Oatley

Rich camping grounds for the Kameygal people lined the river where Oatley was later built on the land granted to James Oatley, a convict clockmaker. Fishermen, oyster farmers and railway workers settled in the early subdivision after 1881, but it was not till the 1900s that Oatley developed a proper village with station, school of arts, church and post office. Relief schemes during the 1930s Depression provided improved roads and parks, and full suburban development took place from the 1960s.

The Oatley Amateur Swimming Club began in 1927 on the sandy beach of Jew Fish Bay in a small area protected from sharks with iron mesh netting. Over the decades the club held swimming competitions and social events, drawing people from all over Sydney. It continues to flourish, with over 100 members who meet regularly during the summer for swimming competitions and social events.

Named by European settlers for its plentiful springs and ponds, Neverfail Bay in Oatley was the cultivation ground for a thriving oysters industry until increasing pollution and viral contamination took their toll in the 1990s