A sub-committee of the Cambewarra Residents and Ratepayers Association has prepared a 16 page booklet on the history of the village and the district, dating back to its 1830 beginnings.

The free booklet, entitled Cambewarra Village and District (C.1830) has been hand-distributed to all homes in the village, and packs given to the Cambewarra Public School as a resource for teachers to aid in preparing local history lessons.

Local historian Alan Clark's definitive book Cambewarra - a History has been widely quoted in the booklet, together with anecdotes, old photographs sourced from local museums, and new material gathered from residents.

The content is intended to inform locals of the heritage values of the area and to encourage the sharing and preservation of relevant family trees and stories, government plans and documents, newspaper reports, letters and photos from that era.

That information will be assessed, digitised and presented on a website for all to see and to research.

Newer residents may not be aware of the important buildings still standing from the 1860s, of pioneer families and details of the rural industries that thrived.

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Cambewarra once boasted three hotels, a score of retail shops and small business, three tanneries, cheese and butter factories, and played an integral part in the development and history of the Shoalhaven.

The final route of the main highways and of the railway to the east brought about the demise of the local industries and the subsequent shrinking of the village until its emergence as a dormitory village in the 1970s.

President of the Shoalhaven Historical Society, which conducts the Nowra Museum, Lynne Allen, said it is hoped the booklet will draw forgotten historical documents out of bottom drawers so this "important local heritage can be preserved".

"We are also appealing for funding as we aim to prepare a community website where all important material relating to Cambewarra will be collected and preserved for everyone to access," she said.

"Cambewarra as a village has grown so much and unfortunately many of our older, longtime residents are no longer with us.

"It is important we keep our heritage safe and also accessible.

"Already the publication has created a lot of interest."

The booklet publishing costs were assisted by the NSW Government through Kiama MP Gareth Ward.

The booklet was launched at a Cambewarra Residents and Ratepayers Association meeting earlier this month and has been distributed to all Cambewarra residents.

Copies can be obtained from cambewarraheritage@gmail.com and the Cambewarra Post Office.

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