Braidwood is a service town for the surrounding district which is based on sheep and cattle grazing, and forestry operations.

In September to May, fish and crayfish were eaten, while possums and larger grazing animals were hunted year round.

There were reports of the loss of water, fish and native animals essential to the First Nations's diet after the arrival of the settlers.

[5] In 1872, First Nation's Peoples from the south coast and the highlands areas met in a large ceremonial gathering on the Braidwood goldfields, where they also held discussions about strategies to gain back access to their land.

Shortly afterwards he received instructions to name forty acres of Crown Lands in whatever location Jack Bawn desired as an Aboriginal Reserve.

Brennan also recorded the following statement in regards to the First Nation's Peoples of the Braidwood and Coast Districts "...whose aspirations at all times were to be allowed some land which they might call their own...; which they might cultivate unmolested for the use of themselves and their families; and where the aborigines of the surrounding districts might meet periodically for the purpose of holding coroborees and other exhilarating games.

Most streets in the town are named after early settlers of the surrounding district; Elrington, Coghill, Duncan, Mackellar, Ryrie, Wallace, and Wilson.

The Commission identified several instances of misconduct and found the superintendent of police had failed to exercise 'strict and proper control over his men.

Amongst other consequences, very little building work was carried out, and as a result the town entered the 21st century with much of its original streetscape and architecture intact.

NSW TrainLink operate multiple direct services from both railways stations to Canberra, Sydney, and provides connections across the state.

Murray's coach services operate daily between Bateman's Bay and Canberra including picking up and setting down passengers in Braidwood.

Due to its position on the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range and its proximity to the Tasman Sea, summer temperatures are generally cooler than in nearby Bungendore and Goulburn which lie further inland at a similar altitude.

Braidwood's greater exposure to moist easterly winds also yields a wetter climate relative to Bungendore and Goulburn.

The town falls under the Southern NSW television licence area with stations transmitting from a tower on Mount Gillamatong, adjacent to the township.

[24] The town has several times been used for film locations, including Robbery Under Arms (1920), Ned Kelly (1970), The Year My Voice Broke (1987), On our Selection (1995), Finding Joy (2003), The Discontinuity (2009) and Australia's Most Haunted (2013).