Nerriga () is a small village in the

Southern Tablelands The Southern Tablelands is a geographic area of New South Wales, Australia, located south-west of Sydney and generally west of the Great Dividing Range. The area is characterised by high, flat country which has generally been extensively cl ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

in Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council. It is situated at the edge of

Morton National Park The Morton National Park is a national park located in the Southern Highlands, South Coast and Illawarra regions of New South Wales, Australia, situated approximately south southwest of Sydney. Location and features The most notable attracti ...

, on the Braidwood -

Nowra Nowra () is a city in the South Coast, New South Wales, South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south-southwest of the state capital of Sydney (about as the crow flies). As of the 2021 census, Nowra has an estimated po ...

road. The population of Nerriga and the surrounding localities at the was 72.

History

In 1828, grazier George Galbraith was listed as the owner of some of land on the

Endrick River Endrick River is a perennial river of the Shoalhaven catchment located in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. Location and features Endrick River rises below Quiltys Mountain on the western slopes of the Budawang Range ...

, to the east of the current village. This property was then known as "Narriga". The name "Nerriga" was first recorded by surveyor

Robert Hoddle Robert Hoddle (21 April 1794 – 24 October 1881) was a surveyor and artist. He was the first Surveyor-General of Victoria from 1851 to 1853. He was previously the Surveyor-in-Charge of the Port Phillip District from 1837 to 1851. He became ...

on an 1828 expedition of the

Shoalhaven River The Shoalhaven River is a perennial stream, perennial river that rises from the Southern Tablelands and flows into an open mature wind wave, wave dominated estuary#Lagoon-type or bar-built, barrier estuary near Nowra on the South Coast, New Sou ...

. Following Galbraith's death in 1837, his land holdings were subsequently auctioned. Galbraith's holding was purchased by another settler, John Mackenzie, who had been granted land near Nerriga in 1836. In 1840,

James Larmer James Larmer (b. 1808 or 1809 – d. 1886) was a government surveyor in the colony of New South Wales. Between 1830 and 1859, he surveyed land, roads and settlements in New South Wales. He was an Assistant Surveyor to the Surveyor-General, Thomas ...

surveyed a village site and a route over the mountains from Nerriga to Vincentia. It was intended that this pass, known as

The Wool Road The Wool Road (also later known as 'The Old Wool Road') was a Historic roads, historic road in New South Wales, Australia, that ran from Nerriga to what is now called Vincentia, New South Wales, Vincentia on Jervis Bay. It was constructed privat ...

would allow movement of agricultural produce to a port on

Jervis Bay Jervis Bay () is a oceanic bay and village in the Jervis Bay Territory and on the South Coast (New South Wales), South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. A area of land around the southern headland of the bay, known as the Jervis Bay Terri ...

from the Braidwood and

Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, approximately south-west of Sydney and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters patent by Queen Victor ...

districts. The road was completed in 1841, a distance of approximately at an estimated cost of £997. In 1842, the existing road linking Nerriga to Braidwood was substantially upgraded. Both projects utilised convict labour under the command of Nerriga landowner John Mackenzie. The discovery of

alluvial Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

gold on the Shoalhaven River in 1851 led to increased interest in the area around Nerriga, and the town began to grow, with the Commercial Hotel opening for business some time around 1864. The building still stands today, but is now known as the Bark Tree Hotel. Records show that between 1878–1901, the peak of production in the area, some of gold were produced from the Nerriga Mining Division. Some quartz reefs were also worked in the area, however the yields from these activities were not significant. Prospecting on a large scale continued through to the 1960s. Nerriga had a state school from 1868 to 1917 and from 1928 to 1975. It was generally described as a "public school", but sometimes as "provisional" or "half-time." In October 2010, a substantial upgrade of the road between Nerriga and

was completed by the

Roads & Traffic Authority The Roads & Traffic Authority (RTA) was an Statutory authority, agency of the Government of New South Wales responsible for major road infrastructure, licensing of drivers, and registration of motor vehicles. The RTA directly managed state ...

, the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure and Transport and the

Shoalhaven City Council The City of Shoalhaven is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the South Coast, New South Wales, South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is about south of Sydney. The Princes Highway passes through the a ...

, providing high quality, sealed all-weather road access for the community. A community celebration was held to mark the completion of the upgrade. In December 2019, the Currowan and Tianjara fires destroyed properties around Nerriga. The Nerriga Pub provided shelter for residents evacuated from their homes in the surrounding communities after thick smoke forced them to move from the community hall. Local residents continued to hose down the building for several hours to protect it from burning embers until volunteers from the

New South Wales Rural Fire Service The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) is a volunteer-based firefighting government agency, agency and statutory body of the Government of New South Wales. The NSW RFS is responsible for fire protection to approximately 95% of the la ...

arrived.

Climate

References

{{authority control Towns in New South Wales Southern Tablelands Queanbeyan–Palerang Regional Council Mining towns in New South Wales