Guide to Wreck Bay New South Wales Australia

Wreck Bay is a village of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal community, on the ocean side of the Bherwerre Peninsula in Jervis Bay Territory. The community owns the village and the surrounding land, including Booderee National Park, which it manages jointly with Parks Australia.

Known For

• Home of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal community
• Owners of Booderee National Park
• Summercloud Bay nearby

The village itself is private. It is a place where people live, not a visitor attraction, and travellers should not enter without an invitation. What visitors can do is explore the country the community cares for.

Things To Do near Wreck Bay

Summercloud Bay, just outside the village inside Booderee, has a picnic area, a sheltered cove and a powerful reef break known to experienced surfers. The park’s botanic garden, the only Aboriginal-owned botanic garden in Australia, explains how local plants are used for food and medicine, and rangers from the community run guided walks at busy times.

Where To Stay

Booderee has campgrounds at Green Patch, Bristol Point and Cave Beach. Vincentia and Huskisson have other accommodation.

History

The bay takes its name from the many ships lost here, among them the convict transport Hive in 1835. Aboriginal families settled permanently at Wreck Bay in the early 1900s, land was granted to the community in 1987, and the national park was handed back in 1995.

Getting to Wreck Bay

Follow Jervis Bay Road into Booderee National Park, where an entry fee applies, and take Wreck Bay Road.