Australia's Jervis Bay Territory has an area of 73 sq km on the southern shores of Jervis Bay approximately 200 km south of Sydney. Ninety per cent of the territory comprises of Aboriginal land, including Booderee National Park. The territory has a population of about 760. A large proportion of the population resides at the Royal Australian Navy college at HMAS Creswell. The adjacent Jervis Bay Village has approximately 70 civilians - mainly government employees, including teachers, police, national park staff and administrators. The Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community numbers around 220.
History
The Territory was acquired by the Commonwealth from New South Wales in 1915 and added to the then Federal Capital Territory. It was intended that Jervis Bay would be the port for Canberra (137 km inland) and that it would be connected by a railway. Despite a number of proposals this did not eventuate. In 1915 the Royal Australian Naval College was established at Jervis Bay but was shifted to Melbourne during the depression. After being used for holiday accommodation for many years, it reopened in 1958 as HMAS Creswell naval college. In 1969 a proposal for a nuclear power station in the territory was defeated. In 1971, the Jervis Bay Nature Reserve was declared. This has since become a National Park under the management of the local aboriginal community.
When the Australian Capital Territory gained self-government in 1989, a separate Jervis Bay Territory was created and has remained under the administration of the federal government. The Governor-General in Council has the power to make ordinances for the peace, order and good government of the Territory. The Jervis Bay Territory is in the Commonwealth Electoral Division of Fraser (ACT).
Figure 46 - Jervis Bay Territory Location Figure 47 – HMAS Creswell Naval College
Figure 48 - Jervis Bay Territory (Source: Dept of Administrative Services, ACT)
Figure 49 - Jervis Bay looking south from Huskisson
