NSWPort & river
Batemans Bay
Timber and the Clyde River came before the beach holidays.
1859Township laid out · timber and shipbuilding port
WHAT STARTED IT
Batemans Bay grew where timber cutters and fishermen could use the Clyde River and coastal shipping. A township was laid out in 1859 as traffic through nearby Nelligen connected the coast with the Braidwood goldfields.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Shipbuilding, oyster-shell lime and sawmilling supported the small port. A ferry crossed the Clyde from 1871 until the first bridge opened in 1956. Growth accelerated in the 1960s when the coast became a favoured holiday and retirement destination for Canberra.
TURNING POINTS
1859Township laid out.
1871Regular Clyde River ferry begins.
1956First road bridge opens.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A Eurobodalla service and seaside town whose waterfront, fishing fleet and holiday economy overlay its timber-port beginnings.