South Durras is a small

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

on the

South Coast South Coast is a name often given to coastal areas to the south of a geographical region or major metropolitan area. Geographical Australia *South Coast (New South Wales), the coast of New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney * South Coast (Q ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. South Durras is located approximately 280 kilometres south of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and 15 kilometres north of

Batemans Bay Batemans Bay is a town on the South Coast region of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Batemans Bay is administered by the Eurobodalla Shire council. The town is situated on the shores of an estuary formed where the Clyde River meets the ...

, in the

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

Eurobodalla Shire Eurobodalla Shire is a Local government in Australia, local government area located in the South Coast (New South Wales), South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located in a largely mountainous coastal region and situated ...

. The village is surrounded by the

Murramarang National Park Murramarang is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, southwest of Sydney. It follows the coastline from Long Beach north to Merry Beach near Ulladulla. It is surrounded by three state forests, Kioloa, South Brooman, and Benandarrah. ...

History

Prior to white settlement, South Durras was home to the

Yuin The Yuin nation, also spelt Djuwin, is a group of Aboriginal Australians, Australian Aboriginal peoples from the South Coast (New South Wales), South Coast of New South Wales. All Yuin people share ancestors who spoke, as their first language, ...

people whose land covered much of the

of New South Wales. Just north of South Durras in the Murramarang Aboriginal Area is what is believed to be the largest

midden A midden (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofact ...

on the South Coast. While there was some initial hostility between the Yuin and the white settlers, introduced diseases such as

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

killed off around 95% of the tribe, leaving them in no state to fight for their land. The first land grant in the area was made to John Whitehead McNee in 1840 and the name Durras was in use at that time to describe the area. For the next ninety years or so, the area was primarily used for timber cutting with a mill in operation at Wasp Head but the mill's closure in 1929 caused a reappraisal of the area's potential. The land south of Durras Creek was subdivided in 1937 to form the village of Durras which didn't become known as South Durras until the establishment of another settlement north of Durras Lake. In the 1940s and 50s, a school, post office and store were established in the town with electricity introduced in 1960.

Coastal locations

The southern end of the wide bay is known as Beagle Bay, which includes two beaches (Mills Beach and Cookies Beach) and extends south to Wasp Head, a famous

geological Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Eart ...

site, marking the southern boundary of the

Sydney Basin The Sydney Basin is an interim Australian bioregion and is both a structural entity and a depositional area, now preserved on the east coast of New South Wales, Australia and with some of its eastern side now subsided beneath the Tasman Sea. ...

sediments. On the southern side of Wasp Head is Wobbegong Bay.

Attractions

is adjacent to South Durras. * The beach at South Durras features tidal rock pools. Kangaroos graze close to the beach. Wildlife is plentiful, including parrots and

goanna A goanna is any one of several species of lizards of the genus '' Varanus'' found in Australia and Southeast Asia. Around 70 species of ''Varanus'' are known, 25 of which are found in Australia. This varied group of carnivorous reptiles ranges ...

s. * A

campground A campsite, also known as a campground or camping pitch, is a place used for camping, overnight stay in an outdoor area. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight u ...

is located just in the bush behind the beach.

Population

At the , South Durras had a population of 341. In the summer months the population swells substantially.

Radio stations

* East Coast Radio 2EC 105.9 FM (commercial) * POWERFM NSW South Coast 104.3 FM (commercial) * Eurobodalla Community