Nowra

Nowra is the commercial and main administrative centre for the Shoalhaven region in New South Wales, Australia. Nowra is about 160km by road south of Sydney, the state capital of New South Wales on the eastern coast of Australia. Nowra is, with its twin-town of Bomaderry, across the Shoalhaven River, a town of around 29,000 people (2001 Census). The region around Nowra is a farming community, sustaining a thriving dairy industry and a number of State forests, but is also increasingly a retirement and leisure area for Canberra and Sydney. Nowra is said to be the premiere sport climbing location in Australia.

The City of Shoalhaven (population 91,500) is the local government area that covers 4,660 square kilometres covering around 100 km from the town of Berry in the north, to Durras Lake in the south; and, around 70 km from Jervis Bay in the east to Mount Griffith Taylor near Bungonia Caves in the west.