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NEWS

11m

STOMPING GROUNDZ RETURNS TO DAPTO IN 2027

Country music is coming back to Dapto, with Stomping Groundz ’27 confirmed for Saturday 8 May 2027, following a successful first year that attracted strong attendance, positive feedback and a quality lineup of Australian country music artists to the Illawarra. The 2026 Country Music Street Fair featured The Wolfe Brothers, Casey Barnes, Travis Collins, Max Jackson, Sara Berki and Liam Maihi, alongside Maddison Glover, Tamika and an impressive lineup of local artists. Multip

Oct 14

ILLAWARRA COUNTRY BOOTSCOOTERS PLANS NEW HOME AT THE GROUNDZ

Illawarra Country Bootscooters is planning to call The Groundz Precinct at Dapto home, marking an exciting new chapter for one of the region’s best known and most successful line dancing communities. The Groundz and Illawarra Country Bootscooters have reached an agreement for the popular line dancing business to relocate into the former greyhound racing TAB Room at The Groundz, with a Development Application now lodged for approval with Wollongong City Council for the propose

Jun 29

Amigos Mexican Restaurant to Open at The Groundz

The Society is excited to announce that Amigos Mexican Restaurant will soon be opening at The Groundz, bringing one of Wollongong’s longest standing and most recognised restaurant brands to Dapto. Established in 1973, Amigos has been serving authentic Mexican cuisine for more than 50 years and has become a well-known favourite for generations of locals. The new Amigos Mexican restaurant will operate from the upstairs dining area overlooking the oval and Illawarra escarpment,

Jun 15

THE GROUNDZ PARTNERS WITH AWARD WINNING CATERER CULINARIUS

The Groundz is proud to announce an exciting new partnership with Culinarius, who will become the precinct's exclusive catering partner from 1 July 2026. The partnership marks another important step as The Groundz continues to expand its hospitality, events and function offering. With almost four decades of experience, Culinarius is recognised as one of the region's leading catering companies. Having successfully catered more than 10,000 events across the Illawarra, South Coa

May 28

The Groundz Achieves Registered Charity Status

Dapto Agricultural & Horticultural Society Ltd, proudly operating The Groundz precinct, has officially been registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not for profits Commission (ACNC). The milestone marks a significant step forward for the historic community precinct as it continues evolving beyond greyhound racing into a broader community, hospitality, entertainment and events destination for the Illawarra. CEO Katrina Novak said the registration formally rec

Mar 16

Country Music Event STOMPING GROUNDZ - Coming to The Groundz

The Groundz is set to host one of the Illawarra’s biggest country music events when STOMPING GROUNDZ is held at the precinct on Saturday, 2 May. The family friendly large-scale event will feature an outstanding line-up of some of Australia’s biggest and most exciting country music artists alongside rising talent, delivering a full afternoon and evening of live music and entertainment. Headlining the event are award winning country heavyweights The Wolfe Brothers, Casey Barnes

Feb 26

Exciting New Partnership Proposed for The Groundz

Dapto Agricultural & Horticultural Society Ltd, trading as The Groundz, has lodged a Development Application with Wollongong City Council seeking approval for an exciting new partnership with McKinnon’s Dog Wash & Grooming. Following the cessation of greyhound racing operations in September 2025, the former kennel block at The Groundz became available for adaptive reuse. Recognising the opportunity to activate the purpose built facility, The Groundz undertook a partner sele

Sep 14, 2025

DAPTO DOGS COME TO A CLOSE

Thursday 11 September, marked the final greyhound racing meeting to be held on the site. After 88 years, the Dapto Dogs chapter draws to...

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