I have been offered a job in the Nowra area. I currently live in the USA , coastal North Carolina. Not the greatest waves here but the water is warm and super convenient living 3 blocks from the water. What's it like in NSW? My sons and I really enjoy the SUP surfing. How's the water temp? Do you need a wetsuit ? Recommendations on where to locate ? The job would be for 3_4 yrs. And my son will finish high school here but would be going to college down under Recommendations? Thanks for the feedback

Just do it..

Nowra is about 2 hours south of Sydney. You won't be three blocks from the surf in Nowra itself, but if you choose to commute a little then you could live very close to the beach. On the south coast there are a ton of surf spots. Wettie in winter, and depending on your pie-intake, boardies will suffice outside of that.

In my opinion, Nowra itself doesn't have that much going on, but the south coast of NSW really is pretty damn good. There are some really great places within an hour's drive north and south.

Select to expand quote

chucktheskiffie said..
Nowra is about 2 hours south of Sydney. You won't be three blocks from the surf in Nowra itself, but if you choose to commute a little then you could live very close to the beach. On the south coast there are a ton of surf spots. Wettie in winter, and depending on your pie-intake, boardies will suffice outside of that.

In my opinion, Nowra itself doesn't have that much going on, but the south coast of NSW really is pretty damn good. There are some really great places within an hour's drive north and south.

thanks Chuck. I was figuring on staying as close to the water as I can afford and make the drive to work

There are a bucket-load of places to live that won't be hugely expensive that will have you right on the water if you are willing to drive between 20min-45min for work.

I do 45 min each way now , no real traffic. Doe 45 min translate to about 30 miles?

What's a mile..

Phrogman,

Jump on the net and grab yourself some NSW/Australia Surf Guides. You sure won't be disappointed with what you read!

Select to expand quote

DavidJohn said..
What's a mile..

Its a unit of measurement when your car takes gallons of fuel...

Select to expand quote

chucktheskiffie said..

DavidJohn said..
What's a mile..

Its a unit of measurement when your car takes gallons of fuel...

gallon

about 4 liters = 1 gallon

Select to expand quote

Phrogman said..
about 4 liters = 1 gallon

Just kidding.. I'm old so I remember the good old imperial days..

What an opportunity to come live in Australia your son will love his teenage years in australia couldn't ask for a better place to grow up.
Realestate.com.au is the place to find and search for rentals and sales. Search by map it will give you a good idea on places close to the ocean.
I commute over an hour a day to the city for work but it's worth it being 500m from the Ocean on days off

Absolutely awesome area to surf and SUP. It would probably be the best 4 years of your life.
You'd just have to get used to the Australian sense of humour (and spelling)

Hey Phrogman do yourself a favour and forget about checking out Ulladulla which is less than an hour South of Nowra. We have totally crap waves and a really boring lifestyle

Select to expand quote

Phrogman said..
I have been offered a job in the Nowra area. I currently live in the USA , coastal North Carolina. Not the greatest waves here but the water is warm and super convenient living 3 blocks from the water. What's it like in NSW? My sons and I really enjoy the SUP surfing. How's the water temp? Do you need a wetsuit ? Recommendations on where to locate ? The job would be for 3_4 yrs. And my son will finish high school here but would be going to college down under Recommendations? Thanks for the feedback

Hey Phrogman, Nowra is a bit of a hole to be honest, but 40 mins south is the best stretch of coast for Surf in Australia IMO. Mollymook/Ulladulla is amazing and is about 60kms (40 miles) south of Nowra. Climate is great but you will need a 3/2 steamer in Winter, nothing too extreme like Victoria or Tasmania however. Only problem re 'college' (we call it University) is that the closest is in Wollongong and Mollymook is not on the train line (Nowra is).

Have to confess to being a little bit envious Phrog, if I could score a paying gig on that stretch of coast I'd be all over it like a fungus.

Select to expand quote

Phrogman said..
I have been offered a job in the Nowra area. I currently live in the USA , coastal North Carolina. Not the greatest waves here but the water is warm and super convenient living 3 blocks from the water. What's it like in NSW? My sons and I really enjoy the SUP surfing. How's the water temp? Do you need a wetsuit ? Recommendations on where to locate ? The job would be for 3_4 yrs. And my son will finish high school here but would be going to college down under Recommendations? Thanks for the feedback

