Kooloobong Village
Kooloobong Village is the ideal residence for students wanting to live independently, but still keen to be part of a community. All Kooloobong students have access to study and wellbeing support, and enjoy an inclusive social life in a safe environment. Offering furnished shared units and single studio apartments, this self-catered accommodation is located on the Wollongong campus. Everything you need is right outside – and inside – your door.
When you’re looking for a space to be your true self as you settle into uni life, Kooloobong Village offers a ready-made community of students and staff who are ready to provide advice, support and fun things to do. All residents are encouraged to be involved in developing and leading events at Kooloobong, and it’s not unrealistic to say that you could have hundreds of new friends in a very short time. Students from all regions, walks of life and personality types easily find a sense of belonging very quickly after moving in. This is where you’ll find your tribe.
Kooloobong Village offers its residents easy access to Wollongong campus. Whether you are heading off to class or library, grabbing a bite to eat or a coffee at one of UOW’s campus cafés, or going to the UniBar, it’s all just a short walk away. UOW facilities such as the tennis courts, sporting grounds and a heated outdoor swimming pool are also on campus, and together with the Wollongong Botanical Gardens – which is across the road from Kooloobong - will become as familiar as your backyard.
This residence also provides students with access to a range of modern facilities to enhance their personal and community living experience. Where else could you live where your room fee includes an indoor and outdoor cinema, music rooms, movement space, gamers den, basketball court, activities room, meditation and yoga space? And let’s not forget the study lounges, communal areas and BBQ facilities.
Ensuring our students are safe and supported is what all UOW student residences do well and wellbeing support is available 24/7 from trained residence staff and student Community Leaders. When you live on campus as a UOW student you will feel safe, secure and supported. At Kooloobong, access to the main buildings, communal spaces and student rooms is only available when using an individually coded fob-key. Every unit and apartment can only be accessed by the resident or residents living there, using their individual fob-key, and every bedroom in shared units has a coded door lock, that can only be opened by the key-holder.
Madi is from the Central Coast and has been living in-residence at Kooloobong Village for two years. Join Madi as she shows you around her home-away-from-home and tells you why she loves living here.
See all residencesHi, I'm Madi. I'm from the Central Coast and I study exercise science, and I live here on campus at Kooloobong Village. Come on, I'll show you inside.
Welcome to my crib!
So, this is one of the four-bed apartments. I live with three girls who are my roommates, and four-share apartments are a really great chance to make some new friends or move in with friends. They do come furnished, but you can add your own little touches to make it look nice and homey. Each of us has our own secure bedrooms and then the living space is all shared. So, this is one of the common kitchens we have here at Kooloobong. So, on top of the kitchens we already have in our apartments, that have a stovetop and a microwave, you can come down here and use the oven. There's also a stovetop down here, so it's really nice to come down and do some baking. We've also got some really nice study areas, so it's just generally a really nice place to hang out. So, Kooloobong is two minutes walk to the main lecture theatre on campus. We're right across the road from the beautiful Botanic Gardens and another two minute walk just down to the bus stop that takes you into the city and the beach. So, this is one of the common areas that we have here. This is the activities lounge. We also have an indoor and an outdoor cinema, the gamers' den, lots of outdoor spaces, music room, so there's so many different things to get involved with outside of study and be part of our community here at Kooloobong.
Ellie is a UOW biomedical engineering student from Young in regional NSW and has been living at Kooloobong Village for two years. Ron is one of UOW's Accommodation managers. Ron has a professional background and personal passion for student wellbeing and welfare. Hear their thoughts on living in student accommodation during COVID-19, and why they believe it’s a great choice for students.
Hear what our residents have to sayHi, my name is Ron on the Student Residence Manager across Kooloobong Village, Graduate House and Bangalay.
Hi, I'm Ellie. I'm studying biomedical engineering at UOW and I live at Kooloobong.
Question slide: Why did you decide to remain living in student accommodation when classes were moved online?
I find it a lot easier to study when I'm around like-minded people and because all students here we have
the same motivations, and we can encourage each other to go well academically and also just take
breaks when we need. We're all in the same boat when it comes to the stresses that uni brings, and I found it a lot easier
to be around people who could understand me and relate to me when I was facing struggles with my uni studies. And we could lean on each other and
build support and a community together. The wi-fi, my hometown was pretty terrible though being able to stay here and use the free wi-fi was
definitely a bonus.
Question slide: How has UOW helped students living in-residence during this time?
It's widely accepted that young people are feeling a level of disconnect during COVID, but at UOW accommodation sites,
we ensure that they are part of the community, they've got the support and wellbeing behind them to ensure
academic success and overall wellbeing.
Question slide: Why is the wellbeing of students living in UOW accommodation so important?
It's acknowledged that when students move away from home, it's a particularly daunting time for them in their life.
They're young adults that have increased pressure around academic success, financial pressure and social life.
Prior to my commencement in this role, I was the Safe and Respectful Communities Manager and the safety and wellbeing of our students is
something that I hold really close to my heart, and something that I'm really passionate about. This is something I've brought into
my role as the manager of Kooloobong, Graduate House and Bangalay to ensure that there is continued success for our residents, whether it be academic
success or in their personal life and wellbeing.
Question slide: How was the community spirit maintained here when COVID-19 unfolded?
When COVID unfolded, we managed to find a really good balance between having fun and staying safe, so that brought in a lot of virtual
events as well as some face-to-face events later on. I found it really beneficial to the whole community, and I actually think it's made us bond a lot
more and become stronger in those bonds. I found it really difficult to build a strong connection with my cohort online, but staying at Kooloobong,
I've met so many people doing my degree and we can talk about our course, we can share our subjects together. I've been given a lot of
advice from older students, which is really helped me with my studies, and I've also been able to give advice to younger students to help
them with their studies.
Question slide: What are some of the health and safety measure in-place for students living in UOW accommodation?
Part of the safety of our residents is to ensure that we adapt to the New South Wales health guidelines around COVID safety.
So what we've done is we've increased our cleaning of our communal spaces, we've increased hand sanitisation stations and wipes. In our catered residence,
we've introduced a COVID Safety Monitor, staggered dining times and sign-in registers.
Question slide: Do you have advice for the parents whose children are planning to live in UOW student accommodation in 2021?
As a parent myself, I share the same concerns that you have. I have a daughter that's currently studying Year 12 doing her HSC, and I'm
nervous as well about her moving away from home. That's why I take a personal commitment to ensure that our sites provide our residents with
every opportunity to have academic success, wellbeing and provide pastoral care to our residents.
Question slide: Anything you’d like to let the students know Ellie?
University is so much more than just studying. It's also about making connections with other people. And at uni, regardless of if it's
online or in person, living on a residence, you can meet so many different people from all different walks of life. You'll be able to immerse yourself
in other people's cultures. You'll be able to learn about their food, and also their beliefs and perspectives. And it's honestly the best decision
I've ever made to live at Kooloobong.
Prices below are for students in residence in 2021.
Building 37
Northfields Avenue, Gwynneville (view on UOW campus map)
Building 73, 74, 75
Northfields Ave, Gywnneville (view on UOW campus map)
Get information about your UOW accommodation options, learn about our accommodation guarantee and available scholarships. You can also take a virtual tour of the rooms you're considering and hear what our students say about living in a student residence.
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