Bermagui, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Bermagui is a town on the south coast
of New South Wales
, Australia
in the Bega Valley Shire. The name is derived from the Dyirringanj word, permageua, possibly meaning 'canoe with paddles'.
It is said that offshore from Bermagui the continental shelf is at its closest point to the mainland and hence there is good fishing. This closeness of the continental shelf also means that Bermagui is renowned for cold currents, and sudden changes in water temperature.
A wharf was built at Bermagui in the 1870s for the coastal trade. The port was serviced by the Illawarra Steam Navigation Company
.
A 1910
article, 'Bermagui - In a Strange Sunset', published by Henry Lawson
in The Bulletin
describes a steamer journey from Bermagui to Sydney. Lawson was probably travelling with the Illawarra Steam Navigation Company.
In 1880
, a geologist, Lamont Young
, and four others disappeared while on a boat trip from Bermagui. Their boat was found near Mystery Bay
, which is about 15 kilometres north of Bermagui, midway between Bermagui and Narooma
, near Tilba
. The bay received its name because of the disappearance.
Zane Grey
, the well-known big-game fisherman of the 1930s and author of Westerns, wrote of his experiences there. He was patron of the Bermugui Sport Fishing Association for 1936/37 and anchored his yacht, the "Avalon" in Horseshoe Bay.
In 1943
, the Japanese submarine I-21
sank the iron ore carrier SS Iron Knight off the coast of Bermagui. Local fisherman had tangled their nets on the wreck deep below the surface in 125 metres of water, but did not know the ship lay there until a team of divers confirmed its existence on June 4, 2006. On July 29, 2006 relatives and descendants of the ships crew came to Bermagui for a memorial and commemorative service.
During the 1940s and 1950s the detective writer Arthur Upfield
lived in the town and made it the setting for one of his novels, "The Mystery of Swordfish Reef", published in 1943.
A fishing harbour was built at Bermagui in 1959, the first in a new series by the Public Works Department
.
Outdoor scenes from the film "The Man Who Sued God
" starring Billy Connolly
were shot in Bermagui Harbour.
Over the Christmas break 2004/2005, the Leader of the Opposition
, Mark Latham
retreated here from the media and decided to resign as ALP leader and from Parliament remarking in his biography, "Thank God for Bermagui".
South Coast, New South Wales
The South Coast refers to the narrow coastal belt from Sydney in the north to the border with Victoria in the south in the south-eastern part of the State of New South Wales, Australia. It is bordered to the west by the coastal escarpment of the Southern Tablelands, which is largely covered by a...
of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the Bega Valley Shire. The name is derived from the Dyirringanj word, permageua, possibly meaning 'canoe with paddles'.
It is said that offshore from Bermagui the continental shelf is at its closest point to the mainland and hence there is good fishing. This closeness of the continental shelf also means that Bermagui is renowned for cold currents, and sudden changes in water temperature.
A wharf was built at Bermagui in the 1870s for the coastal trade. The port was serviced by the Illawarra Steam Navigation Company
Illawarra Steam Navigation Company
The Illawarra Steam Navigation Company was a shipping company that serviced the south coast of New South Wales, Australia from 1858 to the early 1950s...
.
A 1910
1910 in Australia
See also:1909 in Australia,other events of 1910,1911 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King Edward VII , then King George V*Governor-General – William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley...
article, 'Bermagui - In a Strange Sunset', published by Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...
in The Bulletin
The Bulletin
The Bulletin was an Australian weekly magazine that was published in Sydney from 1880 until January 2008. It was influential in Australian culture and politics from about 1890 until World War I, the period when it was identified with the "Bulletin school" of Australian literature. Its influence...
describes a steamer journey from Bermagui to Sydney. Lawson was probably travelling with the Illawarra Steam Navigation Company.
In 1880
1880 in Australia
See also:1879 in Australia,other events of 1880,1881 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Events:* 20 January - Bushranger Captain Moonlite hanged in Sydney....
, a geologist, Lamont Young
Lamont Young
Lamont H. Young was an assistant geological surveyor for the New South Wales Mines Department. He mysteriously disappeared while on field-work at Bermagui, New South Wales.Young was inspecting the new goldfields at Bermagui in 1880...
