Introduction
For other uses, see Jervis Bay (disambiguation).
Oceanic bay in Jervis Bay Territory, New South WalesJervis BayHyams Beach, Booderee National Park & the Jervis Bay Marine ParkJervis BayLocation off the coast of New South WalesJervis Bay from orbitLocationJervis Bay Territory, New South WalesCoordinates35°03′55″S 150°44′05″E / 35.06528°S 150.73472°E / -35.06528; 150.73472TypeOceanic bayPrimary outflowsTasman SeaBasin countriesAustralia
Jervis Bay (/ˈdʒɜːrvɪs, ˈdʒɑːr-/) is a 102-square-kilometre (39 sq mi) oceanic bay and village in the Jervis Bay Territory and on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia.
A 70-square-kilometre (27 sq mi) area of land around the southern headland of the bay, known as the Jervis Bay Territory, is not a part of the Australian Capital Territory (though some services are shared). The Territory includes the settlements of Jervis Bay Village and Wreck Bay Village. The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) base, HMAS Creswell, is in the Jervis Bay Territory between Jervis Bay Village and Greenpatch Point.
History
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Archaeological finds at Burrill Lake, 55 kilometres south of Jervis Bay, provide evidence of Aboriginal occupation dating back 20,000 years. In the Dhurga language, spoken by local Aboriginal inhabitants, the bay was known as "Booderee", meaning "bay of plenty".
Jervis Bay was sighted by Lieutenant James Cook aboard HMS Endeavour on 25 April 1770, two days after Saint George's Day, and he named the southern headland Cape St George.
In August 1791, Lieutenant Richard Bowen, aboard the convict transport ship Atlantic, part of the Third Fleet, sailed into the bay and named it in honour of Admiral John Jervis, under whom he had served. In November 1791 Master Matthew Weatherhead entered the bay aboard Matilda, which had also been part of the Third Fleet, in order to undertake repairs to the ship.
In mid 1797, survivors of the wreck of Sydney Cove passed through the area on foot, while undertaking an arduous trek of 600 kilometres in an attempt to get to Port Jackson (Sydney) – only three of them completed the journey.
Explorer George Bass entered the bay on 10 December 1797 and named Bowen Island.
The Point Perpendicular Lighthouse in 1899
Alexander Berry's takeover of land[clarification needed] in Shoalhaven displaced the Aboriginal inhabitants, who were moved to Wreck Bay in 1822. Smallpox and syphilis significantly reduced their population. A separate population of Aboriginal people, whom settlers called "the Jervis Bay tribe" — the Wandandian people — remained on their traditional lands on the bank of Currambene Creek, near Huskisson, and around St Georges Basin, until well into the 20th century.
In 1841, the private township of South Huskisson on Jervis Bay was founded as a seaport and terminus of The Wool Road. It was renamed Vincentia in 1952.
The bay was a base for whaling in 1912 and 1913. The vessels involved were the factory ship Loch Tay and her two catchers Campbell and Sorrell.
In 1915, the land now comprising the Jervis Bay Territory was surrendered to the Commonwealth Government by the state of New South Wales. It was proposed that it would become a seaport for the new federal capital under construction at Canberra, which would be Australia's only inland capital.
In the late 1960s, Australia's first nuclear power plant was proposed for the area, and a site was prepared, but the project did not proceed. This was in part because the local trade union peak body, South Coast Trades and Labour Council, stated that its members would not take part in the project.
In 1995, Jervis Bay National Park and Botanic Gardens were handed back to the Wreck Bay Aboriginal community. In 1997, the community, who jointly manage the park with the Commonwealth Government, decided to rename it Booderee National Park and Botanic Gardens.
