South Coast, New South Wales
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The South Coast refers to the narrow coastal belt from Sydney in the north to the border with Victoria in the south in the south-eastern part of the State of New South Wales, Australia. It is bordered to the west by the coastal escapment of the Southern Tablelands, which is largely covered by a series of national parks. To the east is the coastline of the Pacific Ocean, which is characterised by rolling farmlands, small towns and villages along a rocky coastline, interspersed by numerous beaches and lagoons (known in Australia as lakes, especially in place names).
The region on paper has a mild, warm temperate climate. Maximum temperatures range from a very warm 26°C (79°F) in summer to a delightful 17°C (62°F) in winter. However, the rainfall is exceedingly erratic because the falls occur as extremely heavy but irregular storms. These storms can occur at any time of year but are most frequent in late autumn and early winter. When a strong anticyclone is located to the south of the of these low-pressure systems, rainfalls of up to 350mm (14 inches) in a day and 500mm (20 inches) in two days occur. For example, in May of 1925 the region received an averages of as much as 860 millimetres (33 inches) of rain, with some places receiving as much as 1,270mm (50 inches) for the month. However, in dry years the region can receive as little as 400mm (16 inches) for an entire year. Another example: Bega received 380mm (15 inches) in May 1944 and over 400mm (16 inches) in two days during May 1945 - but only around 200mm (8 inches) in the ten months in between!
This extremely erratic rainfall, combined with the typically ancient and leached soils of Australia, severely limits agriculture. Only in a few valleys is there significant farming. The main industry in areas where agriculture does occur is dairying, but vegetable crops are also grown on relatively better soils. Fishing is also severely restricted: the waters off the coast, owing to the strong warm current, have the lowest animal plankton density of any continental coastal region in the world. In fact, the density of plankton is lower than in many areas of the open ocean. This has led to fisheries being repeately exhausted and moving further and further offshore - which has only led to further depletion.
Apart from tourism, woodchipping is the major lifeline for most towns in the region. Most woodchips are exported to Japan and the mills are all Japanese-owned. The industry, though highly supported by local residents, has produced a great deal of opposition among the more-educated sectors of Australia society because of its impact on many endangered species.
The South Coast region is traversed by the Princes Highway which links Sydney and Melbourne by the coast, but is longer than the direct route, the Hume Highway. The South Coast includes the Illawarra and the Shoalhaven regions in the north and the Bega Valley in the more remote south.
Major towns on the South Coast include:
- The Illawarra cities of Wollongong and Shellharbour and the towns of Kiama and
- Shoalhaven City town include: Berry, Ulladulla, Culburra Beach
- The Eurobodalla Shire towns of Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma
- The Bega Valley towns of Bega and Eden
