Innes Boatshed — Restaurant in Batemans Bay

I would like to share the terrible experience our family had to endure with the Merinda cruises - run via the Innes Boatshed.

We walked in and booked a cruise on the 21st Dec'24 for a family of 4 and we were told by the lady at the reception that the only seating available is the roof as we didn't have a pre booking.

So we got the tickets and while going through the lower deck - which had pretty lush seating along with individual tables for each family or couple, we had the impression that a similar setting would be available upstairs as well.

But to the shock of our lives found that the seating upstairs was just a bunch of plastic chairs nailed to the floor, topping it all was the steep staircase which was hard to get on and off specially with kids. Note - there were no tables at the roof and this is just a temporary setting.

Comparing this with the seating on the lower deck would be like comparing night and day. You would think you have been taken for a ride specially when you are paying the same amount of money as everyone else - which was in my opinion a bit overpriced - 65$ for adults , 35$ for kids.

This could have been easily communicated whilst booking itself, so families could make an informed decision but I guess they chose to neglect the truth as it seems more about minting money rather than providing any real customer experience.

There was another family with children requiring special needs and they were offered the same seating as us, imagine the experience they would have endured, feel so sorry for them. This could have been easily managed if the management was transparent and had just asked customers to book in for another day in case they needed a better seating with kids.

The lack of proper seating was felt when we had the food served. We had to come down to get the food and find a table on our own - hardly any vacant though. Huge thanks to the beautiful couple on the lower deck who kindly agreed to share their tables so that we could finish our food.

It was windy soon so became hard to sit upstairs specially with kids and we had to juggle the whole time fiddling around the front and back of the ship on the temporary seating available.

Because of all these experiences, the 3 hrs cruise felt like a nightmare for us and were hoping it finishes as soon as possible. For the amount of money paid and the experience, I would suggest skip the same and find something more interesting to do.

The feedback was conveyed to the management on our way back from the cruise, but the only thing the guy at the reception could do was feel apologetic for our experience. I don't think they have actually worked at fixing these issues as while writing this review I just found a similar review from 3 years back. Hoped I would have seen that review before...

Drive to Batemans Bay to have lunch at Innes Boatshed. They opened the shop well over 50 years ago. They make the best fish 🐟 and chips.

You can eat inside or takeaway, They sell fresh fish 🐟 to cook 🍳 😋 your favourite 😍 fish.

Today is my first trip, Innes Boatshed, in 2025 . We come to have our lunch on the boat 🚢.

My friends, this is their first time on a boat and see the sea 🌊 😳 . They had never been swimming 🏊‍♂️ in the sea before.

Sailing ⛵️ to Nelligen all together takes about 2 and one half hours. Every day at 11.30 am, the boat leaves the Innes Boatshed at the back of the shop. Stop in Nelligen for 30 minutes. Back to Batemans Bay .

Come back again, we had a wonderful day.

History: On 22 April 1770, explorer James Cook first sighted and named the bay.

The Illawarra and South Coast Steam Navigation Co found the Clyde River to be navigable in 1854. Regular service by the company in the 1869s and 1870s contributed to the growth of the district.

The village of China Bay was surveyed in 1859. Oyster farming commenced in 1860, and by 1870, there was a fleet of 40 oyster 🚢 boats. A sawmill was erected in 1870. The port and town were proclaimed in 1885. A ferry service across the Clyde ran from 1891, until the bridge was opened in 1956, then the new concrete bridge formally opened on 27th March 2021.

Population, 17,519 2021. Location, 280km (174mi) SSW of Sydney, 762km (473mi) ENE of Melbourne, 151km (94mi) ESE of Canberra, 55km (34mi) SW of Ulladulla, and 25km (16mi)...

We normally say that if the place is busy then you can’t go wrong - high turnover = fresh food. This place certainly churns through the numbers.

There’s so much good and not so good about this place. Firstly, they don’t have grilling facilities, yep unless you’re getting raw seafood everything is deep fried and oily. The calamari batter was so oily not even the pelicans wanted to eat it. We also ordered fish which was average (once i picked all the batter off). My husband claims it was one of the best fish he’s had, I beg to differ. I’m a seafood fan but my husband wouldn’t miss it if he didn’t see it ever again. Then came the oysters, they were that fresh they even came with a complimentary worm! Yuck! What was most disappointing is that when I took it back I was offered another half dozen - are you serious? I would have preferred my money back but I didn’t ask for it. The girl who took the worm infested oysters away was apologetic but didn’t seem phased, almost to suggest it wasn’t the first time. All in all, friendly staff, average food and given the turnover, a reasonable wait time. Location was lovely, but don’t sit on the bench near the public toilets- it can smell a...