Jervis Bay is named after the British Admiral Sir John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent; it was named in 1791 by Lt Richard Bowen. George Bass also entered the Bay when he surveyed the South East coast of Australia in 1797. Jervis was believed to have pronounced his name, but many residents of Jervis Bay (including his descendants) pronounce it. Jervis Bay has been officially recorded as having the whitest sand in the world.
In the late 1960s Australia's first and only nuclear power plant was proposed for the area, and a site was prepared. However, the project did not proceed
