Top 6 Specialty Museums in Shoalhaven, New South Wales

A few blocks from the town centre of Nowra on NSW’s south coast, Meroogal is a rare and precious gem. Barely changed since it was built in the 1880s, the distinctive ‘Carpenter Gothic’ house has been loved and maintained by four generations of Thorburn and Macgregor women through the pleasures and labours of daily life. The house still overflows with their belongings – favourite books and ornaments, furniture, photographs, diaries and journals, newspaper clippings, receipts and recipes, appliances and clothes – and the garden, although reduced from its original size, still provides fruits and fresh produce that hint at their self-sufficiency and hospitality. Meroogal invites us into their lives, and through their private histories draws us into a shared and living past.

The Jervis Bay Maritime Museum features a world renowned collection of maritime artefacts and navigational and surveying instruments. The Museum exhibits a range of nautical equipment, models, photographs, paintings, drawings and objects relating to the history and heritage of the Jervis Bay area. The Museum is home to the historic Lady Denman ferry and other historic vessels. Located in Huskisson, Jervis Bay, the Museum enjoys a waterfront location on Currambene Creek. Positioned in a beautiful bush setting in Jervis Bay, the complex includes a large recreation area with native gardens, a mangrove boardwalk, pond, boathouse and historic buildings.

Kangaroo Valley Pioneer Village Museum shows the lifestyle of early settlers to Australia, in particular, this valley. Discover houses and tools from the middle of the 19th to early 20th century. Explore old trades like blacksmith, saddle maker, dairy and farming. Enter old bush school or telephone exchange. Learn about family trees and study historic documents or simply enjoy a BBQ (gas BBQ free facilities for museum customers)) and a bushwalk across the swing bridge. Seniors/children $5 Adults $10 Family $20