Batemans Bay, New South Wales
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| Batemans Bay New South Wales |
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 Location of Batemans Bay in New South Wales (red) |
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| Population: | 12,000 |
| Established: | 1885 |
| Postcode: | 2536 |
| LGA: | Eurobodalla Shire |
| State District: | Bega |
| Federal Division: | Eden-Monaro |
Batemans Bay (postcode: 2536, ) is a town and a bay in the South Coast region of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Batemans Bay is administered by the Eurobodalla Shire council. The town is located on the Princes Highway (Highway 1) about 280km (175 miles) south of Sydney, 760 km (475 miles) north of Melbourne, and it is 160 km east of Canberra via the Kings Highway. It has a population of approximately 12,000. The Clyde River empties here into the Tasman Sea.
It is the closest seaside town to the city of Canberra, making Batemans Bay a popular holiday destination for residents of Australia's national capital. It is also a popular retiree haven, but has begun to attract young families seeking affordable housing and a relaxed seaside lifestyle. Other local industries include a sawmill, oyster farming, forestry, eco-tourism and retail services.
Captain Cook named the bay on 22nd April 1770 after Nathaniel Bateman. Nathaniel Bateman was Captain of Lord Colvill's ship HMS Northumberland (the 3rd ship of that name), at the time when Captain Cook was serving as her master from 1760-62.
Karen and Krystal Forscutt from the 2006 series of Big Brother live in Batemans Bay.
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[edit] History
Indigenous Australians in the area attacked the crew of the ship the Fly in 1808:
...about the remoter coasts they are still savages, as may be gathered from the following narrative of an occurrence in April, 1808:--The Fly, colonial vessel, being driven into Bateman's Bay by bad weather, had occasion to send three of her crew on shore to search for water; and it was agreed, previous to their departure, that in case of any appearance of danger, a musket should be fired from the vessel, as a signal for the immediate return of those who had landed. Shortly after the boat had reached the shore, a considerable body of natives assembled round the boat, and a musket was accordingly discharged. The men returned to the boat with the utmost precipitation, and without any obstruction; but they had no sooner put off from the shore, than a flight of spears pursued them, and was succeeded by others, until the whole of the three unfortunate men fell from their oars, and expired beneath the attacks of their enemies. The savages immediately seized and manned the boat; and, with a number of canoes, prepared for an attack upon the vessel itself, which narrowly escaped their unprovoked fury, by cutting the cable, with all possible expedition, and standing out to sea. The names of the unhappy men who were thus murdered, were Charles Freeman, Thomas Bligh, and Robert Goodlet. This melancholy circumstance affords a sufficient illustration of the dispositions of those natives which are remote from the settlements;...
In 1821 Robert Johnson entered the bay and explored the lower reaches of the Clyde River on board the cutter Snapper. [1] Snapper Island within the bay is named after Johnson's boat. Johnson returned with Alexander Berry and Hamilton Hume and they traced the river to its source.
When the district was surveyed in 1828, a deserted hut and stockyards were found. Cedar getters and land clearers were in the district in the 1820s. From the 1820s through to the 1840s, the area to the Moruya River was the southernmost official limit of location for the colony of New South Wales.
The Illawarra and South Coast Steam Navigation Co found the Clyde River to be navigable in 1854. Regular services by the company in the 1860s and 1870s contributed to growth of the district.
The village of Batemans Bay was surveyed in 1859. Oyster farming commenced in 1860. By 1870, there was a fleet of 40 oyster boats. A sawmill was erected in 1870. The port was proclaimed in 1885. A ferry service across the Clyde ran from 1891 until the bridge was opened in 1956.
In 1942 during World War II, a trawler was attacked by a Japanese submarine between Batemans Bay and Moruya.
The population of the town in 1881 was 266; 1183 in 1961; 4924 in 1981 and 16000 in 2005
The majority of shops with the local town are aimed mainly at the tourist industry. During the major holidays the population swells to around 30,000. Government agencies that are also available, eg RTA, CentreLink.
[edit] Climate
The climate of Bateman's Bay is moderated by the sea, with warm summers and mild sunny winters. Nights can be cold in winter. Thunderstorms can occur between November and March, with rainfall maximums in summer.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily maximum temperature (°C) | 23.9 | 24.1 | 23.3 | 21.6 | 19.1 | 16.8 | 16.1 | 17.1 | 18.6 | 20.1 | 21.4 | 22.8 | 20.4 | |
| Mean daily minimum temperature (°C) | 16.0 | 16.3 | 15.1 | 12.3 | 9.4 | 7.2 | 5.9 | 6.5 | 8.4 | 10.7 | 12.8 | 14.7 | 11.3 | |
| Mean total rainfall (mm) | 97.3 | 93.6 | 108.9 | 89.1 | 85.9 | 86.5 | 55.9 | 54.3 | 61.6 | 77.3 | 76.1 | 74.2 | 960.6 | |
| Mean number of rain days | 10.8 | 9.9 | 10.3 | 8.8 | 8.0 | 7.7 | 6.9 | 7.1 | 8.5 | 10.1 | 10.5 | 10.7 | 109.4 | |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology Records For Moruya Heads, 20km South of Bateman's Bay | ||||||||||||||
[edit] Radio Stations
- East Coast Radio 2EC 105.9 FM (commercial)
- POWERFM NSW South Coast 104.3 (commercial)
- Eurobodalla Community Radio 107.5
- ABC South-East 103.5
- Radio National 105.1
- ABC Classic FM 101.9
[edit] References
- ^ Moore, Dennis (2002). The Inlet That Eluded Bass, Batemans Bay - South Coast NSW. Morningside Internet. Retrieved on 2006-06-14.
- The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Present Picture of New South Wales (1811), by David Dickinson Mann
- CSIRO information about the Batemans Bay region
- John Robson (2005). People associated with Cook in the Royal Navy between 1755 and 1762 (includes Nathaniel Bateman). John Robson. Retrieved on 2006-01-25.
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