Towamba is a small community, in

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 ...

Bega Valley Shire The Bega Valley Shire is a Local government in Australia, local government area located adjacent to the South Coast, New South Wales, south-eastern coastline of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was formed in 1981 with the amalgamation of t ...

. It is located about forty minutes drive west of Eden. At the , Towamba had a population of 249 people. Along with settlements such as Burragate, Pericoe, Rocky Hall and Kiah, Towamba was one of the settlements established after

Benjamin Boyd Benjamin Boyd (21 August 180115 October 1851) was a Scotland, Scottish entrepreneur who became a major shipowner, banker, Squatting (Australia), grazier, politician and Blackbirding, blackbirder in the British colony of New South Wales. He wa ...

began to open up the area to European settlement in the 1840s and 1850s. This small community has had a public school since 1862, located in Towamba Street. The original ford crossing the Towamba River was opposite the old police station, now a private dwelling. The first bridge built across the river was swept away in the 1919 floods, when every bridge on the river was swept away. Like many river systems throughout the Australian outback, the Towamba River is prone to extremes. When it floods it completely cuts off the village of Towamba from the outside world. Towamba remains a small service centre for the neighbouring agricultural community. Towamba Hall is a mud brick building located in the isolated rural community of Towamba. This venue can cater for a whole range of events with the Towamba oval right next door. Towamba also has its own radio station run by local volunteers.

Notes and references

Towns in the South Coast (New South Wales) Bega Valley Shire {{SouthCoastNSW-geo-stub