There are less than two weeks to go until a little bit of royalty travels through Batemans Bay for the 2018 Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay.
The Relay will visit Batemans Bay next month as part of its 230,000-kilometre journey to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. The Queen’s Baton Relay is a Games’ tradition to build excitement about the event and inspire community pride.
The Baton will begin its Eurobodalla journey at 9.30am on Tuesday 6 February at Batemans Bay Primary School. It will make its way along Wharf Road to Korners Park, on the northern side of the Batemans Bay Bridge, and will be sailed across the water by Sailability’s Ruby Rose McMath to the Batemans Bay T-Wharf on the foreshore.
The Relay convoy will then travel down Clyde Street and Orient Street and continue along Beach Road.
Free entertainment will begin at Corrigans Beach Reserve at 10am with comedian and Commonwealth Games super-fan Sean Murphy, who will present his all-ages show “Games Boy 18”. Sean has appeared on stages from Sydney to Scotland and is a regular presenter and performer at the Sydney Opera House.
Just after 11am the assembled crowd can cheer on well-known local identity and disability advocate Brad Rossiter as he carries the Baton on the final stretch into Corrigans Beach Reserve.
Four-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Batemans Bay local Andrei Kratsov will then take the Baton as it departs by seaplane to continue its journey to Tasmania.
Eurobodalla Mayor Liz Innes encouraged the community to come along on the day and show their support.
“This is a unique opportunity to witness the excitement of the 2018 Commonwealth Games firsthand,” she said.
“We’re really proud that Batemans Bay has been chosen as one of only 13 NSW communities to host the relay, and I encourage the community to get behind it.
“We’d love to see people lining the streets along the Relay route, cheering on the batonbearers as they make their way past.”
Eurobodalla Council is working with Queen’s Baton Relay organisers on relay logistics and is also organising the community celebration at Corrigans Beach Reserve.
For the relay route and timings for each Batonbearer, visit the Queen's Baton Relay website interactive map and click on Batemans Bay. https://www.gc2018.com/qbr#gc2018-qbr-parent-map
There will be rolling road closures as the Baton Relay progresses through Batemans Bay. Nearby residents will be notified by mail and can check Council’s website www.esc.nsw.gov.au for details. People attending the community celebration at Corrigans Beach Reserve should aim to arrive by 10am to avoid traffic delays.
Above: Eurobodalla Mayor Liz Innes is encouraging the community to take part in the excitement of the Queen’s Baton Relay when it visits Batemans Bay on Tuesday 6 February. Queen’s Baton Relay traffic arrangements There will be rolling road closures in Batemans Bay on Tuesday 6 February as the Queen’s Baton Relay makes its way from Surfside to Corrigans Beach Reserve. The Relay will incorporate two main convoys – a drop-off convoy, which drops off the Batonbearers to their starting locations, and a core convoy of vehicles escorting the Batonbearers as their carry the Baton. The core convoy can stretch up to 300 metres long and includes seven vehicles, as well as cyclists and runners. Council advises motorists to avoid roads on the route if they can while the Relay takes place, from 9.30am to approximately 11.15am. There will be limited access into and around the CDB and a section of Beach Road will be closed. Temporary road closures on the morning include:Clyde Street, between the Princes Highway and North Street, will be closed in both directions from 8.30am to 10.30am to prevent people from parking in the area and allow the convoys full access. Peninsula Drive, Surfside, from the roundabout with Mundarra Way for 100 metres west, closed from 9.30am to 9.45am Mundarra Way, Surfside and Wharf Road, North Batemans Bay closed in both directions between 9.30am and 10am Beach Road will be closed to traffic from Orient Street to Country Club Drive from 10.20am to 10.50am, and from Country Club Drive to George Bass Drive from 10.40 to 11am. Motorists bound for the CBD will be detoured at Country Club Drive and should allow extra travel time.In addition to the road closures, temporary traffic control measures will be in place as the Relay passes through on the remaining roads in the route. Traffic delays should be expected and Council advises motorists to avoid the area if they can between 9.30am and 11.15am. Staff and signage will be in place to redirect traffic.
