Nelligen, New South Wales

Nelligen is a village on the Clyde River on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Kings Highway.

Nelligen
New South Wales
Wharf at Nelligen on the Clyde River
Nelligen
Coordinates35°38′51″S 150°08′29″E
Population332 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)2536
Elevation0 m (0 ft)
Location
LGA(s)Eurobodalla Shire
State electorate(s)Bega
Federal Division(s)Gilmore
Localities around Nelligen:
Currowan Currowan Benandarah
Buckenbowra Nelligen Benandarah
Buckenbowra Runnyford North Batemans Bay

Location and services

The village is situated on the river's western bank near a junction with Nelligen Creek,[2] and 8 km (5 mi) inland from Batemans Bay.

Local services include a general store, hotel, and general cemetery.[3][4][5]

History
Horse teams carting goods from the ship at Nellingen to Braidwood, crossing Currajong Creek, about 1902

The original inhabitants of the land were Aborigines of the Walbanga, Murrinjari and Bergalia clans.[5] The origin of the name is unclear and was already in use at the time of the first survey in 1828. The surveyor Robert Hoddle described the site of the future township as 640 acres (2.6 km2) of "good forest land at Nellican Creek"[5] and by the 1830s timber cutters had cleared a site for settlement and work had begun on a road to Batemans Bay.

The village of Nelligen was gazetted in 1854 and a road inland to Braidwood was completed two years later. No bridges existed across the Clyde at the time, so produce and minerals from southern New South Wales were delivered to Nelligen for transport by twice-weekly steamer to Sydney; the town was serviced by the Illawarra Steam Navigation Company. The post office opened in 1858 and a Protestant church was constructed in 1872.[5] The existing Roman Catholic church dates from 1895.[5]

By 1892 the population had grown to 500 but construction of several coastal bridges and the growth of Batemans Bay began to reduce local trading opportunities. By 1934 the population had fallen to 350,[5] and by 2006 this had further declined to 228.[6] At the 2016 census, it had a population of 332, although this includes the surrounding area.[1]

Between about 1860 and 1915 there were some gold workings in the Nelligen district.[7]

A punt service across the Clyde River was begun at Nelligen in 1895 and continued until 1964 when the Nelligen bridge was completed.[8]

Nelligen viewed across the Clyde River in the early morning mist; to the right is the Kings Highway road bridge at the location of the former punt service.
  • Mechanics' Institute at Nelligen, New South Wales built 1903

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Nelligen (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  2. "Nelligen Creek". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
  3. "Nelligen South Coast NSW Australia Tourist Information". Clyde River Houseboats. January 2008. Archived from the original on 19 December 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
  4. "Nelligen on the Clyde". TravelSouth. January 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
  5. "Nelligen". The Age Newspaper. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
  6. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Nelligen (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  7. Moore, Dennis. "The Forgotten Gold Mines of Nelligen". Welcome to the Clyde Coast. www.clydecoast.com.au. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
  8. "Brief history of Nelligen, Batemans Bay and the Clyde River on the Eurobodalla South Coast, NSW Australia". Clyde River Houseboats. Archived from the original on 15 December 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
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