BATEMANS BAY BUSHWALKERS INC.

Wednesday 2 March 2016

Rob, Karen, Mary, Ian and Pat

Shoreline at low tide

Mays Landing

Beach camp

Sedgelands and casuarinas

Skirting the swam

Ascending to the ridge

Batemans Bay from Holmes Lookout

Photos by Karen M

Batemans Bay Bushwalkers stayed close to home on Wednesday and explored the peninsula that juts into the Clyde River off Rotary Drive.  Much of the area is called Clyde River National Park and 7 members walked a 10km loop, along the shoreline at low tide, around the swamp, up the creek, into the forest and back to the start at the top of the ridge.  The views across the Clyde River on a still morning with its oyster leases, mangroves and forested banks are beautiful and walkers took many short breaks to absorb the peaceful scene around them.

The second part of the walk was mostly no track, but by following the margin of the swamp, then the creeklines, they were able to ascend the ridge and follow a long abandoned and overgrown trail back to the start – along the way spotting a pair of glossy black cockatoos with their fiery red tails perched directly overhead.

On the drive home, they stopped at Holmes Lookout in the National Park to cool down in the shade and enjoy the amazing view of Batemans Bay, the bridge, the river and offshore islands.  Many thanks to Rob for guiding us on this one.

Karen M

Sunday 28 February 2016

Morning tea break

Traversing one of the remote beaches

Photos by Bob M

19 bushwalkers turned out on the weekend for a 9km walk from Maloneys Beach to North Head in Murramarang National Park.  The walk features great views of Batemans Bay from various vantage points, several deserted beaches and forested headlands.

Karen M

Thursday 25 February 2016

Cancelled due to hot weather

Sunday 20 February 2016

No report received.

Wednesday 17 February 2016

Circumnavigating Broulee Island

Barbara with the group

Remains of shell grit loading jetty and tramlines dating from the 1920s

Photos by Karen M

On Thursday 17 February 18 walkers gathered at Barbara’s home to do an afternoon circuit of Broulee Island.  Interestingly, Barbara’s home is on the site of the first courthouse and lockup in Broulee.  Barbara read us some of the history of the area and particularly of the island, before we started to see some of the sites for ourselves.  Unfortunately there is not much remaining of what was a thriving commercial community in the years between 1830 and 1840.

It was a stunning day for a walk around Broulee Island.  Brilliant sunshine with a cool breeze made for a very pleasant temperature.  Before we started the circuit we walked up to the lookout near the Surf Club which offers a wonderful panorama of our coastline, then we headed to the beach, walking past the very pretty Shark Bay and to the island.

Barbara pointed out the various items of interest to us, including the possible site of the original hotel on the island and the remains of the rail that carried shell grit for export.  A barbecue followed in the late afternoon.  All agreed it had been a very scenic and informative walk.

Trish

Erin-Go-Bragh Hotel on Broulee Island

Erin-Go-Bragh reincarnation as the Beehive Store in Moruya

Erin-Go-Bragh transforms into Merlyn

Photos courtesy State Library of Victoria and Moruya Historical Society

Barbara piqued my interest when she showed us a picture of the inn (sketched by John Skinner Prout – see above) perched on top of Broulee Island and talked about its eventual fate, so I did some further research.

The inn was a low shingled weatherboard building built from American redwood by Captain William Oldrey in 1840.  Oldrey was a major land speculator in the Broulee area and he leased the building to Bernard McAuley from 1842 to 1844.  McAuley named the inn Erin-Go-Bragh, which means Ireland Forever.

Broulee’s function as a port disappeared when the dangerous sand bar at the mouth of the Moruya River was washed out by floods in 1841, enabling coastal shipping to navigate the river as far as Moruya township site.  Erin-Go-Bragh was disassembled and moved to Moruya where it was bought by Abraham Emmott and erected in Campbell Street to be used as Emmott’s first Beehive Store (see photo above).

Eventually Emmott built a bigger Beehive Store on the Harris Scarfe site in Moruya’s main street and used the old Erin-Go-Bragh building as his home, naming it Merlyn (photo above).  Emmott then built himself a new brick terrace home (currently the Moruya Museum) in 1875.  The Erin-Go-Bragh/Merlyn building survived as a home for others (including an early Batemans Bay Bushwalker called Lloyd Donnelly) until 1978 when it was demolished(!!) to make way for the development of the new Shire Offices.

