Councillor Peter Schwarz is leading the push, saying it would make sense commercially and socially.

“Experience in cities such as Sydney, as well as overseas, shows that people congregate wherever there is free Wi-Fi,” Cr Schwarz said.

According to a report presented to the council last month, a “significant proportion” of non-residents use the shire’s major towns.

“The provision of Wi-Fi internet access will encourage people to stay longer in our towns and increase their spend locally,” the report said.

Since last month’s meeting, the council has been in contact with Telstra and other telecommunication operators to discuss the potential of installing Wi-Fi.

“The focus of these discussions to date has been on the operational ability to deliver a satisfactory Wi-Fi service given existing concerns about the performance of the local network during peak periods,” a council spokeswoman told the Bay Post/Moruya Examiner this week.

“Contact with Telstra has also included discussion about how the region might fit within their plans to set up two million Wi-Fi hotspots around the nation within the next five years.

“The next step is to finalise these discussions and if satisfactory service levels can be delivered, a business case for providing Wi-Fi hotspots within the shire will be developed. 

“The timeframe will depend on the telecommunication providers but council is pursuing the concept quickly as it is aware of community interest in this area.”

Visitors to Batemans Bay on Thursday, Claudia Jones of Sydney and Carlos Silvaa of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, welcomed the idea.

They believe it would make the town more attractive to other travellers.

“Yes, I use it, and it would make here and everywhere a better place,” Ms Jones said.