Braidwood

South Eastern

Beautiful, historic Braidwood is one of the gems of the NSW Southern Tablelands, with the entire town classified by the National Trust.

B Grouping

MMM5

Location

The town is situated on the Kings Highway approximately half way between Canberra (87 km or 70 min drive), and Batemans Bay on the NSW South Coast (62 km or 55 min drive). Braidwood is 284 km (3 hr drive) from Sydney.

The historic gold-rush town of Braidwood was the first complete town to be listed on the NSW State Heritage Register.

How to get there

The closest airport to Braidwood is Canberra (87km). Canberra Airport is serviced by Qantas, Virgin Australia, Tigerair and Fly Pelican offering daily flights to Brisbane, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

There is a daily return coach service between Batemans Bay and Canberra, via Braidwood.

Population

Braidwood is home to more than 1600 people, the median age of residents is 46 years. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up approximately 2% of the population.

Braidwood is located within the South Eastern NSW Primary Health Network, this Population Health Profile provides an overview of community health for the region.

Healthcare facilities

Braidwood has a small public hospital (less than 50 beds) with an emergency department. Services include an alcohol and drug unit, domiciliary care unit and a nursing home unit.

The closest major hospital is located in Canberra (88 km from Braidwood).

There is an Ambulance Service of NSW station in Braidwood.

Accredited GP practices

Braidwood Medical Centre
Wallace Street Surgery

Industry

The major industry sectors employing residents of Braidwood are: cafes and restaurants, local government administration, combined primary and secondary education, bread manufacturing and central government administration.

Education

There is one public and one private primary school in Braidwood: Braidwood Central School and St Bede’s Primary School. Public and private secondary schools are available in nearby Queanbeyan and Canberra.

Childcare

For young families, Braidwood has two facilities offering early learning and preschool services.

Shopping

Braidwood has an IGA supermarket, the Braidwood Food Market and a General Store. Braidwood offers dining options at cafes, a restaurant, the pub and the Servicemen’s Club. It has a newsagent and a butcher and is well known for its two bakeries.

The city of Canberra is just over an hour away and offers an abundance of shopping options.

Places of worship

There are three churches in Braidwood: St Bede’s Catholic Church, The Uniting Church and St Andrew’s Anglican Church. The nearest Buddhist temple and mosques are located in Canberra (about 1 hr drive from Braidwood).

Points of interest

Heritage listed Braidwood is an historic gold-rush town and artistic hub attracting designers, artists, potters & ironworkers. Nearby is the Monga National Park offering lovely walking tracks and picnic areas. Annual events include: Festival of Braidwood & Airing of the Quilts and The Majors Creek Festival.

Sporting activities

In Braidwood you can enjoy sporting activities such as squash, golf, tennis, rugby union and fishing. There is also a skate park.

Community groups and activities

In Braidwood community groups and volunteer organisations include the Country Women’s Association, Lions Club, Braidwood Regional Arts Group and the Braidwood Folk Music Club.

Social media groups

There are social media pages and groups dedicated to life in Braidwood. A good place to start are the Facebook pages: Braidwood Buy Swap and Sell, Braidwood Rate Payers and Locals and Braidwood Times.