ONE of the lovely things about walking down the main street of Moruya, indeed, many of its streets, is the sense of a gracious past.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Moruya has managed to hang onto some of its lovely older buildings and the juxtaposition of contemporary retailers with a sense of a historic past is delightful.
No doubt, this characteristic draws tourists, who tell their friends.
It is a riverside country town, where wandering past older homes, with established gardens, before a picnic by the river, feels like a pleasant way to spend a sunny afternoon.
Batemans Bay is also a lovely town, with a beautiful river, but one has the sense that history began in the 1970s.
No-one looking at the former Ned Kelly Bargains store and its sister building at 5-7 Clyde St would automatically understand they held a piece of Batemans Bay’s past.
Yet, hidden under the yellow coat of paint, the awning and sign, we are told, is an original convict-built structure.
In its present state, not much appears to be worth preserving.
The point is, most readers would not know if it was worth preserving, because the building was allowed to be modernised, effectively covering all suggestion of its past.
Perhaps this took place at a time when residents could not imagine all their old buildings disappearing.
Perhaps that building did not seem significant at the time, but now, with just a handful of older buildings left in Batemans Bay, it is understandable that the thought of its demolition would be wrenching for some.
Bay Post/Moruya Examiner readers on our website at www.batemansbaypost.com.au and on our Facebook page are engaging in a lively, passionate debate about the building’s future.
It’s worth having your two cents’ worth.