Batemans Bay, NSW 2536

Been here a few times, now its at the top of my list of retirement places, lost of clubs medical facilities, and lovely walks by beaches and walks and places to drive to that are short drives, good shops too.

On one hand, Batemans Bay is stunning. It has some of the most beautiful coastline and beaches on the East Coast. Even driving into the bay over the new bridge, the view is picture postcard stuff.

But living here. Its a strange mix of bogans and Canberra retirees who move to the coast to die (sorry but its a fact). The place doesn't have any real sense of identity or community.

We moved here from Sydney, and no matter how hard we have tried, its impossible to make friends unless you were born here or come from Canberra. And property prices here are very inflated for what you get, moreso considering how bushfire prone the whole area is.
We have a nice new art centre and leisure centre which has helped to rejuvenate the area. Good fish and chips at The Boatshed btw and some other nice eateries. Botanic Gardens are worth a visit. Avoid the shopping centre in town, its bogan central

I have lived in the bay my whole life. I have seen it transform from a beautiful seaside fishing town, to an overcrowded dump full of rude, entitled people from up the hill in Canberra. It used to have an old world charm, but sadly those days are long gone.

I appreciate that such development is inevitable, certainly when the nations capital is only two hours away. But a lack of proper town planning from the local council means that the town is now just a big mess. Property is way overpriced due to people buying holiday homes here and spending 4 weeks of the year here. Locals can no longer afford to buy or rent in the vicinity, which has led to a rise in the number of homeless people in the town.

It used to be that the town was busy just during the school holidays. Now, there is an influx of tourists every weekend since COVID, which is great for local businesses, but the infrastructure just cannot cope with it.

The hospital in Batemans Bay does its best, but its not great. Yes there is the new hospital in Moruya, but that probably wont be completed until 2040 at the earliest the rate it is currently being built at.

A lot of the faults of the town must be credited to the local Eurobodalla Council, which is shambolic at best. For years it has been poorly run and is desperate for a complete overhaul. Even the last mayor of eurobodalla was arrested for growing cannabis at her home, that sums up how bad it is. We now have a new younger Mayor who has actually done a great job, but his hands are tied to what he can achieve when surrounded by such a dysfunctional and prehistoric council organisation.

Im sorry I cant be more positive about the bay, but it breaks my heart to see how the town has declined in the past 20 years. The bushfires brought the community together, but that kind of community spirit disappeared soon after the bushfires ended, which is very sad.

We moved to Surfside on day the fires started, December 2019, we thought what have we done? Well it is 15 months later and we have enjoyed living in our new home. It is in a culdesac and all people in street own their homes. It is lovely to walk 7 minutes to the beach or a quick 30 minute walk into town to Batemans Bay. Yes we are a regional area, so shops are not as great as in the city areas, but we have many shops, what we are lacking which is only a small minority, you can buy online instead, although we like to support Batemans Bay shops. There is a great walking/bike riding track from Batemans Bay very good for everyone to enjoy. Transport well no trains but there are very good bus services going from Batemans Bay to closest rail link or to Central Station daily. Batemans Bay has much to offer. Also a local bus service to all Batemans Bay areas. A lot of the reviews I read were very old this is from March 2021. All the businesses are great and living so close to shops and business area, is also something we are not used to. How lovely it is to live in such a special area as Batemans Bay. There is a hospital in BB and one in Moruya, anything really serious you may have visit Canberra or Sydney. There are medical centres that take new patients if other doctor offices are full up. There are quite a few schools and we have only seen very happy and helpful people since living in this lovely part of the world. We have seen all aged groups living in this area. Wherever we visit it is green and clean, the businesses are very professional, there are plenty of places to eat out, just walk around town you will see many. We see lots of families enjoying all different beach and park areas. Batemans Bay is quite clean, a lot of the locals work hard to keep things looking good by picking up litter they see. The big problem is trolleys dumped around town or the local areas. I am always reporting this to shops but it keeps happening. It would be lovely if people would return their trolleys to the shops they were borrowed from to keep our town looking tip top for all to enjoy. You may here about some things on news but our local Police seem to do a good job in keeping Batemans Bay safe and sound for all.

Stunning natural beauty not appreciated by locals and the local Council. Nearby hills scarred by cleared areas for electricity pylons and service stations built in wrong places (previous nature reserves). It's a tatty place but has its own charm in that it still retains a old fishing village atmosphere. With sophisticated planning vision it could be made the Riviera (sic?) of the NSW far South Coast.

A leisurely 4 hours drive south of Sydney Batemans Bay is at the mouth of the Clyde River. Batemans Bay has safe beaches for all the family yet not far away surfer can enjoy catching the waves. Snorkelling and diving are popular pastimes as if fishing with your choice of estuary, beach, rock or boat. The Clyde River oysters are enjoyed worldwide and have a good reputation. Accommodation is plentiful at local motels and caravan part as well several well known resorts. There is a friendly atmosphere to the town with good shopping facilities. Apart from beaches and water sports, the town of Mogo is only 5 mins down the road. Here you can enjoy quaint little shops, historical artefacts and a visit to the Mogo Zoo or Dinosaur Museum. There is also a Gold Mining display where you can pan for gold.