Wollongong is about an hour's drive south of Sydney. Small city, I think around 250,000 people?
Pretty nice city though, great coastline Also a pretty healthy Macedonian, Italian and Greek community down there. Pretty shite nightlife but some nice beaches within the city and also within an hour or two drive from there.
You'll be fine in Aus, Fred. It's just the right wing media who peddle this crap. We are probably the most multi cultural society on earth