Bass Point Reserve

Bass Point Reserve contains one of the most significant Aboriginal heritage landscapes on the NSW south coast. Twelve shell midden sites, some dating back over 6,000 years, record thousands of years of feasting and gathering by the Elouera people of the Dharawal nation. The middens contain shells from dozens of marine species, bone fragments, and stone tools — a rich archaeological record of continuous coastal occupation. Captain Cook noted the headland in 1770, and George Bass and Matthew Flinders explored it in 1796, though they had no idea of the ancient heritage beneath their feet. Six shipwrecks lie in the waters around Bass Point, the most notable being the Cities Service Boston, an American oil tanker that struck a reef in 1943, killing four crew members. Bushrangers Bay, within the reserve, was declared a Marine Reserve in 1982, protecting its underwater ecosystem. The entire reserve was heritage-listed in 2013.