Escape to Batemans Bay, NSW

23 Jul Escape to Batemans Bay, NSW

There are many beautiful destinations along the New South Wales (NSW) coast of Australia. And while few offer world renowned wonders, they do offer the opportunity for a relatively inexpensive and enjoyable coastal holiday.

One such location is Batemans Bay on the south coast of NSW.

Map Courtesy of Google Maps – Map Data ©2019 Google

This town is situated on the estuary of the Clyde River, approximately 9kms inland from the ocean (named the South Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea).

It is said that many residents of Canberra (Australia’s National Capital) holiday in Batemans Bay, as it it their closest seaside town. Even in winter it’s a nice place to visit.

This is where we stayed.Mariners On The Waterfront Hotel – Offering comfy accommodation, with a water view

In mid June (2019) we spent three days here and really enjoyed it. On our first full day in “Batemans” we decided to take a river cruise.

Cruise boat, Escapade, being tied up and made ready for us to board

Maggie waiting patiently in the sun to board the cruise boat

Pelicans and Seagulls patiently waiting for a feed from the local fish cafe

That’s it, face the camera …. and perhaps you should comb your head feathers

Tons of jelly fish in the river – these were about to be minced by the boat’s propeller

A typical private, riverside jetty. This one includes a water pumping facility

We travelled up river to the small town of Nelligen

The Old Steam Packet – previously a boarding house, now a private residence

The Mechanic’s Institute, now the Community Arts Hall

The old Court House, now the meeting place for the Anglican Church

The old Anglican Church, now a private residence

There seems to be a theme here. Previously was …. now is …. : Old buildings repurposed and history preserved.

The Nelligen Post office and General Store

View of the Clyde River and Kings Highway bridge, from near the old Anglican Church

It’s just 9 kilometres back to Bateman’s Bay via the Kings Highway, but much further by the river.

On the return journey the Escapade’s deck hand found time to read and relax behind the bar, after serving us lunch and drinks, plus afternoon coffee and tea

Approaching the Bridge on the Princes Highway (The A1), the main road into Batemans Bay

It looked as if we would approach the bridge through the middle of these house boats (in above photo). However, from here we veered hard left towards the northern riverbank, keeping all of the house boats on our right (Starboard side).

The smoke, wafting from the South was the result of a controlled back burn. South is to the right of above and following two photos. The burn-off continued into the next day, as seen in the photo from Holmes Lookout below.

With our return booked, the crane operator dutifully raised the bridge to let us pass. Note the large safety chains and concrete counter weights on both sides of the opening section.

There are several vantage points from which to view the sea and urban areas.

Batemans Bay, as seen from Holmes Lookout

Another point to visit is North Head Lookout in Murramarang National Park. Although it is worth the view, we weren’t there at the right time of day to make interesting images.

If you are looking for an enjoyable (but not too difficult) four wheel drive experience, the dirt road from North Head Lookout to Maloneys Beach, via Caris Mountain Road, could be for you. Our advice is use low range transmission on the Caris Mountain Road section.

Map Courtesy of Google Maps – Map Data ©2019 Google

The following three photos were taken from Maloneys Beach, just north of Batemans Bay

As well as day time activities, you’ll find plenty of places to dine in Batemans Bay. Our favourite is JJ’s at the Marina. We also discovered Sam’s Pizza restaurant, on the waterfront near our hotel. Sam offers a variety of Italian meals. You will need to book ahead for both.

There are also several attractive coastal towns just north of Batemans Bay. The largest of these, Ulladulla, offers good fishing, boating and great meat pies; while Milton offers history, craftwork and attractive old architecture; and Narooma is a lovely, small beachside town.

Happy travelling!

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