The Wodi-Wodi and the valley
Kangaroo Valley is a valley on the Kangaroo River, in the Shoalhaven area of New South Wales, west of the coast in the City of Shoalhaven. The same name belongs to the small suburb inside the valley, once known as Osborne, and in the Dharawal language the valley is Parronrah. The Wodi-Wodi people were the first inhabitants, and they had reportedly lived on this land for around 20,000 years before Europeans settled Australia in 1788.
In 1826, 79 Aboriginal people were living in the valley across five separate encampments. The valley itself is a gently sloping, wide one, surrounded on its sides by the high mountains of the New South Wales Southern Highlands. By car it is about two hours south-west of Sydney, and roughly two hours north of Canberra.
Timber, dairy and the village
The valley's first recorded European sighting came in April 1812, when the surveyor and explorer George Evans came through the area, on his way north after his exploration of Jervis Bay. Evans reportedly said the valley's view was one 'no painter could beautify.'
In 1817, Charles Throsby, who explored the region, and Captain Richard Brooks, who raised cattle, opened the valley to colonial settlement. Cutting and shipping Australian red cedar, Toona ciliata, quickly became the valley's main industry. In the middle of the 1840s, dairy farming families settled across the area, and they concentrated on butter, since milk would often curdle before it could be taken to neighbouring settlements.
In the 1870s, activity began to gather in what is now the village, while other centres, such as Trendally, died with the dairy industry. The Church of the Good Shepherd, built in the early 1870s, and its rectory, which John Tanner built in 1879, were both designed by John Horbury Hunt. The two are listed on the Register of the National Estate, which is now defunct.
The Wodi-Wodi people were the first inhabitants, and they had reportedly lived on this land for around 20,000 years before Europeans settled Australia in 1788.
School, courthouse and the bridge
The local public school went up in 1884, built of local sandstone, with later additions of weatherboard and brick. The courthouse followed around 1910, again in local sandstone. Its design is asymmetrical, with a sloping buttress and an arch, and its main buildings take in a residence, a lock-up and the courthouse. The building has been altered and extended over the years, and both the school and the courthouse appear on the Register of the National Estate.
Hampden Bridge, completed in 1898, and the old Barrengarry School stand as a testimony to the past, when the valley's dairy industry flourished. Hampden Bridge is the oldest suspension bridge in Australia. Little has changed in the valley in the past 130 years.
Timeline
- 1812The valley's first recorded European sighting, by the surveyor and explorer George Evans.
- 1817Charles Throsby and Captain Richard Brooks opened the area to colonial settlement.
- 182679 Aboriginal people were living in the valley across five separate encampments.
- mid-1840sA number of dairy farmers settled in the region and specialised in butter.
- 1870-72The Church of the Good Shepherd was built, designed by John Horbury Hunt.
- 1879John Tanner built the rectory.
- 1884The local public school was built of local sandstone.
- 1898Hampden Bridge was completed.
- c.1910The local courthouse was built, also of local sandstone.
Living in Kangaroo Valley
The road into the township is the Moss Vale Road. It meets the Princes Highway near Nowra, at Bomaderry, and is part of the B73 route. Flying Fox Pass gives a view over the valley, and the Fitzroy Falls lie a few kilometres to the north.
Several sites in Kangaroo Valley are heritage-listed, among them the Hampden Bridge. The suburb lies in the City of Shoalhaven. Farming continues in the valley, though tourism now brings in most of the income.
Questions people ask
- How many people live in Kangaroo Valley?
- In 2021, 856 people lived in the suburb of Kangaroo Valley.
- What is the median age in Kangaroo Valley?
- In 2021, the median age was 54.
- What is the history of Kangaroo Valley?
- The Wodi-Wodi people were the first inhabitants, and colonial settlement began in 1817. Timber, then dairy, then tourism shaped the valley.
- What is Kangaroo Valley known for?
- Its dairy past, the Hampden Bridge on the Moss Vale Road, and its setting in a broad valley with high mountains of the New South Wales Southern Highlands on its sides.
- Which council area is Kangaroo Valley in?
- The suburb is in the City of Shoalhaven.