Culburra is a small seaside town and a popular holiday, fishing and surfing location. Local industries include oysters, shrimp, and prawns. It has two surf beaches, Culburra Beach and Warrain Beach. The town is flanked by the Crookhaven River to the north and west, and Lake Wollumboola to the south. It is home to the Culburra Dolphins Rugby League team and the Culburra Cougars soccer team and the Culburra Beach Festival which happens annually on Mother's Day The town also boasts the two closest surf beaches to Nowra and is home to the Culburra Beach and Nowra Surf Club whose clubhouse is located at the northern end of Warrain Beach. The beaches are patrolled during the summer holiday period, and being located on either side of Penguin Head face in different directions, providing a variety of surf conditions for board riders, swimmers, body surfers and families with young children. A wide variety of fish species are caught on these beaches and from the rocky headlands adjacent to them.
Notable People
Harold "Harry" Reynolds – President of the Callala Golf Club.
History
Originally called Wheelers Point after the first landholder George Wheeler; the name was changed to Culburra in 1916 after an Aboriginal word meaning "sand"; and later to Culburra Beach. Postal services were first provided from Warrain Beach Post Office, which was renamed Culburra Beach in 1970. The area's first school was the Roseby Park Aboriginal School, which opened in 1903. It became a public school in 1906 and remained that way until it closed in 1964. Culburra children had to attend Pyree Public School until its closure in August 1976, and the following month saw the opening of Culburra Public School. The modern street plan of Culburra Beach was designed by Walter Burley Griffin, who also designed the street plan for Canberra. Culburra Beach is the location of the famous Max Dupain photo Sunbaker. Dupain took the photograph in 1937. The man in the photograph was Harold Salvage, a British builder, who was part of a group of friends on a surfing trip. The most familiar version of the photograph was not printed until a retrospective of Dupain's work in 1975.
Population
According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 2,874 people in Culburra Beach.
