Broulee Island Nature Reserve, once the major port for Moruya

 

Moruya
Pleasant south coast township servicing the surrounding rich agricultural region.
Situated 306 km south of Sydney via the Princes Highway Moruya (population 2520) is a coastal town reliant upon timber, dairying, cattle, vegetables, fish, oysters and tourism for its sustenance.

Inhabited either by the Bugelli-Manji Aborigines or the Wandandian tribe before white settlement the coast was first surveyed from Batemans Bay to Moruya by Thomas Florance in 1827. The following year Irish-born tailor Francis Flanagan (1780-1863) became the first resident landowner in the district after the limits of settlement were extended from Batemans Bay to the Moruya River.

Flanagan arrived in NSW in 1827 with capital enough to qualify for a grant but Governor Darling refused to grant land to a man of Flanagan's 'class'. After journeying to Ulladulla by boat Flanagan travelled overland with Aboriginal guides, building a family home at the site of present-day Mullenderee (2 km north of Moruya).

In 1830 John Hawdon took up the Kiora property, 4 km west of Moruya. He took it up as a squatting run and built a house there in 1836. Hawdon became an active figure in local affairs. He also owned and ran a transport ship, the Alligator, retiring to a site near Tuross Heads in the 1860s.

The first harbour in the area was established at Broulee as a dangerous sand bar at the mouth of the Moruya River 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 district and, the following year, was made the centre of a police district which covered the area from Jervis Bay to Eden. But Broulee's importance was short-lived. A flood washed away the particularly dangerous sand bar at the mouth of the Moruya River in 1841. In 1848 land was opened up for sale. A town site was surveyed and Surveyor Mitchell, a supporter of Aboriginal place names, wanted it called 'Mherroyah'; this supposedly being the Aboriginal word for 'resting place of black swans' which were very common in the district. Thus 'Moruya', or 'Mherroyah' was adopted when the town was gazetted in 1851.

That same year gold was discovered 60 km upstream 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 and walked to the site but, with the establishment of a new and improved road from Araluen to Moruya between 1856 and 1861, Moruya became the preferred service centre to the northern goldfields.

In 1859 the court 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. Emmott later set up his store elsewhere and used the old inn as his home, naming it 'Merlyn', until he could afford to build what was one of the first semi-detached houses in Moruya in 1875. 'Merlyn' was demolished in 1978 as part of the development of the new shire offices but the brick house survived and became the property of the Moruya Historical Society in 1975.

Moruya continued to prosper as a gateway to the goldfields.

Gold was mined at Wagonga in 1860s and a silver mine opened in Moruya in 1861 but was later abandoned. The infrastructure of the town continued to develop in the 1860s with churches, stores, hotels, banks, blacksmiths and newspapers opening.

Fine-grained grey granite was initially quarried in the 1860s for the Wesleyan Church and local harbourworks.

In 1868, John Young, the contractor for the Sydney GPO, leased land from the Louttit family on the south side of the river and opened a quarry, shipping stone to Sydney. Samples were sent to then Colonial Architect James Barnet, who used it for his work on the decorative columns of the facades at the Sydney GPO in the early 1870s. When Young's lease expired the Louttit family took over the quarry which supplied material to Sydney for the statue of Captain Cook in the Sydney Botanical Gardens, St Mary's Cathedral and the headquarters of the Bank of NSW.

This quarry was taken over in 1924 by the contractors for the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Dorman Long & Co., who chose the material for the bridge's pylons.

The company built Granite Town adjacent to the quarry, a 1000-acre village with 72 mostly-four-room low-rent cottages, that existed between 1924 and 1931. It housed some 300 people in all, including 150 stonemasons, toolsmiths and quarry workers recruited at good wages from Aberdeenshire (noted for their skills as granite masons), as well as Italian craftsmen and the families of many of the migrants.

The first bridge across the Moruya River was erected in 1876 though the havoc wreaked by frequent flooding saw new bridges erected in 1900 and 1945 and, most recently, in 1966.

The late 1870s and 1880s were a period of growth for Moruya, which was proclaimed a town in 1885 and a municipality in 1891.

The Moruya Co-operative Dairy factory was opened in 1892, supplying the Sydney markets. At this time the population of Moruya was about 1000 (it was 2386 in 1986). A cheese co-operative was formed the same year in Bergalia and the Union Dairy Factory opened there in 1893.

Tourism became increasingly important in early twentieth century, particularly with the establishment of Canberra in the 1920s. After the passing of Local Government Acts in 1906 the Eurobodalla Shire was created with Moruya as its headquarters. The municipal council was incorporated into it in 1913.

Today it is a successful and relatively prosperous service centre although its position away from the coast has seen the coastal destinations (see Broulee) develop more rapidly.

 

Things to see:  

Exploring Moruya's Historic Past
As you enter Moruya from the north you will find, over the bridge, at the intersection with Queen St, the Court House (1879).West along Queen St, to the right, just before the first crossroad, is the Sacred Heart Catholic Church (1889) built of local granite. Turn left at that crossroad into Page St and to your immediate right is the Uniting Church, formerly the Wesleyan Church (1864), also built of local granite. At the next intersection, with Campbell St, the post office (1887, extended 1926 and 1984) is to your left before you cross the road and, to your right, is the Rectory (1874) and St John's Anglican Church (1891), designed by Arthur Blacket, the son of noted architect Edmund Blacket. The new post office replaced the service which operated at the corner of Queen and Vulcan Sts, diagonally opposite the courthouse.

