Straddling the wide Shoalhaven River, the twin town of NOWRA-BOMADERRY is the centre of the Shoalhaven holiday region: Bomaderry is situated north of the river, Nowra south. The river here is great for sailing, windsurfing and boating in general, while the coast, 13km away, is dotted with popular holiday settlements and numerous beaches. Shoalhaven Heads north of the river mouth, Greenwell Point in the south, Huskisson at Jervis Bay and Sussex Inlet are all easily accessible on good roads, although public transport doesn't run this far. Possible inland trips include a one-hour tour to the top of nearby Mount Coolangatta with Australian Bushmobile Tours (tel 02/4423 0495; $10).

For further information on the beaches and how to get to them, and on local accommodation, stop first at the Shoalhaven Tourist Centre , 245 Princes Highway, in Bomaderry (daily 9am-5pm; tel 02/4421 0778 or free call 1800 024 261, www.shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au ). Accommodation includes an abundance of motels, and an ever-increasing choice of guesthouses, hostels and boutique B&B's. Rooms at Armstrong's White House , 30 Junction St (tel 02/4421 2084, fax 4423 6876; $50-70), share bathrooms but they're reasonably priced, or you could bag one of the beds in the four-person dorms at the old-fashioned, welcoming M & M's Guesthouse at 1A Scenic Drive (tel 02/4422 8006; rooms $50-70, dorms $20-35 including breakfast). One of the better motels, the Riverhaven Motel , is next door, on a riverfront landscaped property but only one block from the shops, by the bridge (tel 02/4421 2044, fax 4421 2121; $50-70); facilities include a kitchen and swimming pool. You can camp at the central, riverside Shoalhaven Caravan Village , Terrara Road, Nowra (tel 02/4423 0770, eddytim@hotmail.com ; cabins $35-70), with its own pool and tennis courts and bikes available to rent. There's not much by way of restaurants or nightlife in Nowra, but it does have one alternative hangout, the Tea Club , 46 Berry St (tel 02/4422 0900; closed Sun & Mon), a veggie café with a bohemian feel, exhibitions and artworks for sale, drumming workshops (Thurs) and alternative show nights (Sat). They also run monthly poetry and philosophy evenings (call for details). If you need a seafood fix without the showtime thrills, the Co-op next to Shoalhaven River Bridge sells oysters caught by Jimmy Wildes, the reigning world oyster-opening champion.