NSWPort & river
Nowra
Cedar, farms and a river crossing made the Shoalhaven’s centre.
1852Townsite gazetted · Shoalhaven service centre
WHAT STARTED IT
Nowra was gazetted on the south side of the Shoalhaven River after cedar cutting and farming had established river trade in the district. Town lots followed in 1857 and a ferry connected the settlement with the northern bank.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
The 1881 bridge made the crossing dependable. Bomaderry, laid out in 1891, became the South Coast railway terminus in 1893 and attracted dairying and industry. Together the two settlements developed into the Shoalhaven’s main commercial and administrative centre.
TURNING POINTS
1852Nowra townsite gazetted.
1881First Shoalhaven River bridge opens.
1893Railway reaches Bomaderry.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A regional city paired with Bomaderry across the Shoalhaven, serving coastal communities, farms, defence activity and nearby Jervis Bay.