Bass Point Reserve
A place of significant cultural value, Bass Point Reserve is Heritage Listed, due to extensive Aboriginal and Colonial use of the area. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Elouera people lived here at least 20,000 years ago. Colonial settlers arrived 1803, although European explorers had passed through before this. Settled by cedar cutters and graziers, much of the area was cleared. Land clearing, disease and hostility by Europeans resulted in the collapse of the Aboriginal population.
The Gravel Loader
One of the first sites you see at Bass Point is the gravel loader which services the local basalt quarry. It forms an interesting contrast to the other more natural heritage areas because of its industrial use.
Bass Point
Walking through the Reserve, we saw some small lizards, but no other wildlife, although larger native animals inhabit the area. The eroded basalt on the shore has places where colourful orange algae grow, adding some colour to the otherwise dull rocks.
US Cities Service Boston & 6th Machine Gun Battalion Memorial
On 16 May 1943, the US oil tanker US Cities Service Boston grounded here during a storm. Australian soldiers from the 6th Australian Machine Gun Battalion camping nearby assisted in the rescue of the 62 crew on board. All lives from the Boston were saved but four Australian soldiers perished in the rescue. Each year, a remembrance service commemorates the loss.
Bushrangers Bay
At the end of Bass Point Tourist Road is a small carpark that services Bushrangers Bay. This beautiful bay has vegetation growing down to the water line. A well-maintained wooden walkway provides access down to the pebble beach.
A viewing platform designed to provide views over the bay sits above and to the left of the steps but was overgrown when we visited. This obscured what would otherwise have been a great view.
Bushrangers Bay is a Marine Reserve, so fishing or removing anything from the area is prohibited.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
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