Shoalhaven River

Shoalhaven River
Open mature wave dominated barrier estuary
Shoalhaven River, near the Great Dividing Range, west of Batemans Bay.
Name origin: "Shoals Haven" (Bass in 1797).
Country	Australia
State	New South Wales
Regions	Sydney Basin (IBRA), Southern Tablelands, South Coast
LGAs	Palerang, Shoalhaven
Tributaries
- left	Kangaroo River
- right	Mongarlowe River, Corang River, Endrick River
Cities	Nowra, Bomaderry
Source	Euranbene Mountain, Great Dividing Range
- location	west of Bendethera
- elevation	864 m (2,835 ft)
- coordinates	35°58′15″S 149°38′3″E / 35.97083°S 149.63417°E / -35.97083; 149.63417
Mouth	Tasman Sea, South Pacific Ocean
- location	Shoalhaven Heads
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
- coordinates	34°51′S 150°44′E / 34.850°S 150.733°E / -34.850; 150.733Coordinates: 34°51′S 150°44′E / 34.850°S 150.733°E / -34.850; 150.733
Length	327 km (203 mi)
Depth	2.9 m (10 ft)
Volume	86,509 m3 (3,055,037 cu ft)
Basin	7,086 km2 (2,736 sq mi)
Area	32 km2 (12 sq mi)
Islands	Pig (Burraga), Comerong
National park	Deua NP
Dam	Tallowa
Location of the Shoalhaven River mouth in New South Wales
Website: NSW Environment & Heritage webpage

The Shoalhaven River is a perennial river that rises from the Southern Tablelands and flows into an open mature wave dominated barrier estuary near Nowra on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia.

The Shoalhaven River rises on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range, below Euranbene Mountain, about 350 kilometres (220 mi) southwest of Sydney. The upper reaches of the river flow northwards through an upland pastoral district near the town of Braidwood. The river works its way down into a remote canyon east of Goulburn and emerges into the coastal lowlands at Nowra in the Shoalhaven district, where it is spanned by the historic Nowra Bridge. The river is joined by thirty-four tributaries, including the Mongarlowe, Corang, Endrick, and Kangaroo rivers, and descends 864 metres (2,835 ft) over its 327-kilometre (203 mi) course.

The estuary has two entrances, approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) apart, that flow into the Shoalhaven Bight within the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean. The southern entrance is located at Crookhaven Heads and is permanently open. The Shoalhaven River flows south via Berrys Canal to Greenwell Point, where it is joined by the Crookhaven River and then flows east past Orient Point into the bight, north of Culburra. The Berrys Canal between the Shoalhaven and the Crookhaven was constructed in June 1822 by convicts overseen by Hamilton Hume under the direction of Alexander Berry to facilitate ship transport to the original European settlement located in the region. The construction of the canal formed Comerong Island. The canal was dug using own hand tools, and was the first land navigable canal in Australia. Berrys Canal remains one of two navigable canals in New South Wales, the other being the Alexandra Canal.