Clyde River Escapade

by Gold Creek Probus Club | 28 Aug 2018

Gold Creek Probus Club members enjoyed a three-hour lunch time cruise from Batemans Bay to Nelligen was a new adventure for some 40 Gold Creek Probus ACT members and friends in May.

Pictured above: Gold Reek Probus Club members and friends re-join the ferry at Nelligen, after an ice cream and quick look around the historic village on the Clyde River.

The trip in the ferry Escapade took members along the Clyde River, past some of the best oyster beds in the country.

The area was first explored in the 1820s and the good timber and boat access was noted. A road built in the 1850s from Braidwood to Nelligen carried wool from the tablelands and supplies for the settlers.

The gold fields of Araluen, Nelligen, Braidwood and Currowan Creek were also served by the steamers to and from Nelligen.

Some 18 or 20 teams left daily for the fields from the small port, according to the Nelligen Progress Association’s helpful brochure.

There are a number of historic sites to be seen in Nelligen. Such as the Bushrangers Tree, where bushrangers were chained before shipment to Sydney, and the Ferry Master’s Cottage.

 The Escapade cruise leaves daily at 11.30am from The Boatshed, just off Clyde Street in Batemans Bay. A fish’n’chips lunch is served, and beer, wine and soft drinks are available. Leave space for a Nelligen ice cream.

A day trip from Canberra is possible using Murray’s Coaches.

Pictured above: The ferry Escapade runs a very pleasant three- hour cruise from Bateman's Bay to Nelligen on the Clyde River. Included is a fish and chip lunch.