Sunrise
–Next tide
–Swell
–Moon

Alerts

In an emergency call 000.

Fire danger today

🟢 MODERATE Plan and prepare.

No Total Fire Ban today. Gas, electric, wood and charcoal BBQs are fine with care: keep an adult on it, water handy and nothing that burns nearby. Burning off or a fire in the open? Check if you need a permit.

Tomorrow: 🟢 MODERATE

Source: NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire Danger Ratings (Illawarra/Shoalhaven). Updated Sun, 25 Oct, 5:07 pm.

Fires within 100 km

  • NEWELL HWY, GRONG GRONG Not Applicable
    NEWELL HWY, GRONG GRONG 2652 · 377 km away · Responding · 0 ha

Source: NSW Rural Fire Service, Fires Near Me. Updated Sun, 25 Oct, 5:41 pm.

Weather warnings

Source: Bureau of Meteorology, NSW warnings. Updated Sun, 25 Oct, 5:41 pm.

Roads now

  • Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup: Harbour Street, Wollongong 6 km away · updated 7 Oct, 3:53 pm
  • Rugby League World Cup: Harbour Street, Wollongong 6 km away · updated 7 Oct, 3:55 pm
  • A-league Men: Pembroke Road and Rose Payten Drive, Leumeah 36 km away · updated 22 Oct, 2:32 pm
Roadwork nearby (17)
  • Scheduled Roadwork Upgrade: Princes Motorway, Wollongong 3 km away · updated 20 Feb, 2:17 pm
  • Scheduled Roadwork: Princes Highway, North Wollongong 4 km away · updated 23 Sept, 11:04 am
  • Scheduled Roadwork: M1 Princes Motorway, Bulli Tops to Gwynneville 7 km away · updated 23 Oct, 4:22 pm
  • Scheduled Roadwork Maintenance: M1 Princes Motorway, Figtree to Dapto 8 km away · updated 16 Oct, 12:46 pm
  • Scheduled Roadwork: Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Scarborough 14 km away · updated 14 Oct, 10:28 am
  • Scheduled Roadwork: Princes Highway, Dapto 19 km away · updated 23 Oct, 5:00 am
  • Scheduled Roadwork: Appin Road, Appin 23 km away · updated 14 Oct, 4:10 pm
  • Scheduled Roadwork Maintenance: Picton Road, Wilton to Cataract 23 km away · updated 23 Oct, 4:22 pm
  • Scheduled Roadwork Upgrade: Tongarra Road, Albion Park 25 km away · updated 24 July, 9:48 am
  • Scheduled Roadwork: Hume Motorway, Wilton 26 km away · updated 21 Aug, 1:39 pm
  • Scheduled Roadwork Resurfacing: Hume Highway, Menangle 27 km away · updated 13 Oct, 10:07 am
  • Scheduled Roadwork Resurfacing: Muru Balawarri Avenue, Gilead 29 km away · updated 12 Oct, 9:09 pm
  • Scheduled Roadwork Slope Stabilisation: Illawarra Highway, Macquarie Pass 31 km away · updated 6 Oct, 5:00 am
  • Scheduled Roadwork Utilities: Menangle Road, Campbelltown 32 km away · updated 7 Oct, 7:34 pm
  • Scheduled Roadwork: Heathcote Road, Heathcote 35 km away · updated 19 Oct, 12:53 pm

Source: Live Traffic NSW (Transport for NSW, open data)

More local stories today

“As a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, so the wise are not moved by praise or blame.”— The Buddha, Dhammapada, v. 81

More headlines

These stories are written and owned by and, when they mention your area, national outlets like the ABC, SBS and The Guardian, not us. We show the headline (and for local outlets a short summary); tap a story to read it in full on their site. Thank you to them for the hard work they do: we’re a community hub, not a news outlet, and we’re here to send them more readers. means that site may ask you to subscribe. The good, the bad and the ugly are sorted by a free AI from each headline’s topic, not by our opinion. Updated Sun, 25 Oct, 3:09 pm.

One app instead of 40+

Your page right now: 37 apps and sites you no longer need to check.

No more checking 37 apps and websites every morning: that’s about 37 min back every day, or 4 hr 19 min a week (at about a minute an app). Everything below is on your page or one tap away.

= 1 Daily Maverick, your way

See which feature replaces which app

Scam watch

Buying from a business you don't know? Check the NSW Fair Trading Complaints Register first: it lists businesses with 10 or more complaints in a month.

Scam watch: report a scam, the tips banks agree on, product recalls →

What's on

Specials, members nights, trivia, live music, markets and events around Wollongong, in one place.

