Coledale is one of the many historic coal
mining villages which lie north of Wollongong
and stretch along Lawrence Hargrave Drive.
The villages all lie in a narrow band of relatively
flat land between the sheer cliffs of the
Illawarra Escarpment and the Tasman Sea. The
main appeal of Coledale are the beaches -
Coledale and Sharky's - which are edged by
fascinating rock platforms which are dotted with
small rock pools. On the edge of the
escarpment there are small areas of rainforest
characterised by flowering eucalypts, cabbage
tree palm, red cedar, lillypilly and tree ferns.

Coledale is a small sea-side village
approximately 18 kilometres north of
Wollongong along the Princes Highway in New
South Wales, Australia. It is part of the City of
Wollongong and lies between Wombarra and
Austinmer.

Coledale has several shops on the main road
as well as a RSL club, public hall, fire station,
private hospital and nursing home. Coledale's
shops include a newsagent, 2 cafe's, video
shop, hair dresser, pizza/fast food takeout and a
bottle shop. Coledale also has a small public
school with good views of Coledale beach.