Storm damage and fallen trees in Wollongong
Keep clear, including the ground below it on a slope, and stay at least 8 metres from any fallen line. Call 000 if anyone is hurt or trapped, and the SES for a tree on the house. Endeavour Energy takes fallen line reports.
Tree removal permits in Wollongong
Private trees come under Chapter E17 of the Wollongong Development Control Plan 2009, Tree and Vegetation Management, in force since 1 July 2023. Council's pages say approval is generally needed for trees over 5 metres or with a 30cm trunk at ground level, and for pruning branches more than 10cm across.
Smaller trees can still be protected where environmental or heritage protections apply. A tree permit can take around 28 working days, and approvals to remove a tree now come with a condition to plant a replacement.
Tree work tied to building goes through the development application instead. Land zoned RU1, RU2 or RU4 needs Local Land Services rather than council, and a tree in a 10/50 area falls under RFS rules. The Wollongong permit page sets out each route.
Tree removal in Wollongong: what's local
The escarpment
NPWS says the escarpment is unusually close to the sea here: high cliffs above steep slopes, ridges and gullies, with only small areas of level ground. Wollongong's suburbs run along its eastern edge, and some homes sit on escarpment land itself.
Rainforest and big gums
The escarpment holds the largest area of rainforest in the Sydney basin, with figs, red cedar and cabbage tree palms, while blackbutt, southern blue gum and turpentine lead the moist open forest above the suburbs.
Rain and landslip
Rainfall of about 1,600 mm a year adds to the escarpment's natural instability, and NPWS lists erosion and landslips among its greatest threats. On a steep block, how a tree comes down and what happens to its roots matter more than usual.
East coast lows
In June 2007 five east coast lows hit the coast between the Illawarra and the Hunter, and in April 2015 another brought gale-force winds from Nowra to Seal Rocks. Wet slopes and strong wind are a bad mix for big trees.
Endeavour Energy, not Ausgrid
The Illawarra is on Endeavour Energy's network. It asks everyone to keep a three metre safety clearance from powerlines, and a tree on a street line is its job, so ring Endeavour Energy.
Shellharbour, Kiama and the wider Illawarra
The escarpment runs on through Shellharbour and Kiama, which are separate councils with their own tree rules. If you're south of Wollongong, start with the NSW permit page and our pages for Shellharbour, Kiama and the Illawarra.
For the stump after a removal, stump grinding in Wollongong covers slopes and buried services. For everything else, the national pages on tree removal and tree pruning apply here too.
Hiring an arborist in Wollongong
We'd measure it first: over 5 metres tall, or a 30cm trunk at the base, puts it in council's hands, dead or alive. If the block is steep or backs onto the escarpment, ask the arborist how the tree will come down and what they'll leave in the ground, and get both written into the quote.