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.[2]
Berrys CanalEdit
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.[4] 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.[5] 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.
The northern entrance is located south of Shoalhaven Heads, and is open intermittently, at times of peak flow and during flood events.[4]
Use for water supplyEdit
Tallowa Dam is the only major dam on the Shoalhaven, and is a part of the Shoalhaven Scheme. It impounds the river's lower reaches to form Lake Yarrunga and part of Sydney's water supply. Some water is pumped out of the lake and over the Southern Highlands into Lake Burragorang. Proposals for a much larger water storage at Welcome Reef on the upper Shoalhaven have been shelved.[citation needed]
EnvironmentEdit
The Shoalhaven River and its main tributary the Kangaroo River were once renowned as an Australian bass fishery. Unfortunately, Tallowa Dam has been a potent barrier to migratory native fish with estuarine/marine juvenile stages, blocking species including Australian bass from more than 80% of their former range in the Shoalhaven system. Recent stockings of hatchery-bred Bass in Lake Yarrunga are an attempt to remediate the situation.[citation needed] A fishway for Tallowa Dam was completed in August 2009.[6] This fishway is designed to allow for the movement of bass and other native fish over the dam.[7] Lake Yarrunga has also suffered the illegal introduction of highly damaging European carp, which are now present in high densities.
HistoryEdit
Indigenous historyEdit
The traditional custodians of the land are Jerrinja tribal peoples the surrounding Shoalhaven River, in its lower reaches, are the Aboriginal peoples of the lower catchment are Jerrinja tribal peoples which are the traditional custodians of the Shoalhaven .[8] Some of the culturally important Aboriginal places in the Shoalhaven include Coolangatta Mountain, Bundarwa (Beecroft Headland), Cambewarra Mountain, Didthul or Pigeon House Mountain, Kangaroo Valley, Burrill Lake, and Murramarang Aboriginal Area and its environs.[9][10]
The upper part of the Shoalhaven river, in the district around modern-day Braidwood, is the traditional land of the Walbanga people.[11]
European historyEdit
The explorer and navigator George Bass found the entrance to the Shoalhaven River during his whaleboat voyage down the south coast of New South Wales in 1797. He gave the name Shoals Haven to the river (now known as the Crookhaven River) because of the shoals of mud and sand he found at the river mouth.[1][12]
Approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Nowra are a series of properties along the banks of the Shoalhaven River that were a gift to the people of Australia from Arthur Boyd, his wife, Yvonne, and the Boyd family. Entrusted to the Bundanon Trust, along with further gifts by Boyd, including copyright of all of his artwork, these properties provide an environment that promotes visual arts, writing, music and other performing arts, and the promotion of education and research in the arts.[13]
CrossingsEdit
Ballalaba bridge on the Braidwood–Cooma roadFarringdon CrossingBombay BridgeWarri Bridge on the Kings HighwayNew Bridge and remains of old bridge at Oallen Ford
The river crossings, from its headwaters to its river mouth, include:
Warri Bridge carries the Kings Highway, near Braidwood. A bridge at this location was first opened on 23 September 1874,[14] and later replaced by the current structure.
Stewart's Crossing is a ford on Stewart's Crossing Road.
Oallen Crossing was formerly a flood-prone single-lane timber bridge with a low-level concrete floodway for the Oallen Ford Road at Oallen Ford, near Nerriga, constructed in 1936. The timber bridge and floodway has been replaced by a longer higher concrete bridge crossing slightly downstream, around mid-2015 (date needs checking). .[15] The new crossing is designed to permit higher speed travel and eliminates some sharp bends on the western side of the river and only to be overtopped by much deeper 1:20-year flood events.[16]
^ abReed, A. W (1984). Place names of Australia (paperback reprint ed.). Sydney: Reed Books Pty Limited. p. 196.
^ ab"Map of Shoalhaven River, NSW". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
^Roy, P. S; Williams, R. J; Jones, A. R; Yassini, I; et al. (2001). "Structure and Function of South-east Australian Estuaries". Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 53 (3): 351–384. Bibcode:2001ECSS...53..351R. doi:10.1006/ecss.2001.0796.