Read from each venue's own website twice a day. Specials can change, so check with the venue before you go. Know a venue we're missing? Tell us.

What’s on in Bellambi

Nothing listed in 2518 yet. Know something on? Add it free.

+ Add an event (free)

Births, Deaths and Marriages

Births

Welcome to the world.

No recent notices.

Share a birth (free) →

Deaths

Remembering locals who have passed. Our thoughts are with their families and friends.

No recent notices.

All recent notices →

Marriages

Engagements, weddings and big anniversaries.

No recent notices.

Share your news (free) →

Just for curiosity

Trending baby names

Top 10 across NSW, 2025

Girls

  1. CHARLOTTE =
  2. AMELIA =
  3. OLIVIA =
  4. ISLA ▲1
  5. MIA ▼1
  6. SOPHIA ▲3
  7. CHLOE ▼1
  8. HAZEL =
  9. LILY ▲2
  10. SIENNA ▲3

Biggest climber: LAINEY, up 41 to #56

Highest new entry: AMIRA at #79

Boys

  1. NOAH =
  2. OLIVER =
  3. THEODORE =
  4. LUCA =
  5. LEO ▲1
  6. HENRY ▼1
  7. ELIJAH ▲3
  8. LEVI ▲5
  9. HUDSON ▼1
  10. JACK ▲4

Biggest climber: ELIAS, up 52 to #35

Highest new entry: MATEO at #65

Source: the latest full-year list from the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Arrows show the move since 2024. NSW doesn't publish names by town. Checked Sun, 25 Oct, 3:10 pm.

See all Births, Deaths and Marriages →

Handy tools

☰ Everything on the Daily Maverick Every page we have, in one place → Community notice board Lost pets, volunteers, clubs and classes. No buy and sell → My home Bin night reminders and a house-sitter sheet to print or share → Why Wollongong? What's special about the area, every fact sourced → 🟢 What’s open? Local or visiting: pharmacies, doctors, servos, cafés, mechanics and more. Open ones first → Dog beaches & parks Off-leash spots near you → Dog-friendly cafés & pubs Places happy to see your dog → LGBTQ+ friendly Local places that welcome everyone → What are you binging? Shows, podcasts and channels locals vote for, and why → What's in your fridge? Dinner ideas from what you've already got → Birthday deals Which local places look after you on your big day → Kid Zone Games for kids 12 and under, with a grown-up’s OK. No chat, no ads, nothing collected → Gen Alpha interpreter What did your kid just say? Jimmy Joel translates → Births, Deaths and Marriages Family notices, filtered by what you’re looking for → Renting Every rental site, plus your rights and bond help, in one place → Jobs Every job site in one place, already searched for Wollongong → School run check Weather and traffic for your school drop-off and pick-up →

Dog friendly

Off-leash beaches, dog parks and places happy to see your dog. If there’s nothing mapped, it says so.

Source: OpenStreetMap (OpenStreetMap contributors), the free map anyone can add to.

LGBTQ+ friendly

Local places that welcome everyone. If there’s nothing mapped, it says so.

Source: OpenStreetMap (OpenStreetMap contributors), the free map anyone can add to.

Fuel prices in Wollongong

Loading fuel prices…

Source: NSW FuelCheck

Grocery watch

Coming soon

Team Smarketing is on it.

Comparing everyday prices at Woolworths, ALDI and Coles. The first prices land at the next check.

Good things take time.

You choose what we watch

Suggest something for Grocery watch, or vote for a local’s idea. 50 votes and it goes up, all by itself.

Loading ideas…

Today in numbers

Facts from the sources named, side by side. No opinions: make up your own mind.

Big tech watch

Figures from June 2026

900 millionPeople using ChatGPTevery week (February 2026)
vs
3.6 billionPeople using Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp or Messengerevery day (June 2026)

OpenAI, via TechCrunch · Meta second quarter 2026 results

Figures from March 2026

13.6 millionAustralians using AI tools58% of people 14+, in an average four weeks (Jan to Mar 2026)
vs
about 4.7 millionKids' social media accounts deactivated or restrictedunder Australia's under-16 ban (reported January 2026)

Roy Morgan · eSafety Commissioner, via Associated Press

Figures from June 2026

US$60.8 billionMeta's revenueApril to June 2026
vs
US$15.85 billionMeta's profitApril to June 2026

Meta second quarter 2026 results

Life and death

Figures from December 2021

222Australians killed by horses2001 to 2021
vs
39Australians killed by sharks2001 to 2021

National Coronial Information System, via ScienceAlert

Figures from December 2021

0Australians killed by spiders2001 to 2021
vs
45Australians killed by bees2001 to 2021, all from allergic reactions

National Coronial Information System, via ScienceAlert

AI for good, AI for bad

A recent AI story of each kind from the news, so you see both sides.

