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DETAILS
Gettingthere
Huskissonis located 180
kilometressouthof Sydney.
DriveviathePrincesHighway.Stayingthere
Getbacktonaturewithout
foregoingcomfortatPAPERBARK
CAMP.paperbarkcamp.com.au
HOLIDAYHOUSESreignsupreme
in Huskissonandsurrounds.
Tr yjer visbayrentals.com.au
orholidayscollection.com.au
Betterknownas theHuskyPub,
theHUSKISSONHOTELis a local
institutionandhasrecently
renovateditseightguestsuites.
thehuskisson.com.auEatingthere
TheQUARTERSHUSKISSONhas
raisedthebar,servingbrunch,
lunchanddinnercomplete
witha giantSteveZissou
(akaBillMurray)mural.
thequartershuskisson.com.au
5 LITTLEPIGSis thebestplace
forbreakfastamongsomestiff
competition.5littlepigs.com.au
Don’tbefooledbythe
unassumingfit-out;KANPAI
JAPANESERESTAURANT
deliversonflavour.
kanpaijapanesedining.com.auPlayingthere
Withcalmandclearwaters,
Huskissonis a wonderful
spotforaSTAND-UPPADDLE.
jer visbaystanduppaddle.com.au
JERVISBAYMARITIMEMUSEUM
ANDGALLERYis hometo
historicvesselsincluding
theLadyDenmanfe r r y.
jer visbaymaritimemuseum.asn.aufishing, surfing and swimming – it just gobbled up
a lot of our childhood really. Whenever there was
a big bay swell, the town would just stop ...
everyone would stop work and they would all
be in the water. It was a celebration of the local
community (and) it was incredible to grow up
around that culture.”
Such customs haven’t quite survived modern
life, but the laid-back vibe persists. And locals are
determined to keep it that way. Most recently, the
community successfully banded together to save
the ‘Heart of Huskisson’ – a vacant waterfront
block on Owen Street – from development.
Shoalhaven City Council purchased the lot in
2015 and reclassified it as community land in 2016.
A masterplan for the space is a work in progress.
Public objection was also vigorous in the late
1960s when Booderee’s Murrays Beach became
the proposed site of a 500 megawatt nuclear
power station. Plans were quashed in 1971, but
scars remain: 11 holes were blown into the seagrass
meadow at nearby Hole in the Wall Beach during
preliminary seismic testing.
Development in Huskisson has been modest so
far. The $50 million Woolworths development in
neighbouring Vincentia has alleviated some
pressure since opening in 2015. In Huskisson,the shift hassofarbeenastylishonewithvastly
improved diningoptions,aswellasahandfulof
smart homewaresandfashionstores,movingin
alongside thestandardhighstreettrappings.
Standingfirminoppositiontochangeisquaint
Huskisson Pictures.Thebuildingwasconstructed
in 1913 as acommunityhallforemployeesofthe
Dent family,whowerelocalshipbuilders.(Joseph
Dent built theLadyDenmanferryin1911,which
went on to operateonSydneyHarbour.)Ithassince
served as a church,school,library,dancehalland
more, and startedscreeningfilmsinthe1950s.
An extensiverefurbishmentin 1990 transformed
the venue intoapermanentcinema,butthe
exterior hasbeenpreservedwithbarelymorethan
a lick of paintseparatingitfromitsformerglory.
With $11 ticketsand$3popcorn,pricesarealso
a nod to daysgoneby.“Whenyoulookatallthe
uses, even nowwiththefilms,it’sallaboutpeople
coming together,”saysPeterCotter,whotook
over the businesswithhiswifeJanin2006.
“That’s whathasbeenhappeninghereforover
100 years. Peoplereallyappreciatetheinteraction
and the atmosphere,(and)that’soneofthethings
people reallylikeaboutHuskisson.”
That, andtheabsolutemagicofthesurrounding
coastal wonderland.CLOCKWISE
FROM ABOVE:
Take a tour with
Dolphin Watch Cruises
aboard the Jervis
Bay Extreme; A
deluxe safari tent at
Paperbark Camp is
nestled between the
spotted gum trees.WEEKENDS | Huskisson
PHOTOGRAPHY: DICK SWEENEY (PAPERBARK CAMP); DOLPHIN WATCH CRUISES
(JERVIS BAY DOLPHIN CRUISE)