Batemans Bay is in the south coast region of New South Wales. It is a large oceanic bay with an open entrance.
Batemans Bay forms the entrance to ocean of the Clyde River. The Tollgate Islands are an iconic local feature of this estuary.
Batemans Bay is the largest bay between Jervis Bay to the north and Twofold Bay to the south. The estuary supports some of the most extensive and productive oyster leases on the south coast of NSW. It is also a popular tourist destination with plenty of opportunities for recreational activities.
Batemans Bay has not been sampled as part of our monitoring program. We monitor water quality in the Clyde River and Cullendulla Creek, the main tributaries to Batemans Bay. The Clyde River estuary was last sampled in 2020–21 and Cullendulla Creek in 2017–18.
As part of our Beachwatch program we assess swimming suitability at 2 swimming sites in Batemans Bay using microbial indicators. Eurobodalla Shire Council collect samples at each site weekly between November and March to calculate the suitability grade. Sampling is ongoing. Each grade reflects the most recent 100 water quality results to April 2021. Find out more about how we monitor beach water quality.
| Local government area | Swim site name | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Eurobodalla | Caseys Beach | Good |
| Surf Beach | Poor |
Ocean beaches can sometimes be unsuitable for swimming, especially after rainfall when stormwater and wastewater can overflow into swimming areas. Learn more about what the grades mean and how we grade swimming sites on our beach classification webpage.
Water sampling and laboratory analysis was funded by Eurobodalla Shire Council.
Estuary type: Bay
| Entrance location |
Latitude (ºS) | –35.76 |
|---|---|---|
| Longitude (ºE) | 150.25 |
|
| Catchment area (km2) | 28.0 | |
| Estuary area (km2) | 34.5 | |
| Estuary volume (ML) | 383,484 | |
| Average depth (m) | 11.1 | |
The foreshore of the Batemans Bay catchment is a focus for urban and rural residential growth. Development is concentrated at the entrance of the bay and the southern foreshore is more densely developed than the northern shore. Large areas of the catchment are forested and have relatively low disturbance, these include parts of Murramarang National Park as well as commercially managed state forest.
The Batemans Bay coastal bar webcam provides real-time video of conditions within the Batemans Bay or Clyde River entrance bar immediately offshore to help with bar crossings and boat safety.
Local councils manage estuaries within their area, unless the estuary is attached to a marine park. This estuary is managed by Eurobodalla Shire Council and the NSW Department of Primary Industries as part of the Batemans Marine Park.