Batemans Bay - good place to live?

Hello everyone, We have been offered the regional state of Far South Coast, NSW. Its such a huge decision to make as we will need to live and work in the areas for at least two years if we choose this area. We have been looking in to Batemans Bay and just by doing a little research it looks beautiful. However, no amount of research can give you a real feel for the place and we have never been. Has anyone been to Batemans Bay? Or lived there? Or do you know of anyone that could give us any advice / positives / negatives of the area. We would be really grateful for any information. Thanks in advance. xx

Hello everyone, We have been offered the regional state of Far South Coast, NSW. Its such a huge decision to make as we will need to live and work in the areas for at least two years if we choose this area. We have been looking in to Batemans Bay and just by doing a little research it looks beautiful. However, no amount of research can give you a real feel for the place and we have never been. Has anyone been to Batemans Bay? Or lived there? Or do you know of anyone that could give us any advice / positives / negatives of the area. We would be really grateful for any information. Thanks in advance. xx

I think many Australians would love to live there, but there are so few jobs it's not practical. It's a lovely seaside town.

I`ve only visited, it was lovely. If you like nature, it`s a gorgeous place. Do you have school aged children? I don`t know about the schools in the area but you could check on www.myschool.edu.au to find one that suits .

I've visited, twice. The drive does gets spectacular as you approach the coast and it somehow reminded me of Senon Cove in Cornwall for some reason, it's very quiet, and picturesque.

It's really nothing to write home about, and to have to live there two years would be very hard IMO. Nice place to visit and say you've been there.

Nope. It's very much a place for retired folk and Canberrans with weekenders. Employment not that brilliant down there really. It'd bore me silly after more than a few days. It wouldn't even be the most picturesque of South Coast places but you'd still have much the same profile of inhabitants pretty much all the way down. I guess it all depends on what you do for a living as to how easy it's going to be to find year round work.

It's really nothing to write home about, and to have to live there two years would be very hard IMO. Nice place to visit and say you've been there.

I think it would depend on what kind of lifestyle you want. You've got some fabulous beaches and nature reserves all along that section of coast - kangaroos on the beach, fossils in the rocks, black cockatoos. Jervis Bay with its pure white sand is only an hour away. I'm a city person so I wouldn't want to live there forever, but even I think I'd find enough to explore for a couple of years of weekends!

I can't remember what the shops are like, but it's less than two hours' drive to Canberra, or 2.5 hours to Wollongong if you want a big Westfield shopping mall.

Bateman's Bay is nice. Been there loads of times. Very attractive on the wide Clyde River estuary.

It's the closest coastal town to Canberra so lots of people from Canberra go there for weekends and holidays. It has all the day-to-day shops you need - plenty of supermarkets (even an Aldi) and being a holiday town it also has a fair few cafes and restaurants. Lots of retirees live there. It would be no hardship at all living there for a couple of years.

As others have said, though, not sure what you'd do for work. Apart from the usual trades servicing the local population, there's some fishing and forestry in the area but otherwise I think the main employers would be tourism related.

thanks so much everyone for your honest opinions, that has really helped. Im a marine electrician and noticed the marina there and my girlfriend is a primary teacher but more than willing to do any form of work. it is such a tough decision but also very exciting

thank you all again

i don't have time to write much but i lived near there until just recently & hope to go back soon. you sound like you are a similar age to me & i think its a lovely. some older people live there but it is not full of old people. what a silly thing for someone to say. it has all the shops you need & canberra not too far away if you want city shopping. there are lots of tourists in summer because there is the river & the seaside but it isnt the crazy crowded like places in the uk so isnt too bad.

there are no mouldy old buildings, museums and stuff so if you like that type of thing you might not like the bay. people dont sit in the pub all day either so if thats your idea of culture oz probably wont suit. but if you like being part of a warm community and like lots of different outdoor activities you will probably like it. there are lots of boats owned by locals and tourists so you should be able to get work. there are also lots of families so there are lots of schools. it is popular with ozzie teachers so getting permanency is hard but i have been working nonstop doing long term supply teaching & have even been sent on exchange just now to canberra. it surprised me how invested they are in teachers even ones doing supply.

the people are lovely & very welcoming but dont suffer fools. the houses are great & you can choose between older places or new builds to rent.

forgot to say you can ask me questions if you want but i dont login very much because too many oz haters are on here but you can send me a private message if you want.

We don't live in Batemans Bay but we have family there and go there a fair bit. The economy is primarily driven by tourism but also derives a significant income from people in Canberra who own weekenders/holiday homes there and travel the 90 mins from Canberra most weekends and decamp there for the summer school holidays on mass.

Batemans Bay is the largest town in the Eurobodalla and has been steadily growing since the 1980's. It has all the services and day to day shops etc you would need as well as a small hospital. Anything not available can be obtained through a quick visit to Canberra. There is a strong community spirit among locals who hold themselves apart from tourists but you will find a friendly welcome if you move there. It is a lovely town and certainly somewhere people retire to but I can't say I have noticed an over abundance of older people.

You shouldn't have any problems securing a long term rental. If you like new builds and want to live near a beautiful beach check out Barlings Beach. Other than that you would be able to find a rental to suit most budgets either on or very close to either the river or one of the many beaches in and around Batemans Bay.

Nearly everyone seems to own a boat and hundreds of boats are stored there by people who live in Canberra. I would imagine your skills would be in demand as we had to bring our boat back to Canberra for some work recently that we would have much preferred to get done down there.

If you like outdoor activities of all kinds it would be a lovely place to live. By the way the locals call Batemans Bay - the Bay

Its a nice place. Personally I prefer towns further south - Narooma, Tathra, Merimbula etc. However B Bay is a nice place and assuming you have work, would be a great affordable place to have a nice quiet family orientated type of life.

Just thought you might like to see something you could expect to see if you moved to the Bay. This was taken at Broulee which is about 15 mins south from the centre of the Bay township.

Thank you so much everyone, we really appreciate everything you have said. I sounds amazing, and perfect for us! This is the dream!!! Our hearts are set on 'the Bay' now! hehe, thank you.

Does anyone know how to search for activites / community events / volunteer work or clubs in Batemans Bay? Any websites / links / places to look it up? Or has anyone heard of any clubs / activities that they have done and could recommend? We would really like to meet people and get involved in the community. Be lovely to know what to expect.

x Thank you. x

Does anyone know how to search for activites / community events / volunteer work or clubs in Batemans Bay? Any websites / links / places to look it up? Or has anyone heard of any clubs / activities that they have done and could recommend? We would really like to meet people and get involved in the community. Be lovely to know what to expect.

x Thank you. x

I'd suggest Googling "Batemans Bay volunteer" and also take a look at the local Council's website.