Tathra, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Tathra
state = nsw

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caption = Tathra, New South Wales
lga = Bega Valley Shire
postcode = 2550
est =
pop = 1,622 (2006)Census 2001 AUS|id=UCL172800|name=Tathra (Urban Centre/Locality)|accessdate=2007-06-30|quick=on]
elevation=
maxtemp =
mintemp =
rainfall =
fedgov =Eden-Monaro
stategov =Bega
dist1 = 446
location1= Sydney
dist2 = 18
location2= Bega

Tathra 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 16km. 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 13km. There is a good 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 3km long. The Snowy Mountains Highway joins Tathra to Cooma via Bega.

History

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. [cite web | title =Tathra | publisher =Walkabout, John Fairfax | url = http://walkabout.com.au/locations/NSWTathra.shtml | accessdate = 2007-02-06 ] The wharf, built on turpentine supports set into solid rock, is now classified by the National Trust.

Tathra may mean "beautiful country" or "place of wild cats" in a local aboriginal dialect. [cite web|url = http://www.gnb.nsw.gov.au/name_search/extract?id=TRjtlMtLan|title = Tathra: Geographical Names register extract|publisher = Geographical Names Board of New South Wales|accessdate = 2008-09-23]

References