Mayor's message

The school holidays are now in full swing and Easter is almost here. While our administration buildings will be closed over the break, many of our facilities have some great holiday activities on offer to keep you and the kids busy. Before you jump in the car, I implore you to plan your trip and drive to the conditions to keep your family and others safe on our roads.  

I’ll be attending the annual Blessing of the Fleet Festival in Ulladulla this Easter Sunday. The community event is now in its 68th year and is always a spectacular occasion, paying homage to a tradition dating back centuries. There’s truly something for everyone. You can find more details about the festival and its history on the Ulladulla Blessing of the Fleet website.  

Speaking of Ulladulla – our very own harbourside town hosted Channel Nine’s Today Show weather crosses on Tuesday morning. Thanks to the locals, businesses owners and Council staff who helped with the broadcast. It was a fantastic showcase of our beautiful region.  

Next week there will be a range of temporary local road closures as we come together to commemorate Anzac Day on Friday 25 April. It’s an important opportunity for all of us to reflect and pay our respects to all Australians and New Zealanders who have served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. I’d like to also acknowledge the Australian men and women who are continuing to serve our country. Head to the Council website to find the full list of local services and associated road closures.  

I’d like to say a big congratulations to the Council staff involved in two major projects that received awards at the prestigious Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia Engineering Excellence Awards last week. We won a Judges’ Excellence Award in Disaster Recovery for our landslip rehabilitation project along the Kangaroo Valley and Burrier escarpments and received a Highly Commended Award for our Huskisson Mangrove Boardwalk design and construction. I would like to thank all the staff involved in both these projects – what an incredible achievement. 

Don’t forget, we’re still seeking your feedback on several key policies, plans and strategies. Your perspective is valuable and helps ensure we’re doing work that reflects your wants and needs. Here’s a list of the documents currently on exhibition.  

Finally, my next Open Office session will be on 27 April at the Berry Markets. You can find me at the Shoalhaven Autumn Celebration of Food stall from 11am to 1:30pm. I hope to see you there.  

Happy Easter!  

Mayor,  

Patricia White 

If you’ve been driving through Nowra over the past week you might have seen Council crews mowing the verges along the Princes Highway. More than 6km of highway from the Nowra Bridge to the industrial estates of South Nowra is being mowed as part of a blitz, and staff will continue to maintain the stretch every four to eight weeks depending on the season. We may not all love the winter season but at least our lawns grow slowly.

Speaking of driving, I never miss an opportunity to remind motorists about road safety, particularly as we head into the busy school holidays and Easter break. We know our roads get more congested during this time but using Transport for NSW’s Journey Planner is a good way to see delay times and traffic pinch points.

Earlier this week I attended a forum at the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery where the four candidates for the seat of Gilmore talked about what they’ll deliver for the community in the lead up to the election. It gave me the opportunity to talk about Council’s city-shaping projects and how we’ll be seeking to work in partnership with all levels of government to ensure the best possible outcome for the community. You can see the visual document which features the infrastructure projects that would enable better connectivity, housing development and liveability for residents and visitors to the area on Council’s website.

We’re still mopping up after the huge swells of last week and Ulladulla Sea Pool remains closed until a full inspection can assess the extent of damage. On Wednesday, Council was able to open Tabourie Lake to the sea due to prolonged inundation conditions. The mechanical intervention follows an attempt by Council to open the lake’s entrance 10 days ago, however the big swells and storm wash-over pushed sand back into the channel after works were completed.

Council continues to work with Liza Butler MP on Lake Conjola matters and the EMP (Entrance Management Plan). You can watch the video we did together here.

Remember we’re always seeking your feedback on several important plans, policies, strategies and projects and you’ll find this list below.

• Draft Shoalhaven River Entrance Management Policy (consultation ends 24 April) 
• Draft Shoalhaven Local Approvals Policy 2025 (consultation ends 25 April) 
• Draft lake Conjola Entrance Management Strategy Policy (ends 11 May 2025)
• Australian Livability Census 2025 (consultation ends 30 June) 

We have road works happening across the city and welcome news for North Nowra with rehabilitation works on Illaroo Road starting mid-May. This is a major project funded under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements and NSW Infrastructure Betterment Fund and will take several months to complete.

Don’t forget to head along to one of my upcoming Open Office sessions with my next session on 27 April at the Berry Markets from 11am to 1:30pm. You can find me in the Shoalhaven Autumn Celebration of Food stall. 

Mayor,

Patricia White

On Saturday I have the great pleasure of visiting the upgraded Lake Conjola Fire Station and greeting our wonderful local RFS volunteers. We’re five years-on since the Shoalhaven was impacted by the devastating Currowan bushfire and I’m so pleased that we’ve been able to build new facilities to better prepare the local community. 

