Tathra, New South Wales

Tathra New South Wales
Tathra, New South Wales
Population	1,526 (2011 census)
Postcode(s)	2550
Location	446 km (277 mi) from Sydney 18 km (11 mi) from Bega
LGA(s)	Bega Valley Shire
State electorate(s)	Bega
Federal division(s)	Eden-Monaro

Tathra (/ˈtɑˑθrə/) is a seaside town on the Sapphire Coast found on the South Coast, New South Wales, Australia in Bega Valley Shire. It has a population of 1,622.

Nearby points of interest are the Old Tathra Wharf, Mimosa Rocks National Park and Bournda National Park. Mimosa Rocks National Park starts at the northern end of Tathra Beach and runs north for about 16 km. It has five access roads from the Tathra-Bermagui main road. Bournda National Park starts at Kianinny Bay, at the southern end of Tathra, and runs south for about 13 km. There is a walking track near the coast, along most of its length.

The Bega River flows into the sea at the northern end of Tathra Beach, which is about 3 km long.

Tathra is said to mean "beautiful country" or "place of wild cats" in a local aboriginal dialect.

History

Tathra wharf

In Tathra's seaside Memorial Gardens, a plaque commemorates the bicentenary of a tragic trek by survivors of a shipwreck.

The Tathra area was first settled by Europeans in the 1820s and 1830s, although it was outside the limits of legal settlement, the Nineteen Counties. A small jetty was built at Tathra in the early 19th century. In 1861-62, a larger wharf was built from funds donated by farmers and the Illawarra Steam Navigation Company. Regular shipping commenced in 1862. The wharf, built on turpentine supports set into solid rock, was restored by the National Trust, Department of Planning, and local residents. It is the only remaining coastal steamer wharf in NSW.

In 1945 a local Volunteer Fire Brigade was established. In 2011 the Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service opened a new Station next to the older Station which had been in place since the early 1970s. Tathra Fire Brigade is now one of the most well equipped brigades on the Far South Coast and with weekly training it has also come to be one of the most active brigades.

As with the Fire Brigade, the town also has an extremely successful Surf Life Saving Club.

In 2008 two children fell from the wharf. Their father jumped in to attempt their rescue, but all three drowned.

On the morning of April 3, 2014, Mrs Christine Armstrong, a dedicated member of the Tathra Surf Life Saving Club was taken by a shark believed to be approx. 4m long. Mrs Armstrong was swimming between Tathra Wharf and the Tathra Beach with a group of friends and her husband Rob. The shark was never located. This attack is believed to be the first attack in around 100 years and is extremely odd as Tathra rarely sees Sharks close to the Bay.

Transport

Tathra Road connects the regional centre of Bega 18 km to the west. Until the early 21st century, Tathra Road was known as the Snowy Mountains Highway, which now runs between Bega and the Hume Highway via Cooma and Tumut.

The Sapphire Coast Drive connects Tathra with Merimbula 25 km to the south, and Tathra-Bermagui Road connects to the fishing port of Bermagui 44 km to the north.

Tathra is served by the local Bus Company Sapphire Coast Bus Lines. Sapphire Coast Bus Lines purchased the runs from the Daly family early 2013. The Daly Family operated the Bus Services from 1982 under the name of Tathra Bus Service.