coastal town and inlet of the Tasman Sea, southeastern New South Wales, Australia. The inlet, an estuary of the Clyde River, measures 4 by 5 miles (6 by 8 km). Sighted in 1770 by Captain James Cook (Cook, James), it was named by him after the captain of the ship Northumberland. The town, founded early in the 19th century, is on the southwest shore. Serving a district producing timber, vegetables, cheese, oysters, and crayfish, it is linked to Sydney (136 miles 【219 km】 northeast) via the Prince's Highway and is a convenient resort for Canberra, 65 miles (105 km) west-northwest. Pop. (2001 est.) 9,568.