The City of Shoalhaven is a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

in the south-eastern coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is about south of Sydney. The

Princes Highway Princes Highway is a major road in Australia, extending from Sydney via Melbourne to Adelaide through the states of New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and South Australia. It has a length of (along Highway 1) or via the former ...

passes through the area, and the South Coast railway line traverses the northern section, terminating at

Bomaderry Bomaderry (locally known as "Bommo") is a town in the Shoalhaven council district area of New South Wales, Australia. At the , it had a population of 8,718 people. It is on the north shore of the Shoalhaven River, across the river from Nowra, the ...

. At the , the population was 108,531. The City was established on 1 July 1948 as the Shoalhaven Shire, following the amalgamation of the Municipalities of Nowra, Berry, Broughton's Vale,

Ulladulla Ulladulla is a coastal town in New South Wales, Australia in the City of Shoalhaven local government area. It is on the Princes Highway about south of Sydney, halfway between Batemans Bay to the south and Nowra to the north. Ulladulla has cl ...

, South Shoalhaven, and the shires of Cambewarra and Clyde.The Governor of NSW on 13 July 1979 proclaimed Shoalhaven as a city. The Shire was converted and constituted on 1 August 1979 simultaneously as a municipality and city.

History

Modern-day groupings of the Illawarra and South Coast Aboriginal peoples are based on information compiled by white

anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...

s from the late 1870s. Two divisions were initially presented (refer Ridley, 1878), using geographical location and language, though these criteria are now expanded into five divisions and given Aboriginal names, as follows (after C.Sefton, 1983): * Dharawal – general name for the Aboriginal people of the area on the east coast of New South Wales from Botany Bay to Shoalhaven, and west to Berrima and Camden. * Wodi-Wodi (or Wadi-Wadi) – a subdivision of Thuruwal, includes the Aboriginal people of the coast from Wollongong to Shoalhaven. * Gurandada and Tharumba (or Dharumba) – those people living around the

Shoalhaven River The Shoalhaven River is a perennial river that rises from the Southern Tablelands and flows into an open mature wave dominated barrier estuary near Nowra on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Location and features The Shoalhaven ...

. The

Jerrinja Jerrinja is the name of an Aboriginal Australian people from the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Their traditional lands cover from Crooked River in the north to Clyde River in the south, from the coast ( Roseby Park) in the east to t ...

people record their traditional lands as stretching from Crooked River in the north to Clyde River in the south, from the mountains to the sea at Roseby Park. George Bass explored the area in 1797, following Seven Mile Beach. He crossed the shoals at the entrance to the river, calling it "Shoals Haven" due to the shallowness of the river mouth. This river is now known as the Crookhaven, but the name was adopted for the Shoalhaven area and the

Towns and localities

Shoalhaven, although designated a city, is a dispersed region spread over of coastline, with the vast majority of its population located in the north-east around Nowra, Jervis Bay and

Sussex Inlet Sussex Inlet is a town in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The town lies on the west bank of the waterway called Sussex Inlet, which divides New South Wales from the Jervis Bay Territory. The town lies within the City of Sh ...

. It includes the following towns, suburbs and localities: Localities with no population in 2016 included:

Council

Current composition and election method

Shoalhaven City Council is composed of thirteen Councillors, including the mayor, for a fixed four-year term. The mayor is directly elected while the twelve other councillors are elected proportionally as three separate

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

, each electing four councillors. The most recent election was held in 2021 and the makeup of the Council, including the mayor, is:

Amanda Finley Amanda is a Latin feminine gerundive (i.e. verbal adjective) name meaning, literally, “she who must (or is fit to) be loved”. Other translations, with similar meaning, could be "deserving to be loved," "worthy of love," or "loved very much b ...

Tourism and culture

The Shoalhaven can be reached from Sydney by car via the Princes Highway and by rail via the South Coast railway line which terminates just north of Nowra at

. The Shoalhaven is adjacent to the Jervis Bay Territory. The area is approximately long along the coastline, including 109 beaches, which allegedly possesses the whitest sand in the world, as well as pristine natural Australian bushland. The Shoalhaven area is home to numerous species of native Australian flora and fauna. The area is well known for its strong commitment to the arts and music, featuring the See Change and

See Celebrations The See Change Festival is a biennial arts festival held in the Jervis Bay and St Georges Basin St Georges Basin is a town in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. St George Basin is located on the shores of St Georges Basin, wi ...

festivals in the Jervis Bay and St Georges Basin areas, as well as the EscapeArtfest festival and Blessing of the Fleet in the Ulladulla area. Tourists to Shoalhaven can enjoy a wealth of cultural and nature-based activities and experiences, including whale-watching, kayaking, visiting beaches and tastings at wineries. Some of the most famous establishments for visitors in Shoalhaven are Rick Stein at Bannisters, Cupitt's Estate and Coolangatta Estate.

Heritage listings

Heritage listings for the City of Shoalhaven include: *

Bherwerre Beach Bherwerre Beach (sometimes known as Five Mile Beach) is a long beach located in Booderee National Park, Jervis Bay Territory, Australia. It is approximately long and is bordered by Cave Beach to the east and Sussex Inlet, New South Wales, Su ...

, Wreck Bay:

Hive shipwreck The Hive Shipwreck is a heritage-listed shipwreck site of the ''Hive'', a former convict transportation ship located approximately off Bherwerre Beach, Jervis Bay Territory, Australia. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Regis ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shoalhaven Coastal cities in Australia 1948 establishments in Australia