Arriving in Batemans Bay just prior to the onset of some wet, windy weather we parked in the East Riverside Holiday Park beside the Clyde River.

Being a stone’s throw from the river, it wasn’t long before Jack once again dispelled the urban myth, “Jack can’t catch fish”!

In the 1960s with many Government Departments centralising in the ACT, and the proximity of Batemans Bay, the town was viewed for a while as “Canberra by the Sea”.

A popular place with retirees, “the Bay” has an average age of 51 years compared to the national average of 38 years. The largest town between Wollongong and Melbourne it boosts very good shopping facilities including Bunnings, Coles, Kmart, Woolworths and Aldi. The Clyde River, being one of Australia’s cleanest estuaries, supports a large oyster industry.

The lower reaches of the Clyde River form a substantial estuary up to 30 kilometres from its mouth which is navigable by small vessels to the historic village of Nelligen a distance by water of approximately 16 kilometres. During the mid 1800s Nelligen was the principal port and town in this region.

Although fairly quite at this time of year, Batemans Bay is a very popular holiday destination, and the population inevitably swells at these times.