Nowra was one of 36 towns in the Nowra Land Board District to be officially proclaimed on March 20, 1885 - some 135 years ago last week.
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The proclamation said Nowra was in the County of St Vincent, and the Parish of Nowra, occupying 335 acres.
Not that this proclamation meant a lot to the townsfolk, for Nowra had been making great strides forward for more than a decade.
The Government Gazette stated the boundaries were the northern side of North Street, the southern side of Plunkett Street, the eastern side of East Street, and the western side of North Street.
Not that this proclamation meant a lot to the townsfolk, Nowra had been making great strides forward for more than a decade.
It had three major church buildings in the CBDs - St Andrew's, St Michael's and the Wesleyan Methodist - it remains the principal places of worship for these denominations today.
There were three hotels, the Albion and Prince of Wales opposite each other on the Kinghorne/Junction St corner, and the Greenhills (forerunner of the Empire) further to the north.
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There was no major store in the CBD, the John McArthur building (Woodhills) still a further down the track.
The town was well served by Jeremiah Green and Christopher Graham's stores.
A glance through the journal of March 1885 provides a snapshot of life at the time.
The Shoalhaven Telegraph was the only newspaper published in Nowra at that time, with The News at Terara.
The bridge over the Shoalhaven River, recently opened, made a huge difference to life in the district, but was looking a little shabby.
The structure was being scrubbed down and rust removed for repainting - but it had other issues.
There was a charred and blackened hole in the decking of the bridge, and concern was expressed that there would be further blazes.
The combustible material was the build-up of horse droppings that left the decking in "a dangerously flammable state".
One issue of the day was the war in the Sudan where some Australian troops had been sent.
A meeting held to set up a Patriotic Fund was told by Mayor Henry Moss that they were not there to criticise government policy in sending our troops away.
The Mayor was moved to write a six-verse poem on the subject that was published by the Telegraph.
The building industry was strong, with timber supplied by Brown & Hyam's Perseverance Saw Mills, while bricks were made by John Schadel and Fred Moore.
Prince of Wales Hotel licensee Anton Wolf was also a cabinetmaker and joiner; while in addition to his forage and potato store, Frank Sidney conducted a private boarding house.
The railway was eight years away, so Nowra folk caught coaches and ships.
Coaches to Moss Vale were big business. Cullen & Haddin undercut the opposition, offering a one-way journey for five shillings. The coach arrived in time to make the midday train.
The steamers Meeinderry and Sunbaw took passengers from Broughton Creek, Bomaderry and Back Forest to the major wharf at Greenwell Point for those who travelled to Sydney by sea.
Illawarra Steam Navigation Company vessels left Greenwell Point on Monday and Thursday at 7 or 8am, and returned on Tuesday and Friday, arriving at 11pm.
Information from Shoalhaven Historical Society