An Eden home port was a welcomed choice for the captain, but it was a decision led by the whole crew on board the ship - commissioned in April 2021.

"The crew love coming to Eden, there's always a real interest from the local people and I think the crew really appreciates that, you get that with small towns and communities," he said.

Although an open day for the Eden community to come onboard was cancelled in 2021, Captain Hissink made it a priority to hold an open day this time around, inviting them on board between 2-5pm on Wednesday, May 11.

"This is the first open day we've been able to hold where the whole community is allowed on," he said.

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The crew built a strong foundation in the Bega Valley after the Black Summer bushfires, when they assisted with BlazeAid efforts in Cobargo and Bemboka.

They also held sporting competitions, and assisted with the demolish and rebuild of the fence at the Eden Whalers Football Club.

Bega Valley schools have also built a relationship with the ship's crew who have given talks about the work they do all over the world. Pupils from around the Valley were also invited on board for a tour and an ice-cream cone prepared by the ship's chefs on Wednesday.

READ ALSO: HMAS Supply crew helps build canoes with Indigenous Eden Marine High students

The ship's designs demonstrate Supply's cultural connection to Eden. The ship's shield was created by South Coast Indigenous artists Alison Simpson and Joseph Stewart and features legendary orca 'Old Tom', who became the ship's mascot.

The main passageway through the ship was named after the Bundian Way - the significant cultural passageway from sea to ice used by the Yuin people.

Prior to docking at Eden, Supply was in Tasmania. Captain Hissink said they began the 17-hour journey around midday Tuesday, May 10, and arrived in Eden early Wednesday morning.

After docking in at Eden and a dinner at the Seahorse Inn for the crew, the ship was headed to Hawaii for the Rim of the Pacific Exercise - the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise.

READ ALSO: Gin tailored for sailors of HMAS Supply takes out medal at world's biggest gin competition

There the crew would be in charge of hosting a reception, and stocked up on fresh seafood from Eden to showcase the area's fresh produce for the event.

Earlier this year the crew of HMAS Supply II was assisting in Tonga to help clear debris after the tsunami. The crew also delivered 90,000L of bottled water to those on the island and resupplied fellow ship HMAS Adelaide.

After a successful two years mentoring his crew and assisting in the face of a global pandemic and natural disasters, Captain Hissink's days at sea were ending.

His final night at sea will be on Thursday, May 12, with a redeployment to Canberra in four weeks' time. A number of his crew members would also be leaving the ship in the coming months.

"We really wanted to get to Eden because of those bonds and relationship that had been formed before we leave the ship.

"I have great confidence that those on Supply and those that come in will carry on our legacy and maintain those connections to Eden," said Mr Hissink.