, and four others disappeared while on a boat trip from Bermagui. Their boat was found near Mystery Bay
Mystery Bay, New South Wales
Mystery Bay is a small town on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. Mystery Bay is located halfway between Central Tilba and Narooma, two kilometers off the Princes Highway on Mystery Bay Road. At the 2006 census, Mystery Bay had a population of 168 people. Mystery Bay features a camping...
, which is about 15 kilometres north of Bermagui, midway between Bermagui and Narooma
Narooma, New South Wales
Narooma is a town in the Australian state of New South Wales on the far south coast. The town is on the Princes Highway. The name is said to be derived from the Aboriginal word meaning ‘clear blue waters’. At the 2006 census, Narooma had a population of 3,100 people.Montague Island, a National...
, near Tilba
Tilba, New South Wales
Central Tilba and Tilba Tilba are two villages in Eurobodalla Shire, New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Central Tilba had a population of 223 people, and Tilba Tilba had a population of 275 people....
. The bay received its name because of the disappearance.
Zane Grey
Zane Grey
Zane Grey was an American author best known for his popular adventure novels and stories that presented an idealized image of the Old West. Riders of the Purple Sage was his bestselling book. In addition to the success of his printed works, they later had second lives and continuing influence...
, the well-known big-game fisherman of the 1930s and author of Westerns, wrote of his experiences there. He was patron of the Bermugui Sport Fishing Association for 1936/37 and anchored his yacht, the "Avalon" in Horseshoe Bay.
1943 in Australia
See also:1942 in Australia,other events of 1943,1944 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Governor-General – Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Baron Gowrie*Prime Minister – John Curtin-State Premiers:...
, the Japanese submarine I-21
Japanese submarine I-21
was a Japanese Type B1 submarine which saw service during World War II in the Imperial Japanese Navy. She displaced 1,950 tons and had a speed of . I-21 was the most successful Japanese submarine to operate in Australian waters, participating in the attack on Sydney Harbour in 1942 and sinking...
sank the iron ore carrier SS Iron Knight off the coast of Bermagui. Local fisherman had tangled their nets on the wreck deep below the surface in 125 metres of water, but did not know the ship lay there until a team of divers confirmed its existence on June 4, 2006. On July 29, 2006 relatives and descendants of the ships crew came to Bermagui for a memorial and commemorative service.
During the 1940s and 1950s the detective writer Arthur Upfield
Arthur Upfield
Arthur William Upfield was an Australian writer, best known for his works of detective fiction featuring Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte of the Queensland Police Force, a half-caste Aborigine....
lived in the town and made it the setting for one of his novels, "The Mystery of Swordfish Reef", published in 1943.
A fishing harbour was built at Bermagui in 1959, the first in a new series by the Public Works Department
New South Wales Office of Public Works & Services
NSW Public Works , an agency of the Government of New South Wales, is responsible for providing expert advice to government and professional services to enable government agency clients to deliver their services to the community.NSW Public Works has expertise and experience in planning, design,...
.
Outdoor scenes from the film "The Man Who Sued God
The Man Who Sued God
The Man Who Sued God is a 2001 Australian film, starring Billy Connolly and directed by Mark Joffe.-Plot:Advocate Steve Myers is a disillusioned lawyer who becomes fed-up with the perceived corruption within the judicial system. He quits the law business and buys a small fishing boat and takes up...
" starring Billy Connolly
Billy Connolly
William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
were shot in Bermagui Harbour.
Over the Christmas break 2004/2005, the Leader of the Opposition
Opposition (Australia)
Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in Australia fulfils the same function as the official opposition in other Commonwealth of Nations monarchies. It is seen as the alternative government and the existing administration's main opponent at a general election...
, Mark Latham
Mark Latham
Mark William Latham , an author and former Australian politician, was leader of the Federal Parliamentary Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from December 2003 to January 2005....
retreated here from the media and decided to resign as ALP leader and from Parliament remarking in his biography, "Thank God for Bermagui".