Icy wind blowing through Crown Street Mall didn't stop families crowding in to be a part of CitySkate, which turned the grey concrete jungle into a specially designed street skateboarding course over the weekend.
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The three-day event, which includes pro-skater demonstrations, lessons, activities and live music, is designed to give kids a taste of the fun, confidence and fitness involved in skateboarding.
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Snuggled into their oversized hoodies, dozens of girls and boys took the chance to decorate their own skateboards.
Others joined lessons which saw them go from being novices to performing turns on one of the quarter pipes within minutes.
In the pre-booked lessons, kids were taught how to pick up speed with one powerful, controlled push, to allow the to be steady enough to turn.
It was a return to Wollongong for the event, which was a huge success last year.
Mount Keira dad Patrick Devuono watched his daughter Millie, who had only previous skateboarded around her own driveway, as she strapped on her helmet to take part.
"She's got a board that she kind of just fools around with a little bit but hasn't taken it anywhere other than the driveway," he said.
"It's great that this is here, it gets them out of the house a little bit and gets them energised."
Towradgi mum Rebecca Griffiths accompanied her sons and two other boys to the skateboarding day on Saturday.
"I think it's good because there's places to skate around Wollongong, but it's nice to see it being more inclusive for little kids," she said, adding that her seven-year-old sometimes felt a little intimidated at skateparks.
"It's good that they can come down and see the local skate community and who's around, and feel a bit more comfortable in that."
Ms Griffiths said seeing the mall transformed was also a welcome change.
"You don't really associate the mall as a place to hang out, it's more of a thoroughfare as you go between the shops," she said.
"So it does change the space."