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Dapto is only a 15 minute drive south from Wollongong. The village of Dapto was once a mining, timber cutting and farming community, and today is a large town with many shops, schools and beautiful parks. Dapto's rural history is linked to a number of tourist attractions in the area.

These attractions include the Wollongong Entertainment Centre, Jamberoo Action Park the largest theme park in NSW, Logbridge Farm, the Four Seasons Riding Academy, Kanahooka Point Indoor Equestrian Centre, Koonawarra Lakeview Lodge Stud and Kembla Grange Racecourse. The Sunday trash and treasure markets are also popular with locals.

Lake Illawarra is used for a variety of water sports, including sailing, canoeing, water skiing and fishing. It also offers opportunities for picnics, walks and cycling. Dapto is ideally located on its western shore allowing residents to take advantage of these opportunities. Dapto is also well known for its greyhound racing a popular weekly activity.

Environment
Dapto is located on the western shore of Lake Illawarra a valuable natural resource and habitat for local wildlife.Lake Illawarra is a shallow coastal lagoon approximately 31 square kilometres in area. The lake has approximately 39 kilometres of shoreline, very little of it remaining natural. It is predominantly an urban lake with 68% of the shoreline covered in urban or industrial development. The wetland areas of the lake provide habitats that are used extensively by waterbirds.

The following are some of the species found on the lake:

Pelicans
Cormorants
Musk Ducks
Hoary-headed Grebes
Black Swans
Black Ducks
Grey Teal Ducks
Herons
Ibises
Spoonbills

Mullet Creek contributes to areas of sand and mud flats which gives rise to large concentrations of waders during summer. These mud flats are important feeding areas for these species.Very little natural forest remains around the lake, where it does it is generally degraded from its natural condition. Most of this vegetation is composed of the swamp she-oak Casuarina glauca. (Mills, Kevin. 1983.)

To the west of Dapto lies the Illawarra escarpment. It ranges in elevation from 220 metres at

Garie in the north to over 600 metres at Barren Grounds in the south. The cliffline of the escarpment is formed of Hawkesbury Sandstone up to 130 metres thick. Although rainforest was widespread on the escarpment, there were only a few areas where contiguous rainforest "brush" occurred. During a visit in 1836, Backhouse commented on a walk:

"….to the top of a conical, basaltic hill (probably Marshall Mount) and had a view of Illawarra Lake, the sea, the mountains in the western back-ground, topped by sandstone crags, emerging from the boundless forest, and at the intervening plain, some parts of which are naturally clear." (Mills,K. Jakeman, J. 1995)

The natural vegetation of the Dapto area was drier grassy woodlands and was described in 1857 as being cleared cultivated and lightly timbered.