Jervis Bay – Marine Wonderland, Bush Paradise
We
first came to Jervis bay in 1998 and then many people left…A friend
had told us about hand feeding kangaroos and parrots as opposed to…???...foot
feeding??? . His description was no exaggeration, we found the place to
be a wonderland, one we’d be looking for since moving from the picturesque
south island of New Zealand to Sydney’s western suburbs. Going back
to the land of the long white shroud wasn’t an option; I actually
like seeing blue sky. (That was nearly a decade ago and although the Booderee
park authorities no longer permit feeding the wildlife (meanies), it can
still be seen here in abundance, and not just as road kill) So what do I
like about being down here?
Abundant Wildlife
It’s funny to watch visitors to the region get all excited at stumbling
across kangaroos roaming the suburbs like a street gang. The tourists stand
out because they’re the ones that cause traffic hazards, suddenly
slowing down or veering off into an unsuspecting cyclist just to watch a
mob. Comparatively the locals pass by and only see the tourists and miss
the roos! The mobs aren’t hard to find, go for a cruise through the
villages of St Georges Basin, Basin View and Sanctuary Point and you’ll
probably see them joining the tourists and creating traffic hazards of their
own. The coast south of Nowra reportedly has one of the largest parrot populations
in Australia. It’s a no brainer to find them…look up! You’ll
find, galah, rosella, king parrots, lorikeets, cockatoos and more. The name
Nowra means black cockatoo and you’ll even find this rare bird on
occasion. Possums can be heard at night; the locals will say too often!
The sweet little sugar gliders are common not in coffee but the canopy.
Friendly locals
Now
tell me, when you go into a shop, do you like the saleperson being rude
and short? Well you won’t find that here. I know it’s kind of
warm and fuzzy but shop staff actually give you the time of day not just
your change. It will amaze you to discover that these people are capable
of intelligent speech and not just the primitive nods and grunts you may
have become accustomed to. An obvious community spirit permeates the Jervis
Bay area. Locals are proud of where they live; they like the peace and enjoy
showing it off to others. They want you to visit their backyard, play with
the dolphins and throw some sand around. Their only request is don’t
come and stuff it up.
Things to do, places to go
It
seems like there’s always more interesting things to do or places
to go than time to do them doesn’t it? You’ll find that true
here too. There are literally heaps of bush walks to choose from. If you
tried them all you’d lose so much weight your relatives wouldn’t
recognize you! The locals know their stuff too and are happy to teach you
things on the fly. If you think bush tracks are a bit sedate for you, and
base jumping’s a bit rich, try a walk along the rocks between Greenfields
and Chinamans beach.
Beaches, blah… blah.. blah… Every place says they have the best
beaches, well… except the red centre that is; apparently they have
some rock thing happening??? As a local I’m biased anyway. Tell you
what why don’t you come down here and check 
it
out for yourself. There are about 26 beaches in the immediate area the sand
of which which are known most famously for being among the worlds most whitest.
The beaches lack skyscrapers, stonefish and other nasty stingers and the
traffic is so bad you can’t hear it so you probably wouldn’t
like the beaches. Then there’s the problem that most of the year no
one even goes there so you have to have it all to yourself. Oh forgot to
mention the big mean federal government made lots of it a national park
so we can’t even pollute it now! Then there’s that weird thing
with the sand, especially at world famous greenpatch where the sand squeaks
when you walk on it. Did I mention too that there is so many beautiful..
blah.. paradise.. blah.. peaceful… blah beaches here it’s jolly
difficult to choose what one to go to?
Let you in on a little secret
One personal secret is Murray’s beach. You get to Murrays by driving down Jervis Bay road (also called Naval College Rd – the reason is obscure, the effect is a mild confusion) until the road runs out. At this point you’re either off the road needing a tow truck, or in the Murray’s beach carpark; a cleared site where politicians in their wisdom once wanted to put a nuclear reactor! Don’t let me mislead you about the road in; it’s the smoothest road for miles, probably due to the fact that this part of Jervis Bay is
officially
part of the Australian Capital Territory! (a brief history:- All Australian
capital cities apparently need a port, hence it was decreed by the powers
at be that Canberra being inland as it is, would own a part of Jervis Bay
so they can have a port too. – ironically it isn’t used by Canberra
but only the Navy.) To get to Murrays beach, take a short bush walk from
the car park. You will come out onto a beach unlike any you’ve probably
ever seen before. From Murrays beach (picture murrays beach) you can see
Bowen Island – I’d like to pop across to have a sticky beak
but it’s a sanctuary for wildlife. You’ll have to enjoy it from
a distance. If you like surfing, Bherwerre beach is an excellent place to
try. The fishing is good too, ask any local nicely and they might direct
you to their little secret.
Jervis
bay is a nationally recognized marine park which basically means our politicians
who of course have obvious overwhelmingly impeccable taste and common
sense deem it worth protecting. More credible is that the bay is a marine
life wonderland, and as such diving is very popular. There are several
local business that cater to those healthy enough to enjoy it or foolish
enough to be shark bait. (Actually all but the bull shark are pretty harmless
apart from the odd hyped up great white and pumped up tiger shark. At
least it would be quick…I think?) One dive shop that promises to
throw themselves between you and the next angry Nemo scaring Bruce is
Deep
6 Diving Jervis Bay. If you would rather stay dry and uneaten,
Dolphin Explorer Cruisers will show you around, feed you and
thrill you with dolphin and whale encounters.
Jervis Bay is alive with history. Yawn… Hey it really is interesting,
you should check out the Lady Denman Museum. Did you know for instance
that originally the plan was to put our nation’s capital right here
in Jervis bay? One reason they didn’t is it was thought that in
a time of war, the capital could get bombed! Call me facetious, but the
powers at be decided state capitals might get bombed but not precious
Canberra. Umm? You can still see the plans that were drawn at the time
in the museum. Not to be missed is the awesome art pieces on display,
I asked to take some home but they looked puzzled? The Lady Denman ferry
is interesting, having been fully restored, you can wander on deck and
pretend you’re a captain or do the DiCaprio ‘I’m the
king of the word’ thing he did in that little movie about the boat
that sank.
When ever you come, and what ever you decide to do, you’ll find Jervis Bay the perfect place to stay.