First yacht for young family

mottle or the VS 34 would be my picks

Another boat worth looking at is already at Batemans Bay. This one comes with a mooring in a decent spot. Is advertised as an SS34 but is a one off S&S that is very similar but just looks a little different! I see her here regularly. Is older than what you want but is a particularly well fitted vessel in nice condition. Don't think about davits! Has a good windvane steering unit.

https://yachthub.com/list/yachts-for-sale/used/sail-monohulls/sparkman-stephens-34/206150

Been for sale for a long time and is down to about half what it came on the market for.

I owned a Matzcraft it would easily sail 8kts cockpit small and the wheel can't be stood behind I hated that, but inside is fantastic big rear room hot shower and kids have their own room I have seen them sell as low as $30000 but as you say you will be fixing it up and that's not you want.
If size really dosnt worry you and you want something to learn on , cheap to maintain very forgiving and a great seaboat the Duncason 29 is amazing value much loved in general by their owners, and so cheap.
seen some in SA from as little as$10.000 YOU really would learn to sail on these but limited space .
If you start going peformance you start getting flighty I would suggest looking for a boat that will look after you and forgives your mistakes .
wives tend not to go back when they have been scared.

Have a look at the Phantoms. The 33 has a wider cockpit than the 32 which is better for the family. I regularly singlehand and they are easy to sail. They are sloop rigged and aren't prone to osmosis. If you want Davits it's easy to get them. I bought some Martec Davits online and they bolted straight on in less then half an hour.
They are very capable boats and are cruising up and down the coast regularly. You can pick them up for under fifty grand and there seems to be a lot down your way.

The S&S is a well cared for boat - I've been aboard. Owned by very nice and very experienced people.

As a former Batemans Bay/Canberra sailor (who is about to relinquish a mooring in a great spot near the bridge) I'd be concerned about going much over 5ft in draft due to the depth of the bar. We went from 4ft 8" draft to over 6ft and noticed how much more we were constrained by the tides with the bigger boat.

I love the Bay and miss it even though the boat is now in Port Stephens. Although it's not much good for anchoring in a southerly, there are some lovely little bays that are protected from winds from the north-east through to the west. The river also offers a nice gentle area to motor and anchor.

If you are thinking long term, I'd enquire about the height of the new bridge. It will stop boats like our current 36'er from going up the river.

The Bay is affected by swell much of the time. Our 28'er is quite rolly at anchor so we just used to put out a stern anchor to hold her in line with the swell. While it wasn't critical in the 36'er, it still made a lot of difference to comfort. I would place a high priority on being able to run a stern anchor out easily. That, coupled with the shorebreak on the beaches, means a good dinghy is important and you have to be able to handle it and get in and out easily. A boarding platform or fairly moderate freeboard would be good things to have. A high-freeboard boat without a boarding platform could be a problem.

In the typical summer NE, the five bays along the northern shore all make lovely anchorages. The un-named one to the east of Reef Point was one of our favourites; roos on shore, no house to be seen apart from those 5ks south on the other side of the bay, water so clear you can easily see the anchor 20ft down, and white sand.

My favourite spot was between the Tollgate Islands. Although in strong winds it's exposed, it can be an overnight anchorage in lighter conditions. If you have a good dinghy you can go around to the Shark Gully, to snorkel in clear water among overhanging slabs or rock, or motor through the sea cave. There's good snorkelling - not as good as the Barrier Reef, but lovely. In whale season it's spectacular but there are normally dolphins and fairy penguins.

Broulee is a good anchorage 10m south that works in most conditions, while Durras offers one anchorage protected from the north and two protected from the south. Moruya River has a narrow entrance but it's not too shallow and you can go all the way up to the town.

BB does require more effort than somewhere like Port Stephens. You will have to learn the tide-restricted bar, the way wind and swell affects some anchorages, etc. You'll have to learn to be careful around the rocks, especially if you're trying to find a new place to anchor. But the wildlife is great; it feels like real cruising because you are normally anchored alone; and it has a lovely unexplored feel to it. Take it easy at first since one bad day rolling around in the wrong anchorage can turn off a family forever.

The Martzcraft isn't as quick as the other boats you've looked at and while the design deserves respect, if you're getting in and out of a dinghy in anchorages that are rarely dead calm I'd be cautious about its high freeboard. Same with the Jarkan which is also a fine boat. The Arends is shallow, which is good, but like the Martzcraft not a quick boat.

The Mottle does seem like a good choice. That low, wide stern could take a boarding platform very easily. If you get davits, which could be a good idea, check their capacity as some only take tiny dinghies and around BB, a slightly larger dinghy can be a real plus.

Have seen a few Swarbrick s&s 34 on the hard the hull littered with osmosis

Call me old fashioned but I am not a fan of composite built boats seen way to many having decks ripped out and rebuilt. Even saw half a hull stripped back because one Staunton wasn't bedded properly

There is a Van de stadt 36 that i built and raised 2 kids aboard for sale in Tas but needs some tlc. Current owner has done a few laps around the pacific in her. Centre cockpit, very roomy, sails well, davits etc. there are a couple of others around for sale as well. Could be worth going just that bit bigger and you wont grow out of it for a while. Also you cant beat a dinghy for learning to sail so could be worth getting one for the lakes as well. Photo is the vds seal 36.

There is one in Tin Can Bay (S&S34) has spent a lot of money on a paint job which looks fantastic but every time it comes out of the water it's covered in blisters.
The other one i saw was in Lauries marina on the hard stand first time I had seen one with the keel off , sure makes the yacht look small they had taken all the gel coat off to do repairs.