Batemans Bay
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| Batemans Bay
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 Batemans Bay Waterfront, Southern NSW Coast |
Batemans Bay is a large bay on the NSW coast. It is very open to the east and has limited shelter, despite its size. Ther is good shelter from the NE which is the prevailing wind in Chain Bay also one courtesy mooring. The town of Batemans Bay sprawls around the edges of the bay and is accessible to those boats able to cross the shallow bar into the Cylde River. There is a marina (expensive), adequate anchorage in the channel off the town and full amenities in the town. The Bay is part of the Batemans Marine Park and there are restrictions on fishing in some areas. Boat users must avoid anchoring over seagrass in declared Sanctuary Zones.
The Clyde river runs inland from Batemans Bay and is navigable for 18nm for 30km through bushland and farmland with a lift bridge at Batemans Bay and a fixed bridge at Nelligen 8nm upstream.
Charts
Charts are available from NSW Road and maritime services. Hard copies can be purchased from the RMS e-store. PDF charts for Batemans Bay, which is the mouth of the Clyde River and the upper reaches of the Clyde river.
'See also New South Wales.
Weather
See New South Wales.
Passages
See New South Wales.
Communication
- Marine Rescue Batemans Bay monitors both VHF. They are based on the river bank close to the bar
See also New South Wales.
The Tollgate Islands form a barrier across the mouth of the Bay, though they do not greatly reduce the swell that enters the rest of the Bay. Black Rock and Trennant Rock lie in the gap to the south of the Tollgates. The Bay is relatively shallow (6 to 8), especially in the northwestern end and care should be exercised in conditions of large easterly swells.
Note the white sectors of the Square Headlight, which define safe approaches into the Bay. Chain Bay has a courtesy mooring and also good holding. Very sheltered in N winds. A courtesy mooring west of Snapper Island is available and not bad in a strong southerly
The bar at the entrance to the Clyde River is shallow, less than 2.0 metres at high tide (April 2012). The bar has been dredged dredge and the leads indicate the best approach but be careful if you draw more than 2 meters Any easterly swell reaches the bar and causes the whole thing to break. If you are not experienced with bars or lack local knowledge, attempting a crossing could be dangerous.
There is a conspicuous set of leads identifying the approach to the bar. Marine Rescue Batemans Bay may be able to clarify this for you but will not give you any local knowledge most have no seamanship experience - be warned. Note that the approach defined by the leads may not correspond with what is shown on some charts.
There are port and starboard markers showing the point at which to leave the track defined by the leads - this is extremely close to the seawall. Once by the seawall, follow the port and starboard markers, staying clear of the sandbank which defines the seaward side of the channel.
Update: New (Fixed) bridge opened in April 2021 (old bridge yet to be dismantled, and until dismantled will still open for public ferry to pass - probably around June 2021) - New bridge has a clearance of 12m.
Old info: A bridge spans the Clyde River west of the township of Batemans Bay. The bridge is a lift bridge with reported closed vertical clearance of 3.6m at MHWS an open vertical clearance of 18m at MHWS. The width of the bridge is 23 m. The bridge opens twice a day to accommodate a cruise boat (11:50 and 14:20 in August 2018). These times may vary during school and holiday peak times. Requests can be made to open the span at other times by calling Batemans Bay Power and Sail on (02) 4472 7263. 24 hours notice is requested. See [1] for current details. Call to check details and make arrangements or contact Marine Rescue Batemans Bay and ask them to assist. Note that less than a mile beyond the bridge, the river is crossed by high voltage wires. It is reported that there is a 15-metre clearance to these wires at HWS, but you should check this before attempting to proceed further upstream.
The town of Nelligen is located 8nm upstream of the lift bridge where the river is spanned by a 3.6m vertical clearance bridge. Depths in the Clyde up to this point are greater than 2m. The river is navigable for a further 10.5nm (19km) upstream beyond Nelligen with depths of less than 2m and unmarked obstacles.
Berthing
Marinas & Yacht Clubs
Batermans Marina
The existing marina has a somewhat run down appearance. There are reports of a redevelopment in the pipeline, but no signs of it commencing at this point. It is a very sheltered location, behind a substantial seawall. There are security gates on all fingers.
- XX@XXX; Tel: +XX XX XXXX-XXXX; Fax: +XX XX XXXX-XXXX; VHF channel XX
- Address:
- Hours:
Anchorages
Chain Bay
Snapper Island
Cylde River, East
Cylde River, East [[Batemans Bay#Cylde River, East|Cylde River, East]] (E of bridge) 35°42.323'S, 150°10.820'E Clyde River, West
Clyde River, West [[Batemans Bay#Clyde River, West|Clyde River, West]] (W of bridge) 35°41.874'S, 150°10.591'E Broulee Bay
Amenities
| Facilities | |
|---|---|
| Water | Available at the marina |
| Electricity | Available at the marina |
| Toilets | ? |
| Showers | ? |
| Laundry | At the marina |
| Garbage | There are good bins all around the waterfront, suitable for disposal of small amounts of rubbish |
| Supplies | |
| Fuel | Available at the marina |
| Bottled gas | ? |
| Chandlers | Power and Sail, 6 Sharon Road Batemans Bay, NSW 2536 |
| Services | |
| Repairs | There is an old run down slipway at the marina |
| Internet | ? |
| Mobile connectivity | ? |
| Vehicle rentals | ? |
Provisioning
Woolworths, Coles and Aldi have major stores within a 2-minute walk of the public jetty.
Eating out
- There is a large number of restaurants and takeaway stores around the waterfront.
Transportation
- Batemans Bay is on the Princes Highway. A bus to Sydney and Melbourne as well as Canberra stops here.
Tourism
History
Give a short history of the port.
Places to Visit
- Visit the Broulee Island Nature Reserve
Friends
Contact details of "Cruiser's Friends" that can be contacted for local information or assistance.
Forums
List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)
Links
- Batemans Bay at the Wikipedia
- Batemans Bay at the Wikivoyage
- Broulee Island Nature Reserve at the Wikipedia
References
See Australia.
Comments
We welcome users' contributions to the Wiki. Please click on Comments to view other users' comments, add your own personal experiences or recommend any changes to this page following your visit.
Verified by
Date of member's last visit to Batemans Bay and this page's details validated:
- Pedro April 2012 and Harry 2019
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