Turn left into Campbell St and, on your right, just before the roundabout, is the Historical Museum (1875, restored externally in 1982). During Christmas and Easter school holidays it is open every day from 11-3; otherwise 11-3 on Fridays and 11-1 on Saturdays. Turn right at the roundabout into Vulcan St and at number 57 is the old Bank of NSW building (1907), unoccupied at the time of writing.

Continue down Vulcan St to its end and turn right into Murray St, with the golf course on your left. Take the first left into Evans St, follow it until it curves to the left into Bergalia St and then take the first right into Dwyer Creek Road. This leads to the cemetery wherein lies the grave of Constable Miles O'Grady, killed in a shoot-out with the bushrangers of the Clarke gang (see entry on Bodalla). Take the first gate on the Moruya side, go straight ahead and the tombstone is in the third-last row immediately on the left. The date of his death was 9 April 1866, not 7 April, as the inscription indicates. Further down Dwyer Creek Rd are some old gold and silver workings on what is now private property.

 

Francis Flanagan's family home
Francis Flanagan leased farms to Irish immigrants and acted as board member for the first Catholic school, established on his property in 1847. He was buried in the Moruya cemetery. His last, if not his first, family home was called 'Shannon View', after the Irish river. It still stands to the left off Larry's Mountain Road. If you wish to see it head north out of Moruya along the Princes Highway and turn left at the sign for Mogendoura.

 

Kiora House
The Kiora run was initially managed by John Hawdon's nephew Francis Hunt until Kiora House was built (1833-35). Hawdon lavishly entertained such guests as noted Australian poet Henry Kendall, who is said to have written 'The Shanty on the Rise' at the homestead, and author Thomas Alexander Browne who, as Rolf Boldrewood, published Robbery Under Arms in 1888, based upon his knowledge of the Araluen goldfields. Utilizing the first convict-made bricks in the area the mansion, facing on to the Deua River, is still privately owned by a descendant. Although not open to the public it can be viewed from Araluen Road.

 

Activities on the Moruya River
Canoeing, boating and waterskiing can all be pursued on the Moruya River while its mangroves, oyster leases, channels and mudbanks make it a fine spot for fishing. Near the rock wall at the river mouth tailor and salmon can be found and whiting at Aerodrome Beach. There are boat-launching ramps both in town and at the river's mouth.

 

Scenic Drives and Lookouts
A scenic drive heads for Kiora along the Araluen Road and then take the unsealed Wamban Road south. This route will take you through the Moruya State Forest via Little Sugarloaf Road. After 10 km the Western Boundary Road branches off to the south and loops back to the Princes Highway north of Bodalla (a further 10 km). The roads are gravel but navigable in a two-wheel drive if you proceed with caution.

Little Sugarloaf Road is also the route to Hanging Mountain Forest Reserve, where there is a good lookout, and Pinkwood Creek.

The scenery on the road to Araluen is also outstanding and full of beauty (and wildlife). Head north out of Moruya on the Princes Highway and then take the turnoff to Mogendoura 3 km out of town. The route links up with the track from Kiora and will take you past Larry's Mountain.

This road cuts through the northern end of Deua National Park which adjoins the Wadbilliga Park to the south. Together they cover 156 000 hectares, one of the largest areas of natural land left in the eastern part of the state. The Park consists of wet and dry sclerophyll forests and patches of sub-tropical rainforest lining spectacular mountain ranges dominated by Big Badja (1362 m) and Mother Woila Mountain (1104 m). The park is also notable for its steep valleys, scenic rivers and limestone caves. There are 90 bird species, as well as kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, possums, bandicoots and the rare tiger quoll. The Deua River Camping Area lies on the Moruya-Araluen Rd. It has toilets, fireplaces and river water. 4WD tracks and forest roads are the only access routes within the park.

The main attractions - Big Badja, The Big Hole, Marble Arch, Wyanbene Caves and Bendethera Cave, along with the Bendethera and Berlang Camping Sites are all found along the western boundary of the park and are best arrived at via the Krawaree Rd (see entry on Braidwood)).

The Big Hole is a steep, 96-m deep and 50-m wide pit, probably formed when sedimentary rocks caused underlying limestone caves to collapse. Access involves wading across the Shoalhaven which means the site is inaccessible when the river is high. Marble Arch is nearby and Wyanbene Caves, 9 km south, are popular with spelunkers because of their limestone formations and the extent of the passages. The park has some excellent bushcamping and bushwalking sites, especially along the Deua River and Oulla Creek to the north-east and Woils Creek in the south, but it has few facilities so come prepared.

 

Other Attractions in the Area
A recent addition to local attractions is Australia's Bush Orchestra, a site upon which two walks have been established, both about thirty minutes in duration, one through dense rainforest. Both walks take the visitor past a series of plaques and busts of significant figures of Christian spirituality in an environment intended to stimulate reflection. Head west out of town on the Araluen Road towards Kiora, then turn off on to the Yarragee Road and take the right into Ted Hunt Terrace. The cost is $5 for families and $3 for individuals, with bird seed an optional extra. An alternative way of getting to there is to pick up a bus in Moruya which will take you on a one-hour trek through the historic sites of Moruya. The journey is accompanied by a taped commentary and concludes at the doors of the Bush Orchestra. For details on the bus trip phone 02 4474 3554.

Scenic flights can be booked from, and other local enquries made at, Batemans Bay Visitors Centre (1800 - 802 528). The Mobil petrol station at 83 Princes Highway, near the roundabout in Moruya (02 4474 2763), also carries some pamphlets and maps.

The Moruya markets are held every Saturday morning from 9 am in Shore St, behind the Adelaide Hotel.

 

 

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Moruya