BATEMAN'S BAY is both a bay and a town
administered by the Eurobodalla Shire council. It
had a population of approximately 16,000 in 2005.
The Clyde River empties here into the Tasman Sea.
It is the closest seaside town to the city of
Canberra, making Bateman's Bay a popular holiday
destination for residents of Australia's national
capital. It is a popular retiree haven, but has
also begun to attract young families seeking
affordable housing and a relaxed seaside
lifestyle. Other local industries apart from
tourism include a sawmill, oyster farming and
forestry.
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. In 1821 Robert Johnson
entered the bay and explored the lower reaches of
the Clyde River on board the cutter Snapper.
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. In 1854 the Illawarra and South Coast
Steam Navigation Co found the Clyde River to be
navigable. Regular services by the company in the
1860s and 1870s contributed to growth of the
district.
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
Bateman's Bay and Moruya. The population of the
town in 1881 was 266; 1183 in 1961; 4924 in 1981
and 16000 in 2005. During the major holidays the
population swells to around 30,000.
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An edited excerpt from Main Roads Journal Vol.
XXII, No. 2, December, 1956:
"The bridge built by the Department of Main
Roads over the Clyde River at Bateman's Bay was
officially opened for traffic on 21st November,
1956. The bridge replaces the only remaining
vehicular ferry on the Prince's Highway between
Sydney and the Victorian border.
"The new bridge comprises five steel truss spans
each 120 feet, a steel truss vertical lift span
94 feet 6 inches in length, four steel plate
girder spans each 62 feet long, and decked
abutment structures at each end. The lift span
when open gives a clear channel width of 75 feet
for the passage of shipping. The overall length
of the bridge is 1008 feet, the carriageway is 22
feet wide and a footway 5 feet wide has been
provided on the downstream side.
"Preliminary investigations with a view to
bridging the Clyde River were commenced before
the outbreak of World War II, when the
reconstruction of the Prince's Highway between
Ulladulla and Bateman's Bay was being undertaken.
After the war, drawings and specifications were
prepared by the Department of Main Roads, and
tenders invited in October, 1947.
"Post war shortages of materials and skilled
labour handicapped both contracting firms and
necessitated the making of other arrangements for
the completion of the work. In May 1951 a
contract with Balgue Construction Company was
terminated by mutual consent, and arrangements
were then made for the remaining work covered by
that contract to be completed by the Department
of Main Roads. In October, 1952, fabrication of
the structural steelwork was transferred from the
Clyde Engineering Company to the State Dockyard,
Newcastle, New South Wales.
"Each pier of the new bridge consists of two
reinforced concrete cylinders founded on rock,
which occurs a moderate distance below the river
bed. The northern abutment is founded on spread
footings on rock and the southern abutment is
supported by driven reinforced concrete piles. No
special constructional difficulties were
encountered and normal methods were employed in
the use of compressed air to sink the cylinders
of the piers. The trusses and girder spans were
erected in situ on timber pile falsework."
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