Eden

Eden is a coastal town in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.

Eden is a coastal town in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.The town is 478 kilometres (297 mi) south of the state capital Sydney and is the most southerly town in New South Wales, located between Nullica Bay to the south and Calle Calle Bay, the northern reach of Twofold Bay, and built on undulating land adjacent to the third-deepest natural harbour in the southern hemisphere, and Snug Cove on its western boundary. At the 2016 census, Eden had a population of 3,151.

The eastern coastline has rugged cliffs at the southern end and a wide, sandy surf beach, Aslings Beach, north of the cliffs. The beach ends at the entrance to Lake Curalo, a safe boating inlet of Twofold Bay. Although the urban settlement of Eden commenced in 1843 the settlement was not officially proclaimed as a township until 20 March 1885. The town's main industries include fishing, forestry, and tourism.

The local Aboriginal people who lived in the region prior to the arrival of Europeans were the Thaua, or Thawa, people of the Yuin nation.

Whaling ships had been operating in the area in 1791. George Bass first took shelter in Twofold Bay on the return leg of a voyage to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) in February 1798, having noted the bay on the southward leg of this same voyage in December 1797. Later, in September of that year, on a subsequent voyage with Matthew Flinders, he and Flinders surveyed the bay for the first time. They also made first contact with the local Thawa Aboriginal people on this occasion.

The Australian botanist, Allan Cunningham, landed at Snug Cove in December 1817 so that he could collect botanical specimens from the district.The first whaling station, for shore whaling, was established in the area by John Raine in 1828. Local Aboriginal people were employed in the whaling industry. In 1834 the Imlay brothers, Alexander, George and Peter, set up a whaling station at Snug Cove. Nearby they built a small slab and bark hut, the first-known building erected at Eden. Sketches of the hut were made by Sir Oswald Brierly in 1842 and by Captain Owen Stanley from HMS Rattlesnake in 1843. In around 1860 Davidson commenced a partnership with the Solomon family of Eden-Monaro. Initially the prevalent orcas were seen by the partnership as a nuisance. But the boat crews employed, Yuin aboriginals, refused to kill orcas, and a new policy encouraged collaboration between whalers and the killer whales; the killer whales would trap humpback whales that entered Twofold Bay, the whales would then be harpooned, and the orcas rewarded with prize pieces of the humpback carcasses.The graziers from the Monaro district inland from Twofold Bay were seeking a better way to transport their cattle to Hobart, Tasmania. It was decided to establish cattle-handling facilities and an accompanying township on an appropriate site on Twofold Bay. Thus, in 1834, the Home Government authorised the captain of HMS Alligator to seek an appropriate site for a settlement on Twofold Bay. Early in 1835 the Governor of New South Wales, Governor Richard Bourke, visited Twofold Bay and the site of the proposed new settlement on board HMS Hyacinth.Eventually the area for the proposed town, to be called Eden, was surveyed in 1842 by Mr Thomas Townsend, the Government Surveyor. The main street, Imlay Street, was named after the Imlay brothers who were early pioneers to the district. Other streets were named after Lieutenant Flinders, George Bass, Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert. A wharf was built out into a cove, now named Cattle Bay, from a site on the western edge of Eden, where cattle could be grazed prior to their being loaded onto theships. Cattle were also grazed on Lookout Point until 1853, then this land was subdivided for housing.Eden was named after George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland, the British Secretary for the Colonies, Baron Auckland, whose family name was Eden. After the town plan was finalised the first blocks were auctioned on 9 March 1843. The land was sold to Thomas Aspinall, Benjamin Boyd, S. Clinton, Lewes Gordon, W. Hirst, James Kirwan, J.P. Robinson and T.A. Townsend.The first postmaster was appointed in 1843 but the first post office did not open until 1847. The Customs House was built in Eden in 1848. Earlier the first customs officer was appointed in 1846 but he was located at East Boyd initially, until the customs house was constructed.

Eden grew in the 1850s following the decline of nearby Boydtown, and the discovery of gold in Kiandra, which led to the 1859–1860 gold rush. For a few hectic months hundreds of gold seekers landed at Eden, replenished their supplies then headed for Kiandra. With the winter snow falls at Kiandra came the hurried exodus of those same people keen to leave the district as soon as possible. For a short period Eden flourished, only to quickly return toits usual quiet pace again.In the 1850s there were four hotels in Eden. One of these hotels, the Crown and Anchor first licensed in 1845, still stands. It is no longer licensed but it still provides accommodation to travellers. Just south of this building is another built in 1850 as a commercial premises. Various businesses occupied the site. The building is now used as a private dwelling.The first government school started in 1857. The school attached to St Joseph's Roman Catholic church commenced in 1888. There were also several private tutors in Eden.The shipping of cattle from Eden ceased in the late 1890s. Prior to that the business had expanded to include the shipping of cattle to South Australia, Queensland and to New Zealand.Because Eden is equidistant between Sydney and both Melbourne and Tasmania, the port town was considered as a location for the Australian capital following Australian Federation in 1901. However, the ‘Limestone Plains’ in southern New South Wales were chosen instead as the location of the new city of Canberra.

Whaling declined in the 1920s and ended in 1930.