Bawley Point is a small coastal hamlet in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, in the

Shoalhaven The City of Shoalhaven is a local government area in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is about south of Sydney. The Princes Highway passes through the area, and the South Coast railway line traverses the norther ...

with a population of 698 people at the . It is located 30 minutes south of

Ulladulla, New South Wales Ulladulla () is a coastal town in New South Wales, Australia in the City of Shoalhaven local government area. It is on the Princes Highway about south of Sydney, halfway between Batemans Bay to the south and Nowra to the north. Ulladulla has cl ...

, and 30 minutes north of

Batemans Bay Batemans Bay is a town in the South Coast region of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Batemans Bay is administered by the Eurobodalla Shire council. The town is situated on the shores of an estuary formed where the Clyde River meets the ...

on the South Coast of NSW. The town's name is believed to be derived from an Aboriginal word meaning "Brown snake". Bawley Point is well known throughout the region for its fine beaches and peak surf conditions. The area is frequented by holiday makers from

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

and

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

History

On 23 April 1770,

James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...

in made his first recorded direct observation of indigenous Australians at

Brush Island The Brush Island is a Island#Continental island, continental island, contained within the Brush Island Nature Reserve, a state park, protected nature reserve, known as Mit Island in the Dhurga language of the Murramamrang people of the Yuin nati ...

near Bawley Point, noting in his journal: "...and were so near the Shore as to distinguish several people upon the Sea beach they appear'd to be of a very dark or black Colour but whether this was the real colour of their skins or the Clothes they might have on I know not." On 18 December 1832 Joseph Berryman, overseer at Sydney Stephen's Murramarang land acquisition near Bawley Point, shot dead four Aboriginal Australians in retaliation for the spearing of some cattle. Of those shot, two were an elderly couple and another was a pregnant woman. Bawley Point had a public school from 1894 to 1909 and 1912 to 1922, classified variously as a "public", "half-time" or "provisional" school. Bawley Point was threatened during the 2019-20 Bushfire Season, with local fire Chief Charlie Magnuson calling it "the luckiest village on the South Coast".

Tourism

Tourism is a large driver of economic activity in Bawley Point and surrounding areas, with a variety of accommodation options including home stays and caravan parks. Visitors are drawn to the uncrowded beaches as well as nearby National Parks, campgrounds, walking and mountain biking trails. The lakes and lagoons in the surrounding area are popular for photography and bird-watchng. There are two wineries in the area bring visitors to the area during the

Winter Wine Festival. Visitors can also enjoy fruit picking at two of the local farms.

Population

In the 2016 Census, there were 698 people in Bawley Point. 80.1% of people were born in Australia and 92.3% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 40.0% and Anglican 24.2%.

Amenities

A number of local businesses operate in Bawley Point, including a small supermarket, specialty shops, a pharmacy and holiday accommodation.

Transport

Bawley Point is served on weekdays by Ulladulla Buslines route 741 twice daily to Kioloa and

Ulladulla Ulladulla () is a coastal town in New South Wales, Australia in the City of Shoalhaven local government area. It is on the Princes Highway about south of Sydney, halfway between Batemans Bay to the south and Nowra to the north. Ulladulla has cl ...

via Termeil, Tabourie and

Burrill Lake Burrill Lake is a small village on the Princes Highway in the South Coast (New South Wales), South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is a seaside suburb of the Milton-Ulladulla district, a part of the City of Shoalhaven local governm ...

. An additional afternoon service runs on school days. NorthBeach WillingaPoint Bawley

Notes

External links

{{Localities in the City of Shoalhaven Towns in the South Coast (New South Wales) City of Shoalhaven Coastal towns in New South Wales Surfing locations in New South Wales