City of Shoalhaven

City of Shoalhaven New South Wales
Location in NSW
Coordinates	35°07′S 150°30′E / 35.117°S 150.500°ECoordinates: 35°07′S 150°30′E / 35.117°S 150.500°E
Population	97,694 (2013 est)[1]
• Density	21.3913/km^2 (55.403/sq mi)
Area	4,567 km^2 (1,763.3 sq mi)
Mayor	Joanna Gash
Council seat	Nowra[2]
Region	Illawarra - South Coast
State electorate(s)	South Coast Kiama
Federal Division(s)	Gilmore
Website	City of Shoalhaven
LGAs around City of Shoalhaven: Goulburn Mulwaree Wingecarribee Kiama Goulburn Mulwaree City of Shoalhaven Tasman Sea Palerang Eurobodalla Tasman Sea

The City of Shoalhaven is a local government area in the south-eastern coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi) south of Sydney. The area is located adjacent to the Tasman Sea. The Princes Highway passes through the area and the South Coast railway line traverses the northern section of the area and terminates at Bomaderry. In June 2012, the population of the City of Shoalhaven was 96,927.^[3]

The Mayor of Shoalhaven City Council is Joanna Gash, who is a member of the Liberal Party, however, was elected as mayor as an independent politician.

History

The Shoalhaven region in New South Wales is the southern part of the traditional homelands of the Tharawal people.^[4]

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,^[5] but the name was adopted for the Shoalhaven area and the Shoalhaven River.

A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that the City of Shoalhaven merge with the Municipality of Kiama to form a new council with an area of 4,825 square kilometres (1,863 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 120,000.^[6] The outcome of an independent review is expected to be completed by mid–2016.

Towns and localities

A large part of Shoalhaven can be seen from the Drawing Room Rocks area in Barren Grounds Nature Reserve. Mount Coolangatta is in the centre, with Jervis Bay in background and Berry in the right front

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 around Nowra, Jervis Bay and Sussex Inlet.

It includes the following towns, suburbs and localities:

Nowra suburbs Bangalee Bomaderry Cambewarra Cambewarra Village Mundamia North Nowra Nowra East Nowra Hill South Nowra Tapitallee Terara West Nowra Worrigee	Suburbs near Jervis Bay Basin View Bream Beach Callala Bay Callala Beach Erowal Bay Huskisson Hyams Beach Myola Old Erowal Bay Sanctuary Point St Georges Basin Vincentia Woollamia Worrowing Heights Wrights Beach	Sussex Inlet Berrara Cudmirrah Swanhaven Ulladulla Burrill Lake Dolphin Point Kings Point Milton Mollymook Mollymook Beach Narrawallee
North of Shoalhaven River Back Forest Barrengarry Beaumont Bellawongarah Berry Berry Mountain Bolong Broughton Vale Budgong Bundewallah Jaspers Brush Kangaroo Valley Meroo Meadow Shoalhaven Heads Watersleigh Wattamolla Woodhill	South of Shoalhaven River Bamarang Beecroft Peninsula Bewong Comerong Island Culburra Beach Currarong Falls Creek Greenwell Point Kinghorne Numbaa Orient Point Parma Pyree Tomerong Tullarwalla Wandandian Wollumboola Yerriyong	Far South Bawley Point Bendalong Brooman Conjola Conjola Park Croobyar Cunjurong Point Depot Beach Durras North Fishermans Paradise Kioloa Lake Conjola Manyana Pebbly Beach Pretty Beach Tabourie Lake Termeil Woodstock Yatte Yattah

Council

Current composition and election method

Shoalhaven City Council is composed of thirteen Councillors, including the Mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor is directly elected while the twelve other Councillors are elected proportionally as three separate wards, each electing four Councillors. The most recent election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the Council, including the Mayor, is as follows:^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

Party		Councillors
	Team Gash	8
	Shoal Independents	3
	Independents	1
	Greens	1
	Total	13

The current Council, elected in 2012, in order of election by ward, is:

Ward	Councillor		Party	Notes
Mayor[7]		Joanna Gash	Team Gash
Ward One[8]		John Wells	Team Gash
		Lynette Kearney	Team Gash	Elected on John Wells' ticket
		Andrew Guile	Independent
		James McCrudden	Shoal Independents
Ward Two[9]		Gemma Tribe	Team Gash	Elected on Joanna Gash's ticket
		Clive Robertson	Team Gash	Elected on Joanna Gash's ticket
		Karen Anstiss	Team Gash	Elected on Joanna Gash's ticket
		Greg Watson	Shoal Independents
Ward Three[10]		Allan Baptist	Team Gash
		Mark Kitchener	Shoal Independents
		Patricia White	Team Gash	Elected on Allan Baptist's ticket
		Amanda Findley	Greens

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 Bomaderry. The Shoalhaven is adjacent to the well known Jervis Bay area. 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.^[12]

The area is well known for its strong commitment to the arts and music, featuring the See Change and See Celebrations 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.^[13]

See also

• Shoalhaven River
• Shoalhaven Scheme

References

1. "3218.0 Regional Population Growth, Australia. Table 1. Estimated Resident Population, Local Government Areas, New South Wales". 3 April 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
2. "Shoalhaven City Council". Department of Local Government. Retrieved 2006-11-26.
3. "3218.0 - Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2012". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2014. Estimated resident population (ERP) at 30 June 2012.
4. Tindale Tribes, Tharawal
5. "NSW Police Regions and History". Nowra Police Station. Retrieved 29 April 2008. Archived 6 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
6. "Merger proposal: Kiama Municipal Council, Shoalhaven City Council" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. January 2016. p. 7. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
7. "Mayor Tally Sheet" (PDF). Shoalhaven City Council Election 2012. Australian Election Company. September 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
8. "Final Result in Order of Standing: Ward One" (PDF). Shoalhaven City Council Election 2012. Australian Election Company. 19 September 2012. p. 25. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
9. "Final Result in Order of Standing: Ward Two" (PDF). Shoalhaven City Council Election 2012. Australian Election Company. 19 September 2012. p. 25. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
10. "Final Result in Order of Standing: Ward Three" (PDF). Shoalhaven City Council Election 2012. Australian Election Company. 19 September 2012. p. 21. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
11. Arnold, Alex (21 September 2012). "Team Gash to control Shoalhaven council". Illawarra Mercury. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
12. "Jervis Bay & Shoalhaven". Visit NSW. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
13. "Arts in Shoalhaven". Geoff Bolton. October 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.