Shipbuilding was an important industry in the Shoalhaven and as such many vessels were built and launched from the site now known as Paringa Park on the Shoalhaven River.
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The word ‘Paringa’ finds it’s origins in the local Aboriginal word, meaning ‘pleasant waters’ or ‘whirlpool’. The sandstone quarry which forms the outer boundary of Paringa Park originally supplied rock for the break wall built at the mouth to Crookhaven River.
One of Nowra’s earliest craftsmen and shipbuilder Reuben Greentree, ran a yard on the south bank of the Shoalhaven River near Paringa Park and built vessels for John Macarthur’s enterprise.
In 1942, during WWII a timber frame boat building industry was set up in the quarry by South Coast Co-operative Shipbuilding, Canning and Development Society. Two 66-foot wooden vessels were launched from the yard in 1943. During this time, the Navy also had a number of boats and canoes moored at the site.