Hi there Phrogman,
I assume with a handle like that you are Navy and going to Albatross? (if that guess is wide of the mark please excuse me). I lived in Kiama for 19 years and surfed all year round during that time. If you are working in North Nowra and want to stay on the coast you can chosse from towns like Kiama, Gerringong, Gerroa, Shoalhaven Heads or Bomaderry (which is on the river). They all vary from 45 mins to 15 mins from Nowra. Then if you are south side which is where the Albatross Naval Base is, there is Orient Point, Greenwell Point, Culburra beach and so on. Of course there is also the Shoalhaven River you could SUP on. Only about 20 mins away is Jervis Bay which has places like Huskisson which really cranks on a big easterly, Summercloud Bay on the south side, Callalla Bay northside and Currarong a bit further around.
Goatman is correct, that stretch of coastline is home to some of the best surf in Australia (mostly autumn and winter) and it is often uncrowded. Do some exploring and you will find some absolute gems.
Water temp in winter would rarely drop below 14 degree celsius, which is considered cold. Its rarely the water that would get you out anyway, mostly wind chill. In summer it will range from 19 - 24 degrees. The south coast of NSW is funny because it gets cold water later in the season, so up until about May / June it really is pretty warm in the water, drops for about three months then goes back to normal. If you love a big ground swell, that hits rock shelves and then jacks to overhead there is no better place to be posted. There is a mix of reef and beach breaks, but the reefs are where the power is and the surge under your feet on take off is simply breathtaking.
I live up north in Newcastle these days and really the surf is no comparison to what the south coast offers. Down there whitewash a foot high will knock you off your board, up here it is soft and has little power at that size. The Victorian guys on this list will know all about this. At the end of the day, I reckon for a SUPer you could not be posted anywhere better!
One final thing in the schools, my kids went to the public schools down there (Kiama) and got a great education. The Uni of Wollongong has a large campus in Wollongong which is about an hour north of Nowra and you can train it there from Bomaderry. There is also a small campus at Berry.
Enjoy.

Select to expand quote

Phrogman said..
about 4 liters = 1 gallon

3.785 ltr = US Gallon
4.546 ltr = English Gallon
1 mile = 1.6093 km

I live in Queensland and I'll tell you now winters down south are fairly cold compared to Gold Coast and a good wetsuit would be a definite requirement. Ah Queensland

Select to expand quote

Phrogman said..
I have been offered a job in the Nowra area. I currently live in the USA , coastal North Carolina. Not the greatest waves here but the water is warm and super convenient living 3 blocks from the water. What's it like in NSW? My sons and I really enjoy the SUP surfing. How's the water temp? Do you need a wetsuit ? Recommendations on where to locate ? The job would be for 3_4 yrs. And my son will finish high school here but would be going to college down under Recommendations? Thanks for the feedback

Hi,
Live in Huskisson if you can,greatest place in Australia to paddle,dont let the world in on that though

Worth noting that uni of Wollongong is rather highly regarded as well...

Select to expand quote

Phrogman said..
I have been offered a job in the Nowra area. I currently live in the USA , coastal North Carolina. Not the greatest waves here but the water is warm and super convenient living 3 blocks from the water. What's it like in NSW? My sons and I really enjoy the SUP surfing. How's the water temp? Do you need a wetsuit ? Recommendations on where to locate ? The job would be for 3_4 yrs. And my son will finish high school here but would be going to college down under Recommendations? Thanks for the feedback

Welcome to the Breeze Phroggy,

as as some of the boys have said the near south coast is a really great place. Nowra is a commercial and business centre as well as a seat of local government and the naval Base and Airbase is nearby. It is a centre to work. There are a multitude of great places to live within a 45 minute drive. The nearest Universities are in Canberra and Wollongong.

The coast North, East and South of Nowra Will provide you with heaps of water sport opportunities of all types, for long weekends or short trips there are even more places within a couple of hours drive. We don't generally give away names in the forum but I am sure a pm to someone may give you the goods.

I grew up down there and lived and surfed down the coast on and off for years.

Do some research, talk to people and make a wise choice.

I don't think you will be disappointed .

Don't forget that us Aussies love taking the piss out of Americans so don't be offended it is all in fun.

Good luck.

ET.

Select to expand quote

goatman said..

Phrogman said..
I have been offered a job in the Nowra area. I currently live in the USA , coastal North Carolina. Not the greatest waves here but the water is warm and super convenient living 3 blocks from the water. What's it like in NSW? My sons and I really enjoy the SUP surfing. How's the water temp? Do you need a wetsuit ? Recommendations on where to locate ? The job would be for 3_4 yrs. And my son will finish high school here but would be going to college down under Recommendations? Thanks for the feedback

Hey Phrogman, Nowra is a bit of a hole to be honest, but 40 mins south is the best stretch of coast for Surf in Australia IMO. Mollymook/Ulladulla is amazing and is about 60kms (40 miles) south of Nowra. Climate is great but you will need a 3/2 steamer in Winter, nothing too extreme like Victoria or Tasmania however. Only problem re 'college' (we call it University) is that the closest is in Wollongong and Mollymook is not on the train line (Nowra is).

Ah about that Ulladulla thing Goatman...your not helping to turn him off

Select to expand quote

DavidJohn said..

Phrogman said..
about 4 liters = 1 gallon

Just kidding.. I'm old so I remember the good old imperial days..

Long live Imperialism

Wow, what a wealth of info thanks so much. Excited to begin the adventure!

Do it, you won't regret it, especially with this almost on your doorstep.

I lived in Oz for a year and a half.Im from Scotland originlly.
I was doing work there before the Olympics.I regret ever leaving the place.The Ozzies are the best people you could meet.Theyre mentality of Life is second to none.
Its a beautiful country with the most beautiful beaches.I ve travelled a lot and i think Oz is the best country to live in.

Do it mate,youll love it.