9 November 2012 - Shady Willows Holiday Park, Batemans Bay, NSW

We were out the gate by about 9.30 this morning, across the Clyde River and heading up the Kings Highway the ten short kilometres to Nelligan. Here we came upon a community meeting on the reserve beside the river; some of the two hundred or so inhabitants listening to a couple of council workers with a white board. While the officials invited input, I suspect their plans were already signed off. We heard one chap suggest a need for more than one barbeque in the park area, the response was immediate; there would only be one. It was a public relations exercise only, although the inhabitants of this very small village might have hoped otherwise.

While we could not help but agree that Nelligan was situated in the most delightful spot here on the Clyde River, we had expected more. Nelligan was established in 1854 and by all accounts was a much more significant settlement than Batemans Bay downstream. The first Europeans travelled down from Braidwood during the 1830s, initially attracted by the apparently endless supply of valuable timber and the obvious export route by river. By the 1860s, Nelligan was a thriving sea port servicing bi-weekly paddle steamers docking with passengers and cargo, bound for inland settlements by bullock and horse teams. We read that thirteen such teams made their way through to Araluen each week, by the road we had returned a few days ago. This absolutely beggars believe when you consider the steep grades up over Mount Clyde and then back down off the escarpment to Araluen.  

A punt service across the Clyde River was begun at Nelligan in 1895 and continued until 1964 when the Nelligan bridge was completed, eight years after that at Batemans Bay. It was really only then that Batemans Bay kicked off its development.

It was in 1885 that Nelligan was proclaimed a town, then supporting a population of 500 employed in shipping, timber and agricultural industries. A map in the reserve area shows the sites of significant buildings, many no longer in existence, having fallen victim to flood, bushfire or termites. In fact there are very few public buildings left; as I said, I had expected so much more.

However one cannot dispute the delightful setting. I thought how wonderful it would be to kayak on the river which today, in the aftermath of the rain, looked so peaceful although the mosquitos were out in force already enjoying the scene and even more, the fresh tourist blood.

In the museum yesterday, we had read of another bushranger gang, this time the Clarkes, our namesake, whose tale is not unlike the Kelly gang of Victoria. The initial criminal activities have been attributed to harsh and unfair treatment by their employers; however they crossed the line with holdups of publicans, storekeepers, farmers, travellers, the mail and gold shipments from Nerrigundah and Araluen, then finally for murder. They were finally captured in an ambush, and tied to a tree at Nelligan awaiting shipment to Sydney for their final act; Tom and John, aged 26 and 24 respectively were hanged from twin gallows at Darlinghurst Jail in June 1867, ending a reign of terror on the south east coast of New South Wales which had cost the lives of at least eight men. Chris assures me that these villains were no relation.

The tree to which they were allegedly tied to before their final sea journey stands beside the Clyde River, on the reserve. It looks old enough to be authentic. 

The ford at Shallow Crossing

We left the bitumen of the highway, and headed up River Road, following the west bank of the Clyde. What a beautiful route, albeit dirt and more often than not, mud. Had there been more rain, the surface may have been greasy and treacherous, but today it was smooth and a pleasure to drive. Signs at the turnoff warn that the road is not suitable for large vehicles or caravans, and we would endorse this. One of the fords in particular was very uneven and required careful attention. There are also warnings on our maps that the river crossing at Shallow Crossing, where the river truly becomes unnavigable, “Crossing impassible during heavey rain or hightides”. Shallow Crossing is also listed in the CMCA bible as being a free camp. We saw this; a grassy paddock directly above the river crossing, but apart from this, there appeared to be no recreational area at all. We would caution any camper against using this free camp as a base or to save a dollar or two, and only to make the effort if you have a yen to paddle about in a kayak or to fish.

The concrete crossing lies beneath the river surface, and probably is always so except in extreme drought conditions. It is narrow, well maintained, and has marker poles to indicate the edge if the river were too muddy or deep for good visibilty. These were quite unnecessary today; in fact conditions were so good I had Chris drive part way across for a photo opportunity and then reverse to collect me.

Sadly the road does not offer any opportunity for access to the river apart from that crossing, although the river is within view from many spots as one continues en route. We turned east and drove on through the Boyne State Forest, encountering very few fellow travellers, finally emerging on to the Old Princes Highway, which surprisingly was no less of a forest track that we had been travelling for the past hour. Finally we arrived at the new Princes Highway and started to look for either of the two picnic spots marked on the map. It was past midday, and just like our oldest grandaughter, we become grumpy if we are not fed on time.

In desperation we turned east again off the highway, seven kilometres into Pebbly Beach. We had not realised this was a “pay” beach, one of those along the coast included in the Murramarrang  National Park. We were not intending to do the park today and so, not being prepared to pay for the privelege of eating our own lunch, remained in our vehicle in the car park.  Perhaps tomorrow we will return, pay our dues and take advantage of the beautiful scenery suggested beyond the ticket station.

We returned to the highway but soon detoured yet again up to the Big Bit Lookout, high up in the Boyne State Forest, from where we could enjoy 360 degree views, down to Batemans Bay, east to Durras Lake and beyond to the many thousands of hectares of forest that  cover this ‘treeless land’.

Back on the road, we soon reached Batemans Bay, and aware that we were rather short on exercise, made our way to the Cullendulla Creek Natural Reserve and spent about three quarters of an hour walking along the shore opposite Batemans Bay’s marina, and along a boardwalk up the Cullendulla Creek through the mangroves and casuarinas, pausing to watch crabs scuttle about, retreating to their mud holes once they detected our presence. The reserve is of particular interest to scientists because it is home to a “chenier” dune complex, just like those along the south western shores of the Firth of Thames in New Zealand. This particular feature was not obvious to  a secular person such as I, or for that matter, my husband, however we both enjoyed the walk very much.

We were soon home and in plenty of time for Chris to watch a good portion of the first day’s innings of the Cricket Test being played in Brisbane between the South Africans and the Australians. These tests are five day affairs, so guess what we will be doing tomorrow afternoon?