Congo, New South Wales Explained

Type:town
Congo
State:nsw
Coordinates:-35.95°N 159°W
Pushpin Label Position:right
Pop:245
Postcode:2537
Dist1:315
Dir1:SSW
Location1:Sydney
Dist2:10
Dir2:SE
Location2:Moruya
Lga:Eurobodalla Shire
Region:South Coast
Stategov:Bega
Fedgov:Eden-Monaro

Congo is a village in Eurobodalla Shire on the South Coast of New South Wales.[1] Congo is located 315 km south of Sydney, and 10 km south of Moruya.

The population of Congo and the surrounding area was 245 at the .

Congo Creek flows to the Tasman Sea at the northern end of the village. Congo's beach is noted as a good location for surfing, with a colloquial name "The Suck".[2] Beach safe classes the hazard of the unpatrolled Congo beach as 6/10 "Moderately hazardous".[3]

National parks and Aboriginal heritage

Congo is a village surrounded by Eurobodalla National Park on three sides, and the ocean (Tasman Sea) on the east.

Congo campground is situated on Congo Creek within the national park.[4] It is a good base for walking the 14 km Bingi Dreaming track described by the National Parks and Wildlife Service as "a coastal walk that traces the ancient Song Lines of the Yuin Aboriginal people".[5]

Aboriginal people have occupied the area for over 6000 years, prior to the sea reaching current levels.[6]

Eurobodalla Coast Tourism notes that the Congo area was a major source of silcrete, used to make stone tools. Silcrete was widely traded throughout the region.[7]

Wildlife

Eurobodalla Shire Council reports that the greater glider is endangered, and has been recruiting residents to undertake spotlighting as part of the Bingie Congo Glider project.[8]

Land use and planning

A small area on Congo Creek may be affected by rising sea levels.[9]

A parcel of land on Congo Creek at the north of the village has been identified as Endangered Ecological Community "25 South Coast Swamp Forest - Casuarina glauca".[10]

Outside the village and national park, Eurobodalla Shire Council's planning map shows land classified as agricultural class 1-4 and 5.[11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Place name search . Geographical Names Board of NSW. 2015-04-08.
  2. Web site: Congo Beach - The Suck. wannasurf.com . 2015-04-08.
  3. Web site: Congo: unpatrolled beach. Surf Life Saving Australia. 2015-04-08.
  4. Web site: Congo campground. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service . 2015-04-08.
  5. Web site: Bingi Dreaming track . NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service . 2015-04-08.
  6. Web site: Eurobodalla National Park -- BINGI DREAMING TRACK . Cobowra Local Aboriginal Land Council . 2015-04-08.
  7. Web site: Indigenous sites. Eurobodalla Coast Tourism . 2015-04-08.
  8. Web site: Wanted: Greater Glider spotlighters. Eurobodalla Shire Council. 2014-03-18. 2015-04-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20150407204311/http://www.esc.nsw.gov.au/home/news-and-events/media-releases/media-releases/wanted-greater-glider-spotlighters. 7 April 2015. dead.
  9. Web site: Congo Investigation Area Mapping: Sea level rise investigation area mapping for Congo. Eurobodalla Shire Council. 2014-06-13. 2015-04-08.
  10. Web site: ENDANGERED ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES: EUROBODALLA SHIRE SURVEY 2006: Map 9: Moruya Heads - Congo area. 2007-01-31. Eurobodalla Shire Council. 2015-04-08.
  11. Web site: Eurobodalla Map. Eurobodalla Shire Council. 2015-04-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20150411193031/http://maps.esc.nsw.gov.au/mapguide2010/europublic/EuroMap.aspx. 2015-04-11. dead.