Vincentia is a town in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in the

City of Shoalhaven The City of Shoalhaven is a local government area in the south-eastern coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is about south of Sydney. The Princes Highway passes through the area, and the South Coast railway line traverses t ...

, on the shores of

Jervis Bay Jervis Bay () is a oceanic bay and village on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, said to possess the whitest sand in the world. A area of land around the southern headland of the bay is a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia ...

. It is roughly southeast of

Nowra Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south-southwest of the state capital of Sydney (about as the crow flies). As of the 2021 census, Nowra has an estimated population of 22,584. Situated in th ...

, and approximately south of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. At the , the population of Vincentia was 3,290. It is also a tourist spot with a beach area featuring white sand and a number of motels.

History

The traditional owners of the area around Vincentia were a group of the

Yuin The Yuin nation, also spelt Djuwin, is a group of Aboriginal Australians, Australian Aboriginal peoples from the South Coast (New South Wales), South Coast of New South Wales. All Yuin people share ancestors who spoke, as their first language, ...

, members of what early settlers called 'the Jervis Bay tribe'. The 'Jervis Bay tribe' are also known as the

Wandandian people The Wandandian are an Aboriginal Australian people of the South Coast of New South Wales with connections to the Yuin and Tharawal nations. Country The Wandandian lands extended over an estimated from Ulladulla to the Shoalhaven River and Now ...

and spoke Dharamba, which was probably the northernmost dialect of the

Dhurga language The Dhurga language, also written Thurga, is an Australian Aboriginal language of New South Wales. It is a language of the Yuin people, specifically the Wandandian and Walbunja groups, but there have been no fluent speakers officially recorded ...

. Vincentia was originally known as ' South Huskisson' and later as 'The Old Township'. It was founded in 1841 as a seaport and terminus of

The Wool Road The Wool Road (also later known as 'The Old Wool Road') was a historic road in New South Wales, Australia, that ran from Nerriga to what is now called Vincentia on Jervis Bay. It was constructed privately in 1841, using convict labour. Its purpo ...

from

Nerriga Nerriga is a small village in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council. It is situated at the edge of Morton National Park, on the Braidwood - Nowra road. The population of Nerriga and the ...

. South Huskisson lay on land originally owned by Edward Deas Thompson and was a 'private town'. In 1842, a wharf was built near the current location of the Holden Street boat ramp. The road and port were not successes. By 1867, the town of South Huskisson was deserted—any buildings were just ruins by 1885—and there was virtually nothing remaining of the old town by the 1930s. Many street names from 'The Old Township' are still in use today and much of the original street plan remains. In 1952 it was renamed Vincentia (after

St Vincent County St Vincent County was one of the original Nineteen Counties in New South Wales and is now one of the 141 Cadastral divisions of New South Wales. It included the south coast area encompassing Batemans Bay, Ulladulla, Jervis Bay and inland to Br ...

, which was named after

John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent Admiral of the Fleet John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent (9 January 1735 – 13 March 1823) was an admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom. Jervis served throughout the latter half of the 18th century and into ...

) by developer

Henry Halloran Henry Ferdinand Halloran (9 August 1869 – 22 October 1953) was a major property owner and developer in New South Wales in the early part of the twentieth century. Halloran was born in Sydney, his father was a bank clerk and architect named Edw ...

. John Jervis was created Earl of St Vincent as a result of his victory at the battle of Cape St Vincent. Jervis Bay was also named after him. The town was reborn as a holiday destination, following land sales for

holiday homes A holiday cottage, holiday home, vacation home, or vacation property is accommodation used for holiday vacations, corporate travel, and temporary housing often for less than 30 days. Such properties are typically small homes, such as cottage ...

(also known as 'weekenders'), which occurred in the 1950s and 1960s.

References

External links

Shoalhaven region general informationVincentia Community PortalVISITNSW.com - Vincentia
Towns in the South Coast (New South Wales) City of Shoalhaven Coastal towns in New South Wales {{Shoalhaven-geo-stub