This historic information about Erin-Go-Bragh/Merlyn comes from the EXCELLENT Moruya and District Historical Society Blog at mhsociety.wordpress.com and their accompanying Facebook page.

Karen M

Sunday 14 February 2016

At Cliff’s Cliff

Creekwalkers

Simeon at Bob’s Pool

Photos by Bob T

Cliff led 11 walkers from his lovely property on the Western Distributor along an unnamed creek, aptly christened Williams Creek.  We rock-hopped and scrambled up and down the banks, around large pools including “Bob’s Pool”, and stopped to admire a remarkable pancake pile of hardened shale named Cliff’s Cliff.

The temperate rainforest gave us plenty of shade on a hot morning, and we welcomed a swim in Cliff’s pool followed by his famous scones with homemade jam and cream.

Ainslie

February 2016

Our formal paddling program has been suspended this half year because of falling numbers on paddles in 2015.  However Ian has already organised 2 impromptu outings, with a third on Tuesday 8 March…….(Ed)

Photo by Lin

Four of us paddled last Tuesday 2 February – Stan, Len, Lin and myself.  We launched from Caseys Beach, meandered around Observation Point, along Corrigans Beach, then across to Cullendulla Creek mouth where we had a cuppa.  Then back to Caseys via the Snapper Island rock complex.  It was a lovely day, very little swell/chop and took 3 hours.

On Friday 12 February we had 9 members meet on the Moruya River.  Hooray!, there is still some life left in the group.  We cruised upstream from Yarragee Reserve to Wamban Creek and return – Phil & Erika, Sharon, Len, Bob, Karen & Bob, Lin & myself.  Lovely weather on a high tide, gentle breeze.

Ian

Thursday 11 February 2016

Nelligen before the bridge

Now a sleepy village

The punt was operating up to 1964

Pausing to admire the pristine waters of the Clyde

Outside the old Courthouse

Nelligen bush cemetery

Photos by The Bay Post and Karen M

The pretty little village of Nelligen and surrounds was the subject of Batemans Bay Bushwalkers’ midweek walk.  27 walkers enjoyed a relaxed exploration of both sides of the river, led by Nelligen locals Mary and Stan.  Mary painted a vivid picture of the Nelligen of old, busy with steamers and river traffic, bullock trains and horse teams, muddy, possibly smelly and definitely noisy.  The town was a major staging post for goods and passengers arriving by sea, and dispersing to the Araluen goldfields and Braidwood farming district.  The main road down the Clyde Mountain ran straight through the middle of town, terminating at the jetty on the river.

Goods and passengers travelled between Nelligen and Sydney via weekly steamers.  The first punt at Nelligen was established in 1875, with additional larger punts added as the traffic demand grew.  The current bridge across the Clyde was built in 1964, bypassing Nelligen altogether and spelling the end of its heyday.

Walkers enjoyed hearing about the historic buildings which had survived the Nelligen bushfire of 1939, and paused to admire the far reaches of the Clyde River, one of the most pristine waterways in NSW.  Last stop was the peaceful little bush cemetery running down a hill behind the village where many pioneers were laid to rest.

The walk ended with home-made cakes and biscuits for morning tea in the park by the river.  Some walkers also enjoyed looking at the numerous historic photos in the Mechanics Hall, many able to remember catching the punt across the river before the mountain road was sealed and the bridge built.

Karen M

Sunday 7 February 2016

One of the 4 walk groups

Another of the walk groups

Photos by Judith

Wednesday 3 February 2016

On rockshelves

Rob at volcanic dyke

Bev and Pat

Climbing into forest

View from headland

Irene and Trish

Photos by Donna

Starting from the carpark at the South Durras ocean boat ramp, Ainslie and Mike took 18 other members and 2 visitors on a 5km morning circuit around Wasp Head at South Durras.  At Mill Beach the group passed the site of the timber mill closed down in 1929, the only visible relic being the remains of the boiler which powered the milling machinery.

Wasp Head is a noted site of geological interest, and Mike, with welcome input from Rob, explained the features and the processes that produced them.  Glacial “drop-stones”, marine fossils, a volcanic dyke, and intricate patterns of ironstone were among the features seen.

The day was fine and the magnificent coastal scenery was looking at its best.  The route took us south as far as the cliffs above Dark Beach, where we paused to admire the view north across Beagle Bay to Mount Durras, with Pretty Beach visible in the far distance.

Mike