The Old Courthouse Museum is operated by volunteer members of the Clyde River & Batemans Bay Historical Society Incorporated. It was formed in July 1977.
Are you looking for a museum experience which recounts the history of a coastal community through presentation of significant artefacts and related audio-visual displays? Then you’ll be pleasantly surprised after you visit the Old Courthouse Museum in Batemans Bay.
Situated on a large block close to bushland and next to the Water Gardens, the Old Courthouse Museum was built in 1905. It comprises several connected buildings, including the Courthouse, the former Nelligen one-room School House, the Police Station and Residence and a collection of outbuildings containing antique machinery and tools associated with the local timber, farming and fishing industries.
The Old Courthouse Museum explores the local history of the Batemans Bay area, including the early days of European settlement when timber cutting and milling became the first major industry of the area. Take a tour of the buildings, where each room tells a different, but related story of the Bay’s developments in areas such as its aboriginal heritage, medicine, education, crime and punishment, industry, military history and domestic arrangements.
When you’ve seen all of the exhibits inside and outside, refresh yourself with a walk around the Water Gardens and say hello to the ducks and water fowl.
The Old Courthouse Museum is approximately three and a half hours from Sydney by road.