City of Shoalhaven
Local government area
Location inNew South Wales
Coordinates:35°07′S150°30′E / 35.117°S 150.500°E /-35.117; 150.500
Country	Australia
State	New South Wales
Region	South Coast
Established	1 July 1948 (1948-07-01)
Council seat	Nowra[2]
Government
• Mayor	Patricia White
• State electorates	South Coast Kiama
• Federal division	Gilmore
Area
• Total	4,567 km2 (1,763 sq mi)
Population
• Total	108,531 (2021 census)[1]
• Density	23.7642/km2 (61.549/sq mi)
Website	City of Shoalhaven
LGAs around City of Shoalhaven Goulburn Mulwaree Wingecarribee Kiama Goulburn Mulwaree City of Shoalhaven Tasman Sea,Jervis Bay Territory (ACT) Queanbeyan–Palerang Eurobodalla Tasman Sea

TheCity of Shoalhaven is alocal government area in theSouth Coast region ofNew South Wales, Australia. The area is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) south of Sydney. ThePrinces Highway passes through the area, and theSouth Coast railway line traverses the northern section, terminating atBomaderry. At the2021 census, the population was 108,531.^[1]

Modern-day groupings of theIllawarra and South Coast Aboriginal peoples are based on information compiled by whiteanthropologists 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 fromBotany Bay to Shoalhaven, and west toBerrima and Camden.
• Wodiwodi (or Wadi-Wadi) – a subdivision of Thuruwal, includes the Aboriginal people of the coast fromWollongong to Shoalhaven.
• Gurandada andTharumba (or Dharumba) – those people living around theShoalhaven River.

TheJerrinja 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 atRoseby Park.^[3]

George Bass explored the area in 1797, followingSeven 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,^[4] but the name was adopted for the Shoalhaven area and theShoalhaven River.

The City was established on 1 July 1948 as the Shoalhaven Shire, following the amalgamation of the Municipalities ofNowra, Berry,Broughton's Vale,Ulladulla, South Shoalhaven, and the shires ofCambewarra andClyde.^[5] On 13 July 1979, GovernorRoden Cutler proclaimed Shoalhaven as a city. The Shire was converted and constituted on 1 August 1979 simultaneously as a municipality and city.^[6]

Shoalhaven, although designated a city, is a dispersed region spread over 125 kilometres (78 mi) of coastline, with the vast majority of its population located in the north-east aroundNowra,Jervis Bay andSussex Inlet.

It includes the following towns, suburbs and localities:

Localities with no population in 2016 included:

Shoalhaven City Council is composed of thirteencouncillors, including the mayor, for a fixed four-year term. The mayor isdirectly elected while the twelve other councillors are electedproportionally as three separatewards, each electing four councillors.^[7][8][9]

This section is an excerpt fromResults of the 2024 New South Wales local elections in Illawarra § Shoalhaven results.[edit]

2024 New South Wales local elections: Shoalhaven

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Shoalhaven Independents		30,231	46.33	+4.79	6	2
	Team Tribe		13,301	20.38	+20.38	3	3
	Labor		13,281	20.35	+0.13	3
	Greens		8,439	12.93	−13.66	0	3
Formal votes			65,252
Informal votes			5,614
Total			70,866			12
Registered voters / turnout			85,835

Image		Mayor	Party	Term	Notes
		Greg Watson	Independent	20 September 1980 – 24 September 1983	First directly-elected mayor.[10] Lost seat[11]
		Harry Sawkins (1913/14–1987)	Independent	24 September 1983 – 11 March 1987	Died in office.[12] Was planning to contest the1987 election[13]
		Max Atkins	Independent	26 September 1987 – 11 September 1999	[14][15][16]
		Greg Watson	Independent	11 September 1999 – 2004	Lost seat[17]
			Shoalhaven Independents	2004 – 13 September 2008
		Paul Green (b. 1966)	Independent Christian Democrat	13 September 2008 – 8 September 2012	Elected toNew South Wales Legislative Council in2011[18]
		Joanna Gash (b. 1944)	Team Gash	8 September 2012 – 10 September 2016	Lost seat
		Amanda Findley	Greens	10 September 2016 – 14 September 2024	Retired[19][20][21]
		Patricia White	Shoalhaven Independents	14 September 2024 – present	Incumbent

The Shoalhaven can be reached from Sydney by car via the Princes Highway and by rail via theSouth Coast railway line which terminates just north of Nowra atBomaderry. The Shoalhaven is adjacent to theJervis Bay Territory. The area is approximately 160 kilometres (99 mi) 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.^[22]

The area is well known for its strong commitment to the arts and music, featuring theSee Change andSee Celebrations festivals in the Jervis Bay andSt Georges Basin areas, as well as theEscapeArtfest festival andBlessing of the Fleet in the Ulladulla area.^[23]

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.^[24] Some of the most famous establishments for visitors in Shoalhaven are Rick Stein at Bannisters, Cupitt's Estate and Coolangatta Estate.

Heritage listings for the City of Shoalhaven include:

• Bherwerre Beach,Wreck Bay:Hive shipwreck^[25]

• Local government areas of New South Wales
• Shoalhaven River
• Shoalhaven Scheme

[Shoalhaven Directory](https://shoalhaven.directory)

• City of Shoalhaven
• Coastal cities in Australia
• 1948 establishments in Australia

• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• Pages with non-numeric formatnum arguments
• Australian Statistical Geography Standard 2021 ID same as Wikidata
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use Australian English from October 2012
• All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English
• Use dmy dates from April 2021
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Coordinates on Wikidata
• Pages using infobox settlement with no map
• Articles with excerpts