A new Batemans Bay Historical Society project aims to find out exactly that.

It’s called Passions in the Bay, and while the name may sound like a restaurant or scandalous gossip website, it it actually going to be a photographic exhibition highlighting the things that people are “into”.

The historical society has received a $1500 grant from the Contemporary Arts Support Program, facilitated by the South East Arts Region of Arts NSW and if you have an interest, hobby, skill, passion they want to put it on display.

(The area is bounded by South Durras, Nelligen and south to Lilli Pilli).

Twelve people will be featured and the project, which is expected to be compiled over six weeks, will become a feature at the Batemans Bay Museum.

Retired commercial photographer and Batemans Bay resident Ted Richards, who once worked for the Melbourne Herald, will be behind the camera.

“Ted is a fantastic photographer who has photographed equipment and artifacts at the museum with great skill, which has allowed us to archive what we have,” Batemans Bay Historical Society member and museum curator Myf Thompson said.

Indeed, Mr Richards has been a photographer for over half a century.  

Born in Melbourne, he lived mostly in Canberra, and holidayed in the Eurobodalla for many years before setting in Batemans Bay five years ago.

The Passions project is based on one that ran at a Hurstville  museum.

“The historical society’s president Ewan Morrison did a volunteer placement at the museum in Hurstville two years ago,” Ms Thompson said.

A wide spectrum of interests is hoped for, and quirkiness is encouraged.

“We want to be as inclusive as possible,” Ms Thompson said.

“You could be a keen quilter, and I know we have many in this area, you might love spearfishing, be into genealogy, restoring old cars or antique the environment, music, things that are culture related, anything like that.”

Self nomination is allowed, but you can’t put another person in without their permission.

To find out more, call the museum on 4472 8993.