Eden, New South Wales - Industry

Industry

Horse-racing commenced in Eden in the mid 1850s and continued until the mid 1920s. The racecourse was located on the northern bank of Lake Curalo.

A number of industries are based in the town in the mid 2000s. These are mainly related to the tourist industry and include a wide variety of accommodation, places to eat and entertainment, especially fishing and sailing. As well, cruises of Twofold Bay and for whale-watching leave the Eden Wharf located in Snug Cove. The cruise of Nullica Bay, Twofold Bay, allows close views of the two major wharves mentioned in the article on Twofold Bay.

Tourism contributes $180 million Australian dollars yearly to the economy of the shire – which includes Bega and several other towns. The area receives 550,000 visitors annually. Many people visit Eden for whale watching as whales migrate from Antarctic to tropical waters in June and July, and back again later in the year.

A significant fishing fleet is based in the harbour (Snug Cove). A tuna cannery opened in the town in 1949. It was closed in 1999, at the cost of many jobs. Saw-milling of timber has also been an important local industry for most of the life of the town. For over one hundred years the collection and export of wattle-bark was also a major local industry.

Whaling played a very important role in the town’s economy for over 100 years before its decline in the area in the 1920s and its end in 1930. Eden’s ‘Killer Whale Museum’ informs visitors of the history of whaling in the area and the role of orcas (killer whales) led by Old Tom in herding whales into the harbour and helping whalers kill them. The whalers rewarded the orcas by allowing them to eat the lips and tongues of the dead whales.