AI for good

The first story is on its way.

AI for bad

The first story is on its way.

Headlines from The Guardian and Google News, sorted into good and bad by AI, so check the full story. See every story we've logged.

Learn how AI can help in your everyday life, from your local experts at Maverick Digital →

Grog watch

Beer, wine, spirits, cider: the price at local bottle shops, posted by the shops themselves. Search for anything, or filter by type. Local only, so your money stays in town.

Checking local prices…

Cheapest In between Dearest

Own a local bottle shop? Post your price free

You choose what we watch

Suggest something for Grog watch, or vote for a local’s idea. 50 votes and it goes up, all by itself.

Loading ideas…

Source: prices posted by local shops, with the date they posted. Shown for 30 days. We don't check the big chains: local only. Please drink responsibly.

Banks and the RBA

Home loan rates at the big four, and how quickly each passed on the Reserve Bank's (RBA) rate changes. Numbers only.

Cash rate: 4.60% since 29 Sept 2026

How fast they passed on RBA changes

CommBankWestpacNABANZ
Average days to pass on a rise10.012.010.010.0
Average days to pass on a cut10.014.011.010.0
Rises passed on in full4 of 44 of 44 of 44 of 4
Cuts passed on in full3 of 33 of 33 of 33 of 3

Days from the RBA's decision to the date the bank's new variable rate took effect, for the 7 RBA moves since February 2025.

Every RBA move and what each bank did
RBA decisionCommBankWestpacNABANZ
29 Sept 2026
▲ +0.25 to 4.60%
+0.25
9 Oct 2026 · 10 days
+0.25
9 Oct 2026 · 10 days
+0.25
9 Oct 2026 · 10 days
+0.25
9 Oct 2026 · 10 days
5 May 2026
▲ +0.25 to 4.35%
+0.25
15 May 2026 · 10 days
+0.25
15 May 2026 · 10 days
+0.25
15 May 2026 · 10 days
+0.25
15 May 2026 · 10 days
17 Mar 2026
▲ +0.25 to 4.10%
+0.25
27 Mar 2026 · 10 days
+0.25
31 Mar 2026 · 14 days
+0.25
27 Mar 2026 · 10 days
+0.25
27 Mar 2026 · 10 days
3 Feb 2026
▲ +0.25 to 3.85%
+0.25
13 Feb 2026 · 10 days
+0.25
17 Feb 2026 · 14 days
+0.25
13 Feb 2026 · 10 days
+0.25
13 Feb 2026 · 10 days
12 Aug 2025
▼ -0.25 to 3.60%
-0.25
22 Aug 2025 · 10 days
-0.25
26 Aug 2025 · 14 days
-0.25
25 Aug 2025 · 13 days
-0.25
22 Aug 2025 · 10 days
20 May 2025
▼ -0.25 to 3.85%
-0.25
30 May 2025 · 10 days
-0.25
3 June 2025 · 14 days
-0.25
30 May 2025 · 10 days
-0.25
30 May 2025 · 10 days
18 Feb 2025
▼ -0.25 to 4.10%
-0.25
28 Feb 2025 · 10 days
-0.25
4 Mar 2025 · 14 days
-0.25
28 Feb 2025 · 10 days
-0.25
28 Feb 2025 · 10 days

Integrated Finance Group · Mortgage Professional Australia · Savings.com.au · Canstar · Finder · Savings.com.au · The Motley Fool. Cash rate from the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Bellambi tide times & fishing

Loading…

Tide times are modelled estimates. Not for navigation; check the Bureau of Meteorology before boating.

Know your 2518

The handy stuff, all in one place. Every item is sourced and shown as the source has it. We don’t edit it. We tell you where it’s from and how well the owner keeps it up to date.

Who runs the place
  • Wollongong City Council. Mayor, councillors and meeting dates: council's website
  • Team Smarketing is reading council's site so this box fills in with the mayor, councillors, meetings and who to call. Spotted them first? Send them in
Bins & rubbish
Got a problem?
Contact council

Spotted something out of date? Let us know.

Renting

Looking for a place in Wollongong? Every rental site, already searched for you.

Every rental site, your rights and bond help →

Jobs

Looking for work in Wollongong? Every job site, already searched for you.

Every job site, plus council, harvest and local employers →

Wollongong Council watch

Keeping an eye on Wollongong City Council, with every item linked to its source.

