Shoalhaven District Geology

FIELD GEOLOGY OF THE SHOALHAVEN DISTRICT (PART 6) Chapter 3: The Nowra District   Nowra  is strategically built on the first flood-free site upstream on the south bank of the Shoalhaven River. It was not an important settlement until about 1880, when Terara was extensively flooded. Soon after, the coming of the railway and the construction of the present road bridge assured its development as a rural centre. Today, it is a rapidly growing town, with developing industry, tourism, and defence establishments.  Several factors dominate the geology of the area. The Nowra Sandstone has provided a resistant surface, broken only by the Shoalhaven River and a few of its tributaries. Where this sandstone has dipped below sea level at Nowra, an extensive flood plain has developed, the origin of which is of considerable interest and will be explained later.  Coolangatta Mountain  is the only unusual feature in the area. It is really an outlying part of the Cambewarra Range,...

  FIELD GEOLOGY OF THE SHOALHAVEN DISTRICT (PART 5) Reminder that all the maps, diagrams etc referred to in the text have been lost. CHAPTER 2 CONTINUED Excursion 2b   Gerringong- Berry  (17 miles)  This excursion deals mainly with the stratigraphy of the Berry Formation and the effects of differing lithology on landforms and soil fertility.  Route: Prince’s Highway from Gerringong to Berry, with diversions to Toolijooa and Foxground.  Gerringong is close to the former centre of Permian volcanic activity. On this excursion, the flows are seen to become thinner and finally vanish while the tuffaceous sediments merge to become one unit, the Broughton Sandstone.  Stop 1. In the road cutting opposite Gerringong station, the Kiama Sandstone is well exposed. It is much the same as the outcrops seen at Kiama and Bombo, but with a higher proportion of pebbles.  Proceed towards  Berry . Outcrops of Kiama Sandstone are seen for the next two miles, at w...

  FIELD GEOLOGY OF THE SHOALHAVEN DISTRICT (PART 4) Chapter 2:   The Kiama District    3A and 3B Nowra HS Science excursion to Bombo quarries 1965 November   The country around Kiama has been visited by students for many years, for its volcanic rocks illustrate many important geological processes. Attention was first drawn to the area in 1797, when explorer George Bass discovered the now well-known Blow Hole. He also commented on the manner in which the rocks were jointed. At this time, most of the country was covered by thick rain forest and the presence of fine timber soon attracted cedar getters from Sydney. Settlers began arriving after 1820 and started clearing the jungle. From that point on the dairying industry has grown to its present importance.  The introduction of the railway and the subsequent demand for ballast led to extensive quarrying of the local volcanic rocks. Kiama became known as the “Blue Metal Metropolis” and there is abundant ev...