Situated in the southern reaches of the Sydney basin,[4] Nowra is the seat and commercial centre of the City of Shoalhaven.

The region around Nowra is a farming community with a thriving dairy industry and a significant amount of state-owned forest land.

The naval air station HMAS Albatross is located about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south-west of Nowra.

[5] Circa 1824, ex-convict Mary Reibey applied for a land grant in the Burrier area, on the southern side of the Shoalhaven River.

A major landmark in the area is the house Bundanon, which renowned Australian artist Arthur Boyd and his wife Yvonne donated to the people of Australia in 1993 along with an adjoining property that had been previously owned by Boyd's brother-in-law, the equally famous Australian artist Sidney Nolan.

Along the north of Nowra is the Shoalhaven River, which formerly hosted the Australian National wakeboarding championships and is a popular fishing location.

The Shoalhaven River meets the sea through the canal that joins the Shoalhaven and Crookhaven Rivers, which was dug by convicts under the direction of local entrepreneur and pioneer Alexander Berry.Nowra possesses a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa), with very warm, wet summers and mild, relatively dry winters.

Due to its position on the leeward side of the Great Dividing Range, Nowra experiences a foehn effect, particularly in late winter and spring.

[1] The population is slightly younger than the state and country as a whole, with an average age of 37 compared to 38 for both Australia and New South Wales.

However, the population is bimodally distributed, with a larger percentage of children and the elderly than the state and national averages.

Nowra has a growing tourist industry, especially in the summer months, when visitors (mostly from Sydney and Canberra) flock to the beaches to enjoy swimming, surfing, fishing, shopping, and relaxing in the restaurants and cafés.

Other rugby league teams in the Shoalhaven area include the St Georges Basin Dragons, Culburra Dolphins, Sussex Inlet Panthers and Berry Magpies, all of whom source some of their players from Nowra.

The club won the 2008 premiership in the Illawarra district competition, and has produced international and provincial players such as Andrew Walker and Alex Kanaar.

[20] The Shoalhaven Tigers represent the area in the New South Wales State Basketball League and have won several championships from 1988 until 2007.