Meeting dates are on the council's meetings page.

Is council doing what it said?

Every three months Wollongong City Council reports on its own plan. We'll show its latest report here, in its own words.

How's council doing?

The unofficial Maverick poll, once a month. Be the first this month. All results

Have your say or make a complaint

🏅 Mini Maverick Award

Maverick Digital encourages digital safety for kids. Every Kid Zone game is designed to help with that: a safe place where kids can play and mums and dads can feel safe.

Each month, the top three kids on the Kid Zone leaderboards win the Mini Maverick Award, for proving they’re little mini Mavericks:

  • 🥇 $25 first place
  • 🥈 $15 second place
  • 🥉 $10 third place

📍 Spent at a local Wollongong business. No multinationals, no chains, no fast food.

Only a winner’s first name is ever shown, with their parent or carer’s OK.

Play in Kid Zone → · Local businesses: be a place winners spend it

🌳 Get outside this weekend

Things for kids and families to do outdoors, free or under $50 a kid. This weekend: Sat, 24 Oct and Sun, 25 Oct.

No kids' events listed for this weekend yet. Running one? Add it free and tick "Good for kids".

Always-good local favourites

    Outdoor and affordable, picked by locals. Check times and prices before you go · Suggest one

    National parks and visitor info

    Park alerts and closures around Wollongong, straight from NSW National Parks, plus the official places to plan a visit. We source it, we don’t write it.

    No current alerts for parks around Wollongong.

    Source: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, alerts. Updated Sun, 25 Oct, 5:07 pm.

    Visitors to regional NSW

    64.7 million visitors, 102.9 million nights and $27.7 billion spent across regional NSW in the year ending June 2026, including 685,800 international visitors.

    Source: Destination NSW, Regional NSW statistics. Updated Sun, 25 Oct, 12:00 am.

    Plan a visit

    Sport & field closures

    Coming soon

    Team Smarketing is on it.

    Field closures and local sport. Clubs can post games and closures free via Add an event.

    We're building it right, not fast.

    Holidays

    Next NSW public holidays

    • Fri, 25 Dec: Christmas Day in 61 days
    • Mon, 28 Dec: Boxing Day in 64 days
    • Fri, 1 Jan: New Year's Day in 68 days
    • Tue, 26 Jan: Australia Day in 93 days

    Source: Nager.Date public holidays. Updated Sun, 25 Oct, 3:09 pm.

    In the sky, next 14 days

    Asteroids passing by

    • Sat, 31 Oct: 2025 UK9, about the size of a car (roughly 3 to 6 m), passes closer than the Moon (314,648 km away) at 7.8 km a second in 6 days
    • Tue, 3 Nov: 524522, bigger than three footy fields (roughly 207 to 463 m), passes 15.7 times as far away as the Moon at 8.7 km a second in 9 days
    • Tue, 27 Oct: 2026 TB94, about the size of a bus (roughly 19 to 44 m), passes 5.1 times as far away as the Moon at 11.6 km a second in 2 days
    • Sun, 25 Oct: 2026 UE, about the size of a bus (roughly 18 to 41 m), passes 5.2 times as far away as the Moon at 15.9 km a second today

    Source: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. Updated Sun, 25 Oct, 3:09 pm. None of these will hit Earth. Most are too faint to see without a big telescope

    Next school holidays

    • Summer school holidays: Fri, 18 Dec to Wed, 27 Jan in 54 days
    • Autumn school holidays: Mon, 12 Apr to Fri, 23 Apr in 169 days

    Public schools in the Wollongong area. Source: NSW Department of Education · Private schools may differ

    🧩 Crossword

    Today’s Wollongong crossword in three levels: 🟢 Easy, 🟡 Medium and 🔴 Hard. Sign in free to keep your streak and best times. Play today’s →

    ✨ Horoscopes

    Your stars for Sunday 25 October. Full moon tonight-ish: big feelings, big fun. This is the Year of the Fire Horse 🐎.


    🎂 Add your birthday and we'll set your Western and Vedic signs:

    Bellambi beaches, surf & surf cams

    –Water temp
    –Waves
    –Wind
    –UV today

    Surf cams

    Coastalwatch charges for its live surf cam feed, so we can’t show it here. Nobody pays to be on this site, and we don’t pay to show other people’s paid content either. Have a look on their site: Coastalwatch.

    Swim between the red and yellow flags. Patrol times and beach-by-beach info: Beachsafe.

    Source: Open-Meteo (modelled, updated hourly). Not for navigation. Which swell and wind suit each beach: surf-forecast.com break guides; patrols from council.

    Spot an error?

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