Nowra

Nowra New South Wales
Nowra area from Cambewarra Lookout
Nowra
Coordinates	34°53′S 150°36′E / 34.883°S 150.600°E / -34.883; 150.600Coordinates: 34°53′S 150°36′E / 34.883°S 150.600°E / -34.883; 150.600
Population	35,920 (2015) (39th)
• Density	177.47/km2 (459.65/sq mi)
Established	1852
Area	202.4 km2 (78.1 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT (UTC+11)
Location	160 km (99 mi) from Sydney
LGA(s)	City of Shoalhaven
State electorate(s)	South Coast
Federal Division(s)	Gilmore

Nowra /ˈnaʊərə/ is a town in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 160 kilometres (99 mi) south-southwest of the state capital of Sydney (about 120 kilometres (75 mi) as the crow flies.) With its twin-town of Bomaderry, Nowra had an estimated population of 35,920 as at June 2015. 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 (6.2 mi) 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.

The Nowra region, south of Bomaderry Creek was inhabited by the Wodi-Wodi tribe of the Yuin nation while north of Bomaderry Creek was inhabited by the Dharawal Aboriginal people prior to European arrival. Around 1824, ex-convict Mary Reibey applied for a land grant in the Burrier area, on the southern side of the Shoalhaven River. The Nowra township was officially recognised in 1852. Less than ten years later, in 1861, a postal service was established. Also in that year, the racehorse 'Archer', trained in Nowra by Etienne de Mestre, won the first Melbourne Cup. By 1885, Nowra was declared a town.