Stanwell Tops

Stanwell Tops Wollongong, New South Wales
Population	471 (2011 census)
Postcode(s)	2508
Elevation	275 m (902 ft)
LGA(s)	City of Wollongong
State electorate(s)	Heathcote
Federal Division(s)	Cunningham

Stanwell Tops is an exurban locality between the cities of Sydney and Wollongong on the New South Wales, Australia coastline. It lies northwest of Stanwell Park and southwest of Otford.

With a population of fewer than 500 residents Stanwell Tops is almost entirely residential. In 1996 Australian Bureau of Statistics data reported Stanwell Tops as having the fourth-highest proportion of males in the state at 59.4%, however by 2011 Stanwell Tops had lost its outlier status with that percentage figure dropping to 51.8%. The population of Stanwell Tops decreased from 545 to 471 between 1996 and 2011, indicating a loss of 13.6% of its residents.

There are no retail stores or industrial facilities in Stanwell Tops. Groceries, liquor, public hotels and some restaurants can be found in the surrounding towns and villages less than 10 minutes drive away. The majority of residents work either in the Greater Sydney area or in the Wollongong metropolitan area, and the proportion of households whose income is above A$3000 per week is more than double the Australian national average.

Businesses that operate in Stanwell Tops are the 'Tumbling Waters Retreat', 'The Tops Conference Centre' (formerly known as the Christian Conference Centre, a wholly owned subsidiary of Churches of Christ Community Care), 'Stanwell Tops Technical Services' and several hobby farms – some with farmstay options. At least one hang gliding businesses operates from Bald Hill, which is technically a part of Stanwell Tops.

Stanwell Tops rests on the Illawarra escarpment, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the neighbouring village of Stanwell Park. It is bounded on all sides by state-forest reserves and other forested crown lands, which are contiguous with the Royal National Park and the Garawarra State Conservation Area.

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Wikipedia