Batemans Bay

Batemans Bay

Batemans Bay, coastal town and inlet of the Tasman Sea, southeastern New South Wales, Australia. The inlet, an estuary of the Clyde River, measures 4 by 5 miles (6 by 8 km).

The area was sighted in 1770 by Capt. James Cook, who named it for the captain of the ship Northumberland. The town, founded early in the 19th century, is on the southwest shore. It serves a district producing timber, vegetables, cheese, oysters, and crayfish, and it is linked to Sydney, some 135 miles (220 km) northeast, via the Prince’s Highway. It is a convenient resort for Canberra, 65 miles (105 km) west-northwest. Pop. (2006) urban centre, 10,845; (2011) urban centre, 11,334.