Looking from Mossy Point across Broulee Bay to Broulee Island Nature Reserve

Broulee
One of the many attractive seaside resorts south of Batemans Bay which are popular weekend destinations for people from Canberra.
The sleepy settlement of Broulee (located on the coast to the west of Moruya and south of Batemans Bay) came into existence as the first harbour in the Moruya area because there was a dangerous sand bar at the mouth of the Moruya River which caused difficulties for smaller ships and prevented access by larger ones.

The Broulee area had been surveyed and gazetted in 1837 and land sales commenced in 1840 when a post office was opened, receiving mail weekly overland from Braidwood.

In 1840 Broulee became the site of the first court in the Moruya district and, the following year, it was made the centre of a police district which covered the area from Jervis Bay to Eden. There were, at the time, about 100 convicts under its jurisdiction, working the farms along the coast.

By 1841 the port was being regularly used by whaling ships and coastal sailing vessels bringing settlers and supplies to the farms in the vicinity. That year, the schooner Rover , en route from Twofold Bay to Sydney, had taken refuge in the harbour and went aground near Candlagan Creek. The eleven crew members were rescued by local Aborigines who formed a human chain through the surf. In appreciation Captain Oldrey presented every member of the tribe with a commemorative brass plate featuring an etching of the ship and an Aboriginal figure.

It was also in 1841 that Captain William Oldrey built the district's first inn near the edge of the cliff on the northern end of the island-headland. Shortly afterwards it was named Erin-go-Bragh.

On the beach below the headland there were one or two outbuildings and a small stockyard used for the shipping of cattle. Today only a few red bricks remain to mark the spot. A second inn, on the mainland, was soon opened but there were never many permanent residents in the town (22 in 1848).

At that time the mainland was joined by a sand spit to what is now Broulee Island. In 1873 the vegetation was removed from the spit to widen the track to the promontory but, as a result, the root systems which bound the sand together were destroyed. After a particularly violent storm the sea broke through and the headland became isolated. Today the island is again connected to the mainland by a sand bar bound together with dune vegetation.

Broulee declined in importance in the 1840s. In 1841 a great flood washed away the dangerous sand bar at the mouth of the Moruya River and, although it would return to plague the maritime traffic in years to come, it allowed vessels easier access to the growing town of Moruya.

In 1851 gold was discovered at Araluen and on smaller creeks running into the river between Araluen and Moruya. The Araluen valley proved one of the richest goldfields in the county. Initially diggers disembarked at Broulee, to the north, and walked to the site but, with the establishment of a new and improved road Moruya started to function as a service centre.

In 1859, as a sign of the general shift in emphasis, the court, which had been moved from Broulee to Glenduart in 1852, was relocated, building and all, to Moruya, where it remained until the present courthouse was constructed in 1879. The Erin-go-Bragh Hotel was also shifted from Broulee Island to Campbell St, Moruya by Abraham Emmott who opened it as the 'Beehive' store.

In recent times Broulee has been revitalised by the influx of holidaymakers from Canberra. It is now a popular weekend resort for Canberra's public servants.

Things to see:  

Looking across at Broulee Island Nature Reserve from the beginning of the bushwalk

Exploring Broulee Island
Broulee Island has been declared a nature reserve by the National Parks And Wildlife Office. There are coastal banksias, casuarinas, coastal wattles, ruby saltbush, westringias and boobiallas on the cliffs, a grove of muttonwood trees on the heights overlooking the sand bar plus, in the shadier areas, lilli pilli, red olive plum, silkpod vines and sickle fern.

Broulee and Fishing
Broulee, and the coastal area to the south, is considered a good location for whiting. The area around the surf club is popular with surfers, windsurfers, divers, anglers and swimmers alike. North Broulee at Candlagan Creek is a family spot with calm water and natural playpools. A walk from the surf club to North Head (14 km return) is lengthy but scenic and enjoyable, though best at low tide.

Surfing at Pink Rocks
Pink Rocks off the northern side of the island is the best-known surfing location on the Eurobodalla Coast, although six-metre waves and a dangerous break are not for beginners.

Looking up Tomago River from Mossy Point near Broulee

From Mossy Point to Tomakin
More gentle swells lay just to the north of Broulee and novices in the surfing field can try the beaches from Mossy Point to Tomakin (note that the streets in Tomakin are all named after suburbs in Canberra) near the mouth of the Tomago River. Both are favoured family fishing sites, both have ramps and Tomakin has a boat-hire service. Bream, flathead, whiting, blue swimmer crabs and, in season, prawns can be found along the river mouth, near the rock walls and jetties and on the edge of the weed and nipper beds. Offshore there are plenty of flathead and reef fish. Fine views can also be had at Melville Point by Tomakin and at Mossy Point, the latter featuring a lookout and historic anchor.

The Beaches north of Tomakin
There are worthy beaches north of Tomakin, including Barlings (popular with windsurfers) and North End, while Rosedale offers reasonable protection and is suitable for families and divers. North of Rosedale Malua Bay and Pretty Point are well-supplied with luderick, bream and tailor while Surf Beach and McKenzie's Beach around Malua Bay are popular with surfers. There is a boat ramp at Mosquito Bay in Lilli Pilli further north.

Diving at exploring at Burrewarra Point
Burrewarra Point (turn off the coast road for Guerilla Bay a little south of Rosedale) is a noted spot for divers. There is a 1.5-km walking trail through banksia and heath to the point and a lighthouse located off Burri Point Road which offers excellent views of the coast from Malua Bay in the north to Montague Island and Mt Dromedary in the south. Burrewarra Point, Guerilla Bay and Jimmies Island (the last two being located just north of the Point) are ideal for those after snapper, tuna, kingfish, luderick and flathead.

Diving at Malua Bay
Malua Bay is also a popular spot for divers. There is Black Rock, the Bubble Cave, the Arch, which has a spacious tunnel passing through the rock and a brilliantly hued ceiling and, at the end of a nearby underwater box canyon, the equally colourful Tunnel (30 metres).

	Apartments
	Beachcombers@Broulee Holiday Units 8 Clarke St Broulee NSW 2537 Telephone: (02) 4471 6441 Rating: ***
	Broulee Holiday Inn Serviced Apartments 18 Imlay St Broulee NSW 2537 Telephone: (02) 4471 6266
	Caravan Parks
	Broulee Beach Caravan Park 6 Lyttle St Broulee NSW 2537 Telephone: (02) 4471 6247 or 1800 633 590 Facsimile: (02) 4471 5157 Email: info@brouleebeach.com Rating: ****
	Restaurants
	Broulee Pizza &Takeaway Shop 3 79 Coronation Dve Broulee NSW 2537 Telephone: (02) 4471 6890