Pooh Bear's Corner takes a refreshing seaside holiday

The Pooh Bear’s Corner sign on the Clyde Mountain has gone missing – but the disappearance is temporary.

Like many of us, the sign needed a rejuvenating holiday, and thanks to the generosity of the Narooma Men’s Shed, it will return in better condition than it left.

President David Trickett said Mayor Matthew Hatcher asked the group if they were able to spruce up the sign, and they were more than happy to oblige.

The Eurobodalla Shire Council had to liaise with Roads and Maritime Services for access to remove the sign, which was loaded up and delivered to the Narooma Men’s Shed, who have stripped it back and begun to refurbish it.

“The sign’s frame is made up of steel sheets about 10 millimetres thick,” Mr Trickett said.

“The actual bit with the writing on it is another steel plate bolted to the framework, so we’ve got all these bits to tidy up.

“We’re grinding the front off and started painting it with a base of rust-preventing paint, then if I have my way it will be a yellow sign with a black framework, so it stand out when you look at it.

“One of our members is a tremendous artist, and she’s cut out a Pooh Bear shape with his paw in a jar of honey to be part of the signs, it looks brilliant.”

An iconic spot on the long, winding drive between Batemans Bay and Canberra, Pooh Bear’s Corner has been around since the 1970s and inspired copycats and documentaries.

Crookwell potato farmers David and Barbara Carter are credited with creating the landmark, which sits in a cave next to a rainforest of tree ferns on Clyde Mountain.

Mr Trickett said he expects the sign will be finished and reinstalled within a fortnight.

It’s not the first project for a good cause undertaken by the community-based organisation.

In the past, the Narooma Men’s Shed has built nesting boxes for WIRES, water-feeding columns for wildlife after the bushfires, and benches for the commemorative walk between Narooma and Dalmeny, among other projects.

The group has gone from strength to strength since it began in early 2013, and now boasts 107 members – and despite the name, 31 of those members are women.

Mr Trickett signed up almost a decade ago to try out some new tools and hasn’t looked back.

“I’ve always had a short attention span,” he joked, “and what we do is very varied, which suits me.

“You can make the biggest mistake and it doesn’t matter, people take you as you are, and you get to help people.”

In August 2022, the group moved into a larger venue behind the Scout Hall, and is keen to attract new members so the space and equipment get as much use as possible.

“It’s really taking off, we’re getting new members join every month,” Mr Trickett said.

“It’s really pleasing for the committee because we want the building to be used.”

The shed, at 41A Barker Parade, Narooma, is open every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8:30 am until 3 pm.

For more information, email [email protected]

As for Pooh Bear’s Corner, the date for the refreshed sign’s installation hasn’t been set yet – watch this space.