Benson Boone has made an unexpectedly low-key appearance on the NSW South Coast, stopping at Wollongong Harbour institution Levendi Fish & Chippery, ahead of his Australian arena tour this November.
The American singer was photographed outside the family-run kiosk at Belmore Basin carrying several of Levendi’s distinctive brown paper takeaway bags. The images were shared by fan account Benson Boone Nation, which has more than 937,000 Instagram followers, with the caption: “Benson at @levendikiosk in Wollongong yesterday!”
What, precisely, was inside the bags has not been confirmed. But Levendi is best known for fish and chips, and local radio station Wave FM subsequently reported that it had spoken to the venue’s owner after Boone “casually stopped in for a bite”.
It is the sort of celebrity sighting that feels unusually Wollongong. No roped-off restaurant entrance or elaborate dining room, just a harbourfront kiosk, paper bags and one of the world’s most recognisable young pop singers apparently collecting lunch.
Levendi has occupied its spot at 81 Cliff Road in Wollongong Harbour since 2006. Family owned and operated, it describes itself as specialising in fish and chips, although its menu stretches beyond the traditional takeaway staples. Destination Wollongong likewise lists it as a casual harbourside fixture that has been serving the community for two decades.
The location is particularly unassuming for an artist whose touring life increasingly takes place at arena scale.
Boone, 24, is due back in Australia in November as part of his Wanted Man Tour, with nine arena dates across Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. His Sydney leg includes three nights at Afterpay Arena at Sydney Olympic Park on 17, 18 and 19 November, with Australian singer Ruel joining him as special guest.
The Wollongong visit therefore appears to have come well ahead of those scheduled performances. Boone’s official tour itinerary places his next concert in Seoul on 26 October, followed by Tokyo and Singapore before the Australian leg begins in Brisbane on 6 November.
Exactly what brought him to Wollongong has not been publicly confirmed.
There may, however, be a clue.
In an interview with David “Shirvo” Campbell, Boone was asked directly what had brought him to Wollongong.
“Why are you in Wollongong? Who is here that you needed to see?” Campbell asked.
Boone’s answer was brief: “A very good friend of mine.”
He then looked knowingly towards the camera, offering no further explanation.
The exchange gives the Wollongong visit a slightly more intriguing context. Boone did not identify the friend, and there is nothing to suggest who he was referring to, but it confirms that the trip was personal rather than simply a random stop on the South Coast.
His presence nevertheless attracted attention quickly. Boone’s trajectory over the past few years has made casual anonymity increasingly difficult. His breakout single Beautiful Things became a major international hit and was certified five-times platinum in Australia by the time his previous Australian tour was rescheduled in 2024. Demand for that visit was strong enough for several shows to be shifted into larger venues.
That makes the image outside Levendi particularly appealing in its ordinariness. Boone is dressed casually, holding takeaway rather than posing for anything obviously staged. Behind him is not an arena or hotel lobby, but the familiar waterfront of Belmore Basin.
For Levendi, which trades on precisely that informality, it is difficult to imagine a more fitting celebrity visit. The kiosk has built its reputation around the uncomplicated pleasure of eating fish and chips by Wollongong Harbour, remaining open almost every day of the year and, in summer, into the early evening.
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