Bombay Display Board: River
The text, images and references of the 'River' Column as featured on the Bombay display board at Bombay Reserve.
The Shoalhaven River starts some 60km south of Bombay at Euranbene Mountain near Snowball and runs over 327 km north-east to Shoalhaven Heads near Nowra. To local First Nations people, the river is traditionally known as ‘wari’ (pronounced ‘worry’).
Since 1955 the Shoalhaven has been the primary source of Braidwood town’s water supply. The pumpsite is located a few kilometres upstream of Bombay bridge, with water pumped to a reservoir at the base of Mt Gillamatong and gravity-fed to the town.
There are two local river monitoring stations at Warri bridge and Mount View, recording data since 1914 and 1973 respectively. Data suggests 1974 was one of the wettest years on record, with the annual water discharge averaging over 1 million megalitres. The drought in 2019 saw the lowest annual discharge and the Shoalhaven stopped flowing. By early 2020, river levels were at an all time low as the Black Summer Bushfires burned around the district, and plans were made to truck water from Canberra to supply Braidwood.
The Shoalhaven River down to isolated pools of water after
drought and bushfires in December 2019. Credit: E Brinkley
In 1968, Welcome Reef was one of several dams proposed along the Shoalhaven to help supplement Sydney’s drinking water supply. A decade of feasibility studies and misguided interventions ensued. To the consternation of locals, swathes of vegetation in the river were cleared with big dozers, intending for floods to ‘flush’ the system before the dam was built. Subsequent floods in the 1970s decimated the ecosystem, with weeds like African Lovegrass intentionally introduced to control erosion.
By 1980, a site for the dam wall was selected some 30km north of Braidwood. Welcome Reef’s expected holding capacity was 2,700 gigalitres, covering 15,300 hectares and backfilling all the way to Bombay. The NSW Government bought 98% (28,050 hectares) of land in the Dam’s flood zone but, after decades of delays and debate, the proposal was finally rejected in 2004. With estimated costs over $2 billion, the dam was deemed too shallow and would take 10-30 years to fill! A more economical solution was adopted to divert the Shoalhaven to Sydney via Tallowa Dam further downstream.
Proposed Welcome Reef Dam Flood Zone. Credit: WaterNSW
WANT TO PADDLE BETWEEN BOMBAY AND WARRI BRIDGES?
Distance 13km | Allow 3.5+ hours | Mixed rapids usually grade 2-3 | Be aware of water conditions
The first section passes through a rocky stretch of river, before flattening out to sandy banks and grazing land. There is one 2m waterfall known as “Jigglesmasher falls” which inexperienced paddlers should carry craft around. The trip is not advised if river levels are below 1.3m. Conditions are increasingly hazardous above 2.4m.
*Refer to Map
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River References:
- Gunn, R H et al. 1969, Lands of Queanbeyan-Shoalhaven Area, ACT and NSW, retrieved 28 August 2024 from <https://www.publish.csiro.au/CR/pdf/LRS24>
- Weaver, M 2020, After two long months North Black Range fire near Braidwood extinguished, accessed 28 August 2024 from <https://aboutregional.com.au/after-two-long-months-north-black-range-fire-near-braidwood-extinguished/>
- Australian Government Bereau of Meteorology, 2024, Water Data Online, accessed 28/8/2024 from <http://www.bom.gov.au/waterdata/>
- NSW Canoe Association Incorporated 1990, "Canoeing Guide to New South Wales, Published by The Paddle NSW Inc. Silverwater NSW
- Hodgkinson, K 2009, 5846 - WELCOME REEF DAM, retrieved 31/8/2024 from <https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/papers/Pages/qanda-tracking-details.aspx?pk=49462>
- Shoalhaven City Council, 2016, Inquiry into Water Augmentation, retrieved 31 August 2024 <-https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lcdocs/submissions/55274/020%20Shoalhaven%20City%20Council.pdf>
This Bombay Landcare Information Board project was proudly co-funded by Bendigo Community Bank Braidwood, WaterNSW
Bombay Landcare Group and Upper Shoalhaven Landcare Council. With Special thanks to Sheep Station Creek Landcare's Christine Payne and Michael Gill for illustrations and design. Artwork © 2025 C Payne & M Gill. All rights reserved.