Abandoned cliff-top café set for dramatic comeback
Council plans could breathe new life into Bulli Pass lookout café
The long-forgotten Cliffhanger Café was once the backdrop for proposals, weddings and special celebrations, its sweeping ocean views making it one of the Illawarra’s most memorable venues. Now, there’s a glimmer of a plan to resurrect the iconic site.
After sitting empty for years, the clifftop venue, at Bulli Tops, is back on council’s radar, with new planning changes and a renewed focus on tourism creating fresh momentum for its revival.
Wollongong City Council Lord Mayor, Tania Brown, said the site is now entering the early stages of a formal planning process, beginning with the development of a plan of management to guide its future.
“The site’s vacant at the moment and needs a plan of management,” Cr Brown said.
“Once we’ve got that in place, we’ll be able to review the best use of the site into the future and make sure it meets the community’s needs and expectations.”
The process will include community consultation, followed by an expressions of interest phase to gauge whether private operators are willing to invest in the site.
The move comes as part of a broader push by the council to address a shortage of tourist accommodation across the region and encourage more diverse, environmentally sensitive offerings.
Recent changes to Wollongong City Council’s planning framework are helping pave the way for sites like Cliffhanger to be reconsidered.
A new tourism accommodation planning proposal aims to encourage a broader range of visitor offerings across the region, including eco-tourism and low-scale accommodation in escarpment areas.
If approved by the NSW Department of Planning, the changes to the zoning that applies to the Bulli Tops site could make it easier for future operators to explore redevelopment opportunities while still maintaining strict environmental and height controls.
“We’re not just looking at your standard high-rise hotel,” Cr Brown said. “We’re wanting a diverse offering that complements the escarpment, whether that’s eco-tourism or bunkhouse-style accommodation.”
She added that the Grand Pacific Walk and Kembla Mountain Bike Trails are putting the Illawarra on the map for adventure tourism, with the planning proposals a step towards serving that economy.
“We’re looking at mountain biking around Mount Keira, and all of that complements the kind of adventure tourism people want to experience here,” Cr Brown said.
Historically, the Cliffhanger site has been used for hospitality, but its remote location and limited infrastructure, including challenges with utilities such as water and sewerage, have made it difficult to sustain long-term tenants.
Council documents show the previous lease was terminated in 2017 after the operator fell behind on rent, and attempts to attract new tenants at the time failed to generate interest.
More recent planning proposals aim to change that, with updated zoning and policy settings making tourism-related uses more clearly permissible across escarpment sites.
The bones of the Cliffhanger Café remain on the site, and it still holds a fond place in the hearts of many in the community.
“I worked up there in the 90’s. It was a great place for visitors to experience our beautiful coastal views,” wrote Ruth Day on the Lost Wollongong Facebook page.
Others recall it as a vibrant venue for milestones and celebrations.
“It was a restaurant, The Cliff Hanger Café and Function Centre. My parents ran it. Happy memories for many people, especially those who celebrated their marriage, birthdays, etc.,” said Jodie Tory.
Former staff member Mick Barr remembered its signature dishes. “The Bulli ‘Sizzler’ — steak and chips with bacon and mushroom sauce on a white hot griddle plate — always turned heads when brought out from the kitchen,” he wrote.
Cr Brown said she hoped Cliffhanger could reopen alongside other escarpment sites like Sublime Point and Mount Keira lookout, which she described as “assets the community would much rather see being utilised than sitting empty.”
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