Eden is a coastal town in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is south of the state capital Sydney and is the most southerly town in New South Wales, located between Nullica Bay to the south and Calle Calle Bay, the northern reach of Twofold Bay, and built on undulating land adjacent to the third-deepest natural harbour in the southern hemisphere, and Snug Cove on its western boundary. At the , Eden had a population of 3,425.

The eastern coastline has rugged cliffs at the southern end and a wide, sandy surf beach, Aslings Beach, north of the cliffs. The beach ends at the entrance to Lake Curalo, a safe boating inlet of Twofold Bay. Although the urban settlement of Eden commenced in 1843 the settlement was not officially proclaimed as a township until 20 March 1885. The town's main industries include fishing, forestry, and tourism.

History

thumb|Whales in Sight, Twofold Bay, New South Wales, 1844, ([[State Library of New South Wales)]]

The local Aboriginal people who lived in the region prior to the arrival of Europeans were the Thaua, or Thawa, people of the Yuin nation.

Whaling ships had been operating in the area in 1791. George Bass first took shelter in Twofold Bay on the return leg of a voyage to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) in February 1798, having noted the bay on the southward leg of this same voyage in December 1797. They also made first contact with the local Thawa Aboriginal people on this occasion.

The Australian botanist, Allan Cunningham, landed at Snug Cove in December 1817 so that he could collect botanical specimens from the district.

The graziers from the Monaro district inland from Twofold Bay were seeking a better way to transport their cattle to Hobart, Tasmania. It was decided to establish cattle-handling facilities and an accompanying township on an appropriate site on Twofold Bay. Thus, in 1834, the Home Government authorised the captain of HMS Alligator to seek an appropriate site for a settlement on Twofold Bay. Early in 1835 the Governor of New South Wales, Governor Richard Bourke, visited Twofold Bay and the site of the proposed new settlement on board HMS Hyacinth.

Eventually the area for the proposed town, to be called Eden, was surveyed in 1842 by Mr Thomas Townsend, the Government Surveyor. The main street, Imlay Street, was named after the Imlay brothers who were early pioneers to the district. Other streets were named after Lieutenant Flinders, George Bass, Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert. A wharf was built out into a cove, now named Cattle Bay, from a site on the western edge of Eden, where cattle could be grazed prior to their being loaded onto the ships. Cattle were also grazed on Lookout Point until 1853, then this land was subdivided for housing.

Local radio

2SEA FM (Eden Community Radio) broadcasts along the Sapphire Coast of New South Wales, Australia, servicing the towns of Eden, Pambula and Merimbula as well as the surrounding districts. 2SEA FM is a not-for-profit community radio station that relies on volunteers to provide programming, and sponsors for the finance to be able to go to air.

Government

From its inception Eden was located in the County of Auckland, named earlier after the Earl of Auckland from whom Eden also took its name. However, the County of Auckland was not considered to be within the bounds of the Colony of New South Wales until many years after the settlement of Eden commenced. The whalers rewarded the orcas by allowing them to eat the lips and tongues of the dead whales.

Port of Eden

The Port of Eden is one of two regional ports in New South Wales administered by the New South Wales Maritime Authority, the other is at Yamba on the North Coast. The Port of Eden is the largest fishing port in New South Wales. The major export handled by the port is woodchips. The port is shared with the Department of Defence who have constructed a large wharf for the servicing of their warships. The port also handles cruise ships.

From the 1850s to 1950s the port was serviced by the Illawarra Steam Navigation Company.

In 2021 the Port of Eden became the ceremonial home port for Royal Australian Navy auxiliary ship HMAS Supply (A195) the crew of which have adopted the killer whales of Eden as the official mascot.

In February 2025, the Ovation of the Seas docked at Eden, making it the largest ship to ever dock there.

Notable people

  • Grace Cuthbert-Browne, doctor
  • Liz Cambage (born 1991), basketball player in the Israeli Female Basketball Premier League
  • Brett Kelly, rugby league player
  • Peter Kelly, rugby league player
  • Mary Braidwood Mowle, diarist
  • Corey Stewart, rugby league player

See also

  • Old Tom – The leader of a pack of killer whales who helped whalers in the port of Eden to capture baleen whales in return for the whales lips and tongues as food. Old Tom's skeleton is on display in the Eden Killer Whale Museum, and it is the only complete killer whale skeleton on display in the Southern Hemisphere.
  • Woodchipping
  • The local rugby league team, the Eden Tigers, compete in the Group 16 Rugby League competition.

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Image:Eden Killer Whale museum.jpg|Killer whale museum

Image:Eden Memorial.jpg|Memorial to all seamen from Eden lost at sea. Erected following the loss of the fishing trawler Shiralee in 1978 with the loss of all three men on board.

Image:Woodchips for export in New South Wales.jpeg|Woodchips awaiting export to Japan from the Allied Natural Wood Exports mill at Eden

Image:Eden_Port.jpg|Port of Eden

Image:Crown_and_Anchor_Inn.jpg|Crown & Anchor Inn – first licensed in 1845

</gallery>

References

  • Sydney Morning Herald Tourism Page
  • Eden's Community Website