other · Shoalhaven City Council
Shoalhaven council pushes ahead with Callala Bay land sale
Shoalhaven City Council rejected a bid to defer the matter and voted to begin the sale process for 54 and 56 Emmett Street, Callala Bay.
Shoalhaven City Council has voted to begin the sale process for 54 and 56 Emmett Street, Callala Bay, after rejecting an amendment to defer the matter for further consultation. The vote was taken at the council’s ordinary meeting in Nowra on 28 April.
Councillors resolved to commence the sale process, appoint a selling agent and authorise the associated sale steps. The minutes also record a 961-signature petition from Callala Community Garden Inc, which asked council to keep public access open to the “Boat Veggie Garden” while the sale of the two properties was being investigated.
The petition said the garden had been tended since 2023 and described it as a public access feature of Callala life. It asked council not to sell 54 Emmett Street and said residents and visitors had been able to access free herbs and vegetables there 24/7.
The Callala Bay vote sat alongside a wider set of land, transport and access decisions. Council also resolved to apply to become Crown Land Manager for the grounds surrounding Warden Head Lighthouse in Deering Street, Ulladulla, and to keep pressing the NSW Government on South Coast rail timetable changes and upgrades south of Kiama.
On rail, council will write to NSW Minister for Transport John Graham and Member for Kiama Katelin McInerney seeking an urgent review of the proposed timetable changes. The resolution asks that services stopping at Wolli Creek Station be maintained, forced interchanges be reduced, and the Toolijooa passing loop and other line upgrades be pursued.
Other business included deferring the draft Unreasonable Customer Conduct Policy to a councillor workshop before public exhibition, changing the June ordinary meeting date to Monday 29 June 2026 at 5.30pm, and asking for a report on accessible parking across Shoalhaven.
Council also resolved to write to state and federal representatives about accessible parking at the Services Australia building in Nowra and to look at parking for health and community services, a mapping count of spaces and how that compares with population growth.
The Callala Bay issue had already drawn local attention before the vote, with the petition presented to councillors at the meeting. This time, council moved the sale process ahead rather than pause it for more consultation.
Reference minutes
Shoalhaven City Council Ordinary Meeting minutes, 28 April 2026.
Key facts from the minutes
- Council rejected an amendment to defer the Callala Bay matter for further consultation.
- Council resolved to commence the sale process for 54 and 56 Emmett Street, Callala Bay.
- Council will appoint a selling agent and authorise associated sale steps.
- Callala Community Garden Inc presented a petition with 961 signatures about the “Boat Veggie Garden”.
- The petition asked council to keep public access open to the garden site.
- Council also resolved to apply to become Crown Land Manager for the grounds around Warden Head Lighthouse, Deering Street, Ulladulla.
- Council will write to the NSW Minister for Transport and the Member for Kiama about South Coast rail timetable changes and upgrades south of Kiama.
Why it matters
- The sale process for two Callala Bay properties will now proceed despite a 961-signature petition urging council to keep public access open to the garden site.