Nowra, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Nowra is the main town of the Shoalhaven region on the New South Wales South Coast, sitting on the Shoalhaven River about 160 kilometres south of Sydney. The district lies on the lands of the Yuin nation, and the name is said to come from a local Aboriginal word for the black cockatoo. The ex-convict businesswoman Mary Reibey took up a land grant in the area in the 1820s; the township was recognised in 1852, gained town status in 1885 and was declared a city in 1979. Long supported by dairy farming and forestry, Nowra is also closely tied to the nearby HMAS Albatross naval air station, and today serves as the commercial heart of a coast known for its beaches and the Shoalhaven River.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Nowra is more socio-economically advantaged than about 3% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 834, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Nowra at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 9,956
- Median age
- 40
- Median weekly household income
- $1,037
- SEIFA score
- 834
- Coordinates
- -34.8807, 150.6061
Nowra demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Nowra using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 24%, 46% of homes are rented, and 15% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,835 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,145 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,389 | 24% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,293 | 23% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,296 | 23% |
Share of the 9,958 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,086 | 28% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 839 | 22% |
| Rented | 1,761 | 46% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3,120 | 81% |
| Townhouses & semis | 524 | 14% |
| Flats & apartments | 188 | 5% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 3,844 occupied private dwellings in Nowra.
- Median weekly rent
- $300
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,500
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,327
- Median weekly personal income
- $554
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,332 (15%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 755 (8%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 1,225 (12%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,714 (34%)
- Labour-force participation
- 43.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 9.2%
- Employed full-time
- 1,718
- Employed part-time
- 1,231
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Nowra
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Nowra is January (average daytime high around 27.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 16.4°C). The area receives roughly 1022 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27.9°C | 17.9°C | 91 mm |
| Feb | 26.5°C | 17.4°C | 118 mm |
| Mar | 24.8°C | 16.5°C | 141 mm |
| Apr | 22.4°C | 13.7°C | 86 mm |
| May | 19.3°C | 10.8°C | 48 mm |
| Jun | 16.5°C | 8.8°C | 58 mm |
| Jul | 16.4°C | 8°C | 74 mm |
| Aug | 17.5°C | 8.2°C | 89 mm |
| Sep | 20.5°C | 10°C | 53 mm |
| Oct | 23°C | 12.3°C | 83 mm |
| Nov | 24.4°C | 14°C | 91 mm |
| Dec | 26.5°C | 16.1°C | 90 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Nowra
Where is Nowra?
Nowra is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Nowra?
At the 2021 Census, Nowra had a population of about 9,956.
Is Nowra an advantaged area?
Nowra has an ABS SEIFA score of 834, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 3 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 3% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Nowra?
Nowra has average daytime highs of about 22.1°C and overnight lows of about 12.8°C, with roughly 1,022 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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