The Parish of Bherwerre is a parish of the County of St Vincent in New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

 which formerly included the area that is now the Jervis Bay Territory

Jervis Bay Territory

The Jervis Bay Territory is a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia. It was surrendered by the state of New South Wales to the Commonwealth Government in 1915 so that the Federal capital at Canberra would have "access to the sea"....

, which was transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia in 1915. Because of this, the parish is now less than half the size it was in the nineteenth century. The Jervis Bay Territory Acceptance Act of 1915 mentions that 18000 acres (7,284.3 ha) of the parish were transferred to the Commonwealth. The Seat of Government Acceptance Act of 1909

Seat of Government Acceptance Act 1909

The Seat of Government Acceptance Act 1909 is an Australian Commonwealth Government act, that in conjunction with the Seat of Government Surrender Act 1909 transferred land from the state of New South Wales to the Commonwealth for the creation of the Federal Capital Territory .The act was signed on...

mentions that three separate parcels in the parish were planned to be transferred to the Commonwealth from Bherwerre, along with land in other nearby parishes, although the actual land transfer in 1915 was only made up of land in the Parish of Bherwerre. The land mentioned in the 1909 act was a 2 square miles (5.2 km²) portion, a 412 acres (166.7 ha) portion, and the 132 acres (53.4 ha) of Bowen Island. . At the time, the parish was located in Clyde Shire.

The parish now includes the towns of Sanctuary Point

Sanctuary Point, New South Wales

2Sanctuary Point is a town in New South Wales, Australia in the City of Shoalhaven, on the shores of St Georges Basin. It is roughly 25 km south of Nowra, and approximately 200 km south of Sydney...

 and Vincentia

Vincentia, New South Wales

Vincentia is a town in New South Wales, Australia in the City of Shoalhaven, on the shores of Jervis Bay. It is roughly 25 km south-east of Nowra, and approximately 200 km south of Sydney. In 2006, the population of the State Suburb of Vincentia was 2,875....

, and also the village of Hyams Beach

Hyams Beach, New South Wales

Hyams Beach is a small seaside village in the Shoalhaven, New South Wales, Australia, on the shores of Jervis Bay. The village, roughly 3 hours drive south of Sydney, is bordered by 3 beaches, Chinaman's Beach to the north, Hyams Beach and Seaman's Beach to the south...

. The parish is bounded by St Georges Basin at Erowal Bay in the south, the Jervis Bay Territory in the south-east, Jervis Bay

Jervis Bay

Jervis Bay is a large bay bounded by the state of New South Wales, the Jervis Bay Territory, and a detached enclave of the Australian Capital Territory. HMAS Creswell is located between Jervis Bay Village and Greenpatch in the Jervis Bay Territory.-History:...

in the east and Moona Moona creek in the north.