^ ab"Shoalhaven River Hydrographic Survey" (PDF). Estuary Management Program. NSW Department of Natural Resources. September 2005 – November 2006. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
^"Alexander Berry (1781–1873)". Berry, Alexander (1781–1873). Retrieved 16 October 2009. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^"NSW's first fish lift to save the endangered Grayling" (Press release). Sydney Catchment Authority. 23 August 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
^New South Wales Department of Primary Industry, Improving Fish Passage in the Shoalhaven(PDF)
^"Plan of the village of Larbert and suburban lands [cartographic material] : Parish of Larbert, County of Murray, Land District of Braidwood, N.S.W., 1888". Trove. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
Further readingEdit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shoalhaven River.
Gehrke, P. C.; Gilligan, D. M.; Barwick, M. (2002). "Changes in fish communities of the Shoalhaven River 20 years after construction of Tallowa Dam, Australia". River Research and Applications. 18 (3): 265–286. doi:10.1002/rra.669. S2CID 131725363.
October 14, 2023
shoalhaven, river, perennial, river, that, rises, from, southern, tablelands, flows, into, open, mature, wave, dominated, barrier, estuary, near, nowra, south, coast, south, wales, australia, near, great, dividing, range, west, batemans, location, mouth, south. The Shoalhaven River is a perennial river that rises from the Southern Tablelands and flows into an open mature wave dominated barrier estuary 3 near Nowra on the South Coast of New South Wales Australia Shoalhaven RiverShoalhaven River near the Great Dividing Range west of Batemans Bay Location of the Shoalhaven River mouth in New South WalesEtymology Shoals Haven Bass in 1797 1 LocationCountryAustraliaStateNew South WalesRegionSydney Basin IBRA Southern Tablelands South CoastLGAsPalerang ShoalhavenCitiesNowra BomaderryPhysical characteristicsSourceEuranbene Mountain Great Dividing Range locationwest of Bendethera coordinates35 58 15 S 149 38 3 E 35 97083 S 149 63417 E 35 97083 149 63417 elevation864 m 2 835 ft MouthTasman Sea South Pacific Ocean locationShoalhaven Heads coordinates34 51 S 150 44 E 34 850 S 150 733 E 34 850 150 733 elevation0 m 0 ft Length327 km 203 mi Basin size7 086 km2 2 736 sq mi Basin featuresTributaries leftKangaroo River rightMongarlowe River Corang River Endrick RiverIslandsPig Burraga Comerong 2 Contents 1 Location and features 1 1 Berrys Canal 1 2 Use for water supply 1 3 Environment 2 History 2 1 Indigenous history 2 2 European history 3 Crossings 4 Gallery 5 See also 6 References 7 Further readingLocation and features EditThe 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 2 Berrys Canal Edit 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 4 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 5 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 The northern entrance is located south of Shoalhaven Heads and is open intermittently at times of peak flow and during flood events 4 Use for water supply Edit Tallowa Dam is the only major dam on the Shoalhaven and is a part of the Shoalhaven Scheme It impounds the river s lower reaches to form Lake Yarrunga and part of Sydney s water supply Some water is pumped out of the lake and over the Southern Highlands into Lake Burragorang Proposals for a much larger water storage at Welcome Reef on the upper Shoalhaven have been shelved citation needed Environment Edit The Shoalhaven River and its main tributary the Kangaroo River were once renowned as an Australian bass fishery Unfortunately Tallowa Dam has been a potent barrier to migratory native fish with estuarine marine juvenile stages blocking species including Australian bass from more than 80 of their former range in the Shoalhaven system Recent stockings of hatchery bred Bass in Lake Yarrunga are an attempt to remediate the situation citation needed A fishway for Tallowa Dam was completed in August 2009 6 This fishway is designed to allow for the movement of bass and other native fish over the dam 7 Lake Yarrunga has also suffered the illegal introduction of highly damaging European carp which are now present in high densities History EditIndigenous history Edit The traditional custodians of the land are Jerrinja tribal peoples the surrounding Shoalhaven River in its lower reaches are the Aboriginal peoples of the lower catchment are Jerrinja tribal peoples which are the traditional custodians of the Shoalhaven 8 Some of the culturally important Aboriginal places in the Shoalhaven include Coolangatta Mountain Bundarwa Beecroft Headland Cambewarra Mountain Didthul or Pigeon House Mountain Kangaroo Valley Burrill Lake and Murramarang Aboriginal Area and its environs 9 10 The upper part of the Shoalhaven river in the district around modern day Braidwood is the traditional