Historical Walking Tour of Nowra — Self-Guided App
A self-guided historical walking tour of Nowra, taking in Uniting Church, St Andrew's Presbyterian Church and St. Michael's Roman Catholic Cemetery across 8 stops.
Open this tour in the app →The route
1Nowra Uniting Church
The foundation stone for this Wesleyan Church was laid on 1 January 1877, and it opened for worship exactly a year later. The adjacent parsonage was absorbed into the Wesley Centre development in 1981, and the congregation is now part of the Uniting Church.
2St Andrew's Presbyterian Church
Opened on 13 January 1875, this Presbyterian church later gained a distinctive War Memorial Tower, its foundation stones laid in October 1925 and the tower and porch dedicated in March 1926. Marking the church's jubilee, it honours over eighty Shoalhaven Presbyterians who served in the First World War.
3St. Michael's Roman Catholic Cemetery
Nowra's oldest Catholic burial ground, on North Street opposite St Michael's church and primary school. Its earliest recorded burial dates to 1845, among the district's first Shoalhaven settlers. It was formally closed in January 1887, though occasional interments continued into the mid-1990s. The cemetery is locally heritage-listed.
4Castellated Sandstone Memorial Gateway and Sculpture
Marking the entrance to Nowra Showground, this castellated sandstone gateway with battlemented parapets and crenellated towers was dedicated in 1931 to honour First World War servicemen, designed by architect Cyril Blacket. A memorial sculpture of an Australian serviceman by O.L. Steen was added in 1968 for later conflicts.
5Meroogal
Built in 1886 by Kenneth Mackenzie for his sister Jessie Thorburn and her four unmarried daughters, this Late Victorian weatherboard house was lived in by the same family for generations. Now a house museum, it holds one of NSW's most intact Victorian furniture collections and was State Heritage listed in 1999.
6All Saints Anglican Church
Built in 1900 on Plunkett Street to replace an earlier Anglican church, All Saints' had its foundation stone laid in 1899. Its rare timber, sandstone and slate lych gate, designed in Arts and Crafts style and completed in 1921, doubles as a First World War memorial to twelve local parishioners.
7Graham Lodge
Built in 1860-61 by local tradesmen Charles Moore and Willet Burrey for James Graham, Shoalhaven's first mayor, this Victorian Georgian residence uses locally fired brick on sandstone footings. Its two-storey veranda is the region's earliest example. Added to the NSW State Heritage Register in 2004, it later served as a leagues club.
8Nowra Bridge
Completed in 1881 to designs by American engineer Charles Shaler Smith, this wrought-iron span across the Shoalhaven River carried the Princes Highway and was the largest bridge project in New South Wales before the 1889 Hawkesbury River railway crossing. A local heritage item, it is now being converted into a pedestrian and cyclist path.
Map
Practical info
While you’re in New South Wales
FAQ
How long is the Nowra walking tour?
About 98 minutes over roughly 4.2 km at a relaxed pace.
Can I do the tour offline?
Yes — load the tour in the Sitesy app beforehand and it’s cached for offline use.
Is the Nowra walking tour accessible?
The route mainly follows town-centre footpaths; check the app for any steps or uneven ground near individual stops.