Nowra

Enjoy foodie experiences 

Surrounded by rich farmland and vineyards, and part of Australia’s Oyster Coast, Nowra will tempt your taste buds. Savour regional produce at cafes like The Deli on Kinghorn, try the coffee at Hyper Hyper or Hit N Run, or pick up fresh seafood from local fish shops. 

Taste native ingredients at Blak Cede Gunyah Cafe, an Aboriginal women-led eatery and shop that cultivates traditional bush foods and flavours. Try the budjerri burrito with kangaroo and smokey bush black beans or their signature wattleseed banana bread. Take home some delicious goods to enjoy later.

Blak Cede Gunyah Cafe and Shop, Nowra - Credit: Smiling Sun | Blak Cede

Explore local wineries, breweries and distilleries 

Try the chardonnay and verdelho at Cambewarra Estate Winery. A family-run boutique vineyard, they also make a popular hazy pale ale for craft beer lovers. Stay for lunch to share the snapper fillet and creamy baked broccoli gratin on the verandah. Continue sipping wines at nearby Lyrebird Ridge Organic Winery, keeping an eye out for the resident wombats and wallabies. 

Cambewarra Estate Winery, Bangalee

Fill a growler at Husky Brewing, a family-owned and -operated microbrewery with an ever-changing offering of 12 beers on tap. Grab a woodfired pizza from the onsite food truck as you sip their popular English dark ale or try one of their small batch fruit infusions. South Yeast Brewing also pours some unique brews. Past flavours have included a banana milkshake IPA and cherry sour ale, but their favourite is a coffee chocolate stout. 

Husky Brewing, South Nowra - Credit: Husky Brewing South Nowra

Old Salt Distillery not only makes delicious gins, vodkas, fruit-based hard seltzers and beers, but also has an open kitchen with wood-fired grill offering guests a gourmet experience to pair with their drinks. For whiskey, coffee liquor, limoncello and gin, head to Tara Distillery. Drop in for a guided tour to learn how they craft each drink utilising Australian grains and botanicals as well as pure Shoalhaven rainwater. 

Tara Distillery, Nowra Hill

Discover Nowra’s natural charm and wildlife 

For breathtaking panoramas of the river and hinterland, take the popular Bens Walk and stop at Hanging Rock, a beautiful picnic spot with views of the river, or follow the 2km Grotto Walk loop. Visit Shoalhaven Zoo to see an extensive collection of exotic and native animals in a natural bushland habitat. 

Hanging Rock Lookout, Nowra

The wide river is popular for fishing, boating and kayaking. Get a bird’s-eye view of the river at Treetops Adventure Nowra, a high ropes course where you can leap, swing and fly through the forest. Nowra is also a popular rock-climbing destination. Join a climbing tour or opt for a picnic suspended from Shoalhaven’s cliffs with Outdoor Raw. 

Outdoor Raw, Nowra - Credit: Daryl Jones | Outdoor Raw

Visit art galleries, museums and historic sites 

Take a guided tour of the heritage-listed Bundanon Homestead, the former home and studio of artist Arthur Boyd. Boyd’s works are also on display at the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery. Stroll through town to see street art murals. 

History buffs will love the vintage warplanes at the Fleet Air Arm Museum and a visit to Meroogal, a grand colonial house. See the sights on Nowra’s self-guided historical walk, which takes in Marriot Park, Werninck Craft Cottage and a heritage police station. Check out the town’s events calendar for shows and exhibitions. 

Fleet Air Arm Museum, Nowra

Getting there 

Located on the NSW South Coast in the Shoalhaven region, Nowra is a 2.5-hour drive south of Sydney along the spectacular Grand Pacific Drive.