land of the Walbanga people 11 European history Edit The explorer and navigator George Bass found the entrance to the Shoalhaven River during his whaleboat voyage down the south coast of New South Wales in 1797 He gave the name Shoals Haven to the river now known as the Crookhaven River because of the shoals of mud and sand he found at the river mouth 1 12 Approximately 20 kilometres 12 mi west of Nowra are a series of properties along the banks of the Shoalhaven River that were a gift to the people of Australia from Arthur Boyd his wife Yvonne and the Boyd family Entrusted to the Bundanon Trust along with further gifts by Boyd including copyright of all of his artwork these properties provide an environment that promotes visual arts writing music and other performing arts and the promotion of education and research in the arts 13 Crossings Edit nbsp Ballalaba bridge on the Braidwood Cooma road nbsp Farringdon Crossing nbsp Bombay Bridge nbsp Warri Bridge on the Kings Highway nbsp New Bridge and remains of old bridge at Oallen FordThe river crossings from its headwaters to its river mouth include Ballalaba bridge Farringdon crossing between Farringdon and Bendoura Bombay bridge Warri Bridge carries the Kings Highway near Braidwood A bridge at this location was first opened on 23 September 1874 14 and later replaced by the current structure Stewart s Crossing is a ford on Stewart s Crossing Road Oallen Crossing was formerly a flood prone single lane timber bridge with a low level concrete floodway for the Oallen Ford Road at Oallen Ford near Nerriga constructed in 1936 The timber bridge and floodway has been replaced by a longer higher concrete bridge crossing slightly downstream around mid 2015 date needs checking 15 The new crossing is designed to permit higher speed travel and eliminates some sharp bends on the western side of the river and only to be overtopped by much deeper 1 20 year flood events 16 Nowra Bridge carries the Princes Highway between Bomaderry and Nowra Comerong Island Ferry carries vehicles and pedestrians to Comerong Island near the river mouth Historically there was once a ford crossing at the former village of Larbert 17 Gallery Edit nbsp Shoalhaven River Gorge near Bundanoon nbsp Shoalhaven River near Nowra nbsp With paddlersSee also Edit nbsp New South Wales portalList of rivers of Australia New South Wales List of rivers in New South Wales L Z Morton National Park Rivers of New South Wales Shoalhaven SchemeReferences Edit a b Reed A W 1984 Place names of Australia paperback reprint ed Sydney Reed Books Pty Limited p 196 a b Map of Shoalhaven River NSW Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia 2013 Retrieved 18 May 2013 Roy P S Williams R J Jones A R Yassini I et al 2001 Structure and Function of South east Australian Estuaries Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 53 3 351 384 Bibcode 2001ECSS 53 351R doi 10 1006 ecss 2001 0796 a b Shoalhaven River Hydrographic Survey PDF Estuary Management Program NSW Department of Natural Resources September 2005 November 2006 Retrieved 19 May 2013 Alexander Berry 1781 1873 Berry Alexander 1781 1873 Retrieved 16 October 2009 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a work ignored help NSW s first fish lift to save the endangered Grayling Press release Sydney Catchment Authority 23 August 2009 Retrieved 20 October 2009 New South Wales Department of Primary Industry Improving Fish Passage in the Shoalhaven PDF Draft Aboriginal protocols PDF NSW Department of Local Government Retrieved 19 May 2013 Aboriginal Heritage management Human Settlement Infrastructure services and resources City of Shoalhaven 2006 Retrieved 19 May 2013 Shoalhaven Indigenous History Shoalhaven Holidays City of Shoalhaven Retrieved 19 May 2013 Tindale Tribes Walbanga archives samuseum sa gov au Retrieved 6 January 2021 Bass in the Famous Whaleboat Voyage The Brisbane Courier National Library of Australia 26 July 1924 p 19 Mission About Bundanon Bundanon Trust 2013 Retrieved 19 May 2013 THE OPENING OF THE WARRI BRIDGE The Sydney Morning Herald 28 September 1874 p 3 url http www goulburn nsw gov au site files ul data text12 4083494 pdf 7C url http www southcoastregister com au story 2864017 one new crossing gets under way cs 203 7C Plan of the village of Larbert and suburban lands cartographic material Parish of Larbert County of Murray Land District of Braidwood N S W 1888 Trove Retrieved 16 January 2021 Further reading Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shoalhaven River Gehrke P C Gilligan D M Barwick M 2002 Changes in fish communities of the Shoalhaven River 20 years after construction of Tallowa Dam Australia River Research and Applications 18 3 265 286 doi 10 1002 rra 669 S2CID 131725363 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Shoalhaven River amp oldid 1178197066, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
