Ships and Shores and Trading Ports

Eden and Twofold Bay

When whalers and sealers began using Twofold Bay in the 1820s, some of the local Yuin and Bidwell people were pressganged into serving at the whaling station in the bay. Stockowners spread over the southern land too, though at that time the southern settlement boundary was supposed to stop at the Moruya Riven When squatting licences were granted, wool rivalled the whale and seal products as local exports, and the Eden township was established at Twofold Bay in 1836.

The Imlay Brothers established whaling ventures and pastoral runs in both the Twofold Bay area and Van Diemen's Land. From Cattle Bay near Snug Cove surplus cattle were sent to the southern colony, which was at times in dire need of extra food supplies. Ships were built in the Twofold Bay area to cater for the trade.

Meanwhile the flamboyant Ben Boyd chose Twofold Bay as his shipping base and whaling depot in the 1830s. On Red Point he built a lookout tower for his whaling operation, and he established his main empire at Boydtown in 1843. The imposing Seahorse Inn was built as a staging post for travellers to the Monaro district and Boyd's ambitious plan was to build an important seaport city there. Both the tall sandstone tower and inn remain today, recalling a romantic era in Eden's history.

When I was a small child my father was the gatekeeper at the Illawarra Company in Sydney, and we kids were allowed to go into town on a Sunday afternoon with him, because he had to meet the ships and take delivery of the livestock off the ships into pens beside the wharf. That's how I first became interested in the sea and how cargo was shifted fro. one place to the other. - Jean Whiter, resident of Eden for over 70 years.