The $1.56 million improvement works were funded under the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund and included an extension, a new truck bay, a training room, office, kitchen and new amenities. 

Earlier this week, I attended an industry workshop on Council’s Community Strategic Plan. Thanks to the local businesses and community providers who told us what their vision is for the city over the next 10 years. The plan will reflect your needs and wishes for the villages where you live, work and play so make sure you have your say before the survey closes on Sunday. 

Good news for those who drive electric vehicles, or are thinking of getting one.  At Tuesday’s Council meeting, the go ahead was given for Shoalhaven’s second EV charging station at the Berry Street car park in Nowra (the other one is in Ulladulla). Council won't incur any costs, with the NRMA, under a Federal Government grant, responsible for the installation, infrastructure and maintenance. Look forward to seeing it up and running mid-year. 

Don’t forget to head along to one of my upcoming Open Office sessions if there’s an important matter you’d like to discuss. My next session will be on Tuesday 1 April at the Dunn Lewis Centre in Ulladulla from 2pm-5pm. I hope to see you there. 

Mayor,

Patrica White

We had an exciting announcement by the NSW Government this week that will not only accelerate plans for our Nowra Riverfront Precinct but will also help increase the supply of homes in our city.   

The NSW Premier, the Hon. Chris Minns MP and Housing Minister, the Hon. Rose Jackson MP visited the Shoalhaven on Tuesday to announce that two major housing projects in the riverfront precinct will be fast tracked for development under the State Significant Rezoning pathway. 

It means several hectares of land along the waterfront will be rezoned to allow for increased residential density, paving the way for more than 600 dwellings. These two housing projects will deliver a mix of social, affordable and private dwellings – all of which are desperately needed in our city.  

I’m pleased these developments will also provide homes for our essential workers, supporting the much-needed redevelopment of the Shoalhaven Hospital. And, as I made the Premier aware, I expect to see shovels hit the ground for those projects in two years, once the concept plans are complete.  

Mowing is another issue I know you’re all passionate about, so you might want to keep an eye out on our website. Towards the end of March, we’ll have a dedicated page to provide details about our mowing schedule for all our open spaces.  

If you’re looking for an interesting outing later this month, Shoalhaven Water will be holding an open day at the Ulladulla (Kings Point) Wastewater Treatment Plant on 28 March. Tickets are free but spaces are limited so make sure you book now.  

I’ll be at the Milton Show from10am to 3pm today (Friday 7 March) for my Open Office session, so I hope you can come along for a chat. On Monday 10 March, I’ll be at the Dunn Lewis Centre in Ulladulla from 2pm to 4pm. If you can’t make either of those sessions, you can find more dates to meet me on the Council website.   

Mayor,  

Patricia White  

Today might be the last official day of summer, but we all know we’ll be swimming and enjoying our beaches for weeks to come. Being a coastal council, we are lucky to have 165km of beautiful coastline, but with this comes challenges. 

As a committee member of the Australian Coastal Council Association, I meet regularly with 40 other coastal councils from around Australia to discuss the issues impacting our towns. This includes climate change, coastal erosion, and meeting the demands of infrastructure and services. I’ll be representing the interests of the Shoalhaven and other coastal councils and will keep you updated on the group’s advocacy. 

I’m pleased to report that Council has recorded $1.7 million in cost-saving measures in the quarterly report from October to December 2024. The majority of money saved has come from job vacancies held across Council as a result of a more rigorous recruitment process. You can read the full report here. 

Salt Care have launched their fundraising drive to continue to do the invaluable work they provide to people across the region who are experiencing disadvantage. Salt has helped to transform the lives of thousands of people during times when they’re without a home, which sadly is a situation that many in our community are facing. I’d like to challenge everyone who can afford $10 or more, to the I Said Yes campaign, and help change the lives of people in our region for the better. Donate To The I Said Yes Campaign 

A welcome message for our residents and businesses who use The Wool Road in Old Erowal Bay – we’re now out to tender for construction and work will begin later this year. The good news is that as part of the reconstruction works, a special single-lane will be built to avoid lengthy detours. I’ll keep you updated as we get closer to the job starting.  

My next open office session is at the Milton Show. I’ll be there on Friday 7 March from 10am until 3pm and I'll be walking around all the stalls and activities so please come up and say hello. You can find a list of my upcoming sessions here and you’ll see there's a mix of locations and times so that everyone gets a chance to meet with me. It’s a first-come, first-served system but I always endeavor to get to everyone. Hope to see you soon. 

Mayor,  

Patricia White