Memorial Archives - Destination's Journey

14 October 202414 October 2024

Sculpture Walk Batemans Bay

Tides by Joel Adler Batemans Bay Sculpture Walk

Sculpture Walk Batemans Bay

Running along the Clyde River foreshore at Batemans Bay, The Sculpture Walk is a great way to take in the city centre of this NSW south coast town.

Getting There

Driving from Sydney will take a little over 3.5 hours, or two hours from Canberra. We were staying locally, so only had a 10-minute drive from our accommodation. We parked at the Clyde Street carpark, which is conveniently located at the start of the walk.

The Walk

Following the waterfront from the Princes Highway Bridge to the marina, the Sculpture Walk takes in 14 sculptures (the number grows each year) as well as passing street art and memorials. Sculptures are added each time the Sculptures For Clyde festival is held, as the winning sculpture is acquired and permanently displayed in Batemans Bay.

The walk is flat and paved most of the way with many places to stop, rest and take in the scenery. Coffee shops and restaurants on the waterfront also provide plenty of options for eating.

Seating and information board on the foreshore Batemans Bay Sculpture Walk — Tides by Joel Adler

The Clyde River

The walk takes you along the Clyde River, where you see several cruise boats waiting to take tourists up the river. There are also some fishing boats as well as restaurants that sell their catch. Many waterbirds also make the riverbank their home and we saw a lot of pelicans resting on the bank and jetties.

Memorials

Walking along the sculpture walk, two memorials stand out. The first is Batemans Bay War Memorial Cenotaph while the second, dedicated to the Vietnam War is in the park near the marina.

Vietnam War Memorial — Batemans Bay War Memorial Cenotaph

Street Art

Street art can be found in several locations on the walk. The first and most obvious is on the Boatshed seafood restaurant. This has both ends of the building decorated with paintings of the area’s culture and history.

The second area if found in Graffiti Alley, which runs between Orient St and Murra Murra Mia Walkway. Here, you will find fantastic paintings of local wildlife.

Street Art on the Boatshed Batemans Bay Sculpture Walk — The Boatshed

1 October 20245 October 2024

Constable Miles O`Grady Obelisk

Located on the main street of Nerrigundah, the Constable Miles O`Grady Obelisk is a reminder of Australia’s gold mining and bush ranger past.

Nerrigundah, Gold Mining and Bush Rangers

Although the local population is now only 40, at its height in the 1860s it boasted a population of 11,000. By 1866 this had fallen to 200-300 with around 2,000 in the surrounding areas. Bush rangers were also drawn to the area because of the quantity of gold being mined.

On the 9th of April 1866, Thomas Clarke and his gang of bush rangers held up a number of passers-by outside the town at Deep Creek and then attacked the store and hotel. At Nerrigundah, Constable Patrick Smythe was on duty alone as one sergeant was absent, and Constable Miles O’Grady was seriously ill with “colonial fever” (probably cholera).

O’Grady dragged himself from his sick bed to help with the crisis. William Fletcher, a new recruit to the gang was shot dead by O’Grady. In the ensuing gunbattle, O’Grady received a gunshot wound in the side and died three hours later.

The Clarke gang then rode out of town pursued by a posse of twelve men. An ambush at the Eucumbene River but the only victim was a pack horse. Eventually arrested near their favorite hideout, the Jingera Ranges faced trial and were sentenced to death. Although they did not face trial for the murder of O’Grady, his death along with at least seven others was attributed to them by the judge.

The Monument

To honour his bravery and dedication to duty, the monument was erected around 1867.

During the 2019–2020 Australian summer Nerrigundah was severely affected by bushfires. On 31 December 2019, fire destroyed the village’s hall, 20 of its 25 homes and one of its residents died. Although the monument was not severely damaged, the information plaque was destroyed. This has now been replaced.

A 20-minute drive from Bodalla, the Constable Miles O`Grady Obelisk is a reminder of the risks the police have faced from the early days in Australia. Worth visiting if you are in the area, if only to pay your respects.

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To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

20 August 202414 August 2024

ANZAC Memorial Sydney

ANZAC Memorial Hyde Park Sydney

The ANZAC Memorial was built to commemorate the Australian Imperial Force of World War I. It is the focal point of the southern section of Hyde Park, along with the Pool of Reflection. On ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day, the memorial is the central focus of the ceremonies, so it can be extremely busy.

120,000 gold stars covered the domed ceiling, representing all those from New South Wales who served in World War One. The centre piece of the interior is a bronze statue of a deceased youth, representing a soldier, held aloft on his shield.

On the ground floor, a gallery has exhibits from military conflicts NSW citizens have been involved with. These range from the Sudan (1885) to Afghanistan, with an emphasis on the First World War.

To the north is the pool of reflection and a long tree-lined pathway. It is very shady and cool in the Australian summer. It is a great place to sit quietly and relax.