Bowral Suburb Overview
Bowral is the largest town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. It has a population of around 11,500 and the largest business and entertainment precinct in the Highlands.
In a past era, Bowral served as a rural retreat for the elite gentry of Sydney, resulting in the establishment of many historic estates and manor houses in the district. Today, Bowral is universally associated with the cricketer Sir Donald Bradman, who is commemorated by the Bradman Museum and other monuments at the Bradman Oval. It also hosts the annual Tulip -Time Festival held in the town in September.
Bowral is the national birthplace of fictional nanny Mary Poppins, as author P. L. Travers spent her childhood in the town and began her life as a storyteller there.
It is within close driving distance to the other main Highland towns, being 5 kilometres from Mittagong, 9 kilometres from both Moss Vale and Berrima and within a reasonable distance of 27 kilometres from Bundanoon and 26 kilometres to Robertson.
The town of Bowral can include the suburb of East Bowral and the village of Burradoo which are located adjacent to the town.
It was previously known by the name Bowrall. The name could have derived from an Aboriginal word meaning “high and large”.
According to the 2006 census, Bowral had a population of 11,493 people. The town is growing rapidly, owing partly to the completion of the M5 freeway from Sydney with links to Canberra.
In recent years, Bowral has become a haven for retirees and empty nesters, commonly from Sydney: 14.2% of Bowral’s population is aged 55
Bowral is about 5 kilometres from the Hume Highway, which goes north to Sydney and south to Canberra, the Snowy Mountains and Melbourne. In the past, Bowral served as an overnight stop-over for travellers.
Bowral has a rail station on CityRail ‘s Southern Highlands line which under Cityrail services goes to Sydney and Goulburn and under CountryLink goes to Canberra and Melbourne. It has public bus routes to Nowra, Albion Park and Wollongong. A private operator provides a service six days a week from Bowral to Greater Sydney and to the Shoalhaven and south coast of New South Wales.
Nearby Suburbs
