Jervis Bay travel ideas

EXPLORING THE FINE WATERWAYS OF JERVIS BAY

Home to its indigenous residents for thousands of years, this part of the South Coast is a natural gem.

Fifteen kilometres long and 10 kilometres wide, Jervis Bay is renowned as the deepest sheltered harbour in Australia. The local Aboriginal community has lived continuously in the area – located 170 kilometres south of Sydney – for 20,000 years, resulting in a large number of archeologically significant sites.

The communities around Jervis Bay are mainly small in size and cater for the tourist market. These include Callala Bay, Callala Beach, Huskisson, Vincentia and Hyams Beach and accommodation in this area can be found by visiting our Jervis Bay accommodation section.

The largest of the towns is Huskisson, with the award-winning Lady Denman Heritage Complex presenting the history of the region in an entertaining and informative way. It is divided into a number of sections, including a major collection of surveying equipment and memorabilia dating back to the 1700s. Vincentia is four kilometres south of Huskisson, a resort community with some great beaches. Hyams Beach is a popular and secluded area, which attracts divers for its string of easily accessible reefs.

The extensive wildlife of the 6,000 hectare Booderee National Park makes it well worth a visit. A pod of up to 60 bottlenose dolphins live in the bay at any given time and dolphin-watching cruises, as well as in-season whale-watching cruises, can be taken from Huskisson. Penguins inhabit the 51 hectare Bowen Island, located off Governors Head. There is a visitors centre at Booderee National Park and guided tours are available.

In 1901, with the creation of the Commonwealth of Australia, 7,400 hectares of land at the southern end of Jervis Bay was taken over by the government to develop a port and naval base. The Royal Australian Naval College was established in 1915 and the Royal Australian Naval College Historical Collection is held at HMAS Creswell, although it is rarely open to the public.