About the town » Nowra, Shoalhaven Shire, New South Wales, Australia

Nowra /ˈnaʊərə/ is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located 125 kilometres SSW and approximately 160 kilometres by road south of the state capital of Sydney, it has an estimated population together with its twin-town of Bomaderry of 34,479. It is also the seat and commercial centre of the City of Shoalhaven. Geologically, the city is situated in the southern reaches of the Sydney basin. 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. The naval air station HMAS Albatross is located about 10 kilometres south-west of Nowra. The name Nowra, originally written by Europeans as 'nou-woo-ro' (pronounced Nowa Nowa by the Aborigines of the area), is an Aboriginal word for black cockatoo.