Shoalhaven District Geology

  FIELD GEOLOGY OF THE SHOALHAVEN DISTRICT (PART 14) Chapter 8. The Tomerong District   In earlier days, when there were few casual visitors to the South Coast,  Tomerong  was much more a rural centre than it is today. The growth of holiday areas around Jervis Bay and St George’s Basin has rendered it less important.  Tomerong is situated where the southern road first passes through the Nowra Sandstone onto the widespread Wandrawandian Siltstone. The change is marked by a noticeable improvement in the soil, and this in turn has led to the growth of spotted gums and turpentine, in contrast to the poorer types growing on sandstone soils. The sawmills around Tomerong and Wandandian capitalise on this forest wealth and provide local employment.  North and west of Tomerong are outcrops of the overlying sandstone and the Berry Formation. Elsewhere, the Wandrawandian Siltstone is the dominant rock type, except along the shores of Jervis Bay, where a dome structure...

  FIELD GEOLOGY OF THE SHOALHAVEN DISTRICT (PART 13) Chapter 7: The Beecroft Peninsula The heads of  Jervis Bay  are unique features. Both of them project seawards contrary to the south westerly trend of the coast and both are flanked by great sea cliffs unequalled in NSW. The northern headland is much more accessible than the southern. The southern headland lies in Commonwealth Territory and will be considered in chapter 8.  The geological map indicates that the Conjola Formation is the dominant underlying rock, but there is far more to the understanding of its origin than this fact alone. It would appear that a combination of folding and a major offshore fault may have elevated this area in comparatively recent times. If we remember that the sea has been at its present level for only the last 10,000 years, then we cannot explain the cliffs or the great opening of Jervis Bay by marine erosion only. Suggested explanations for these features include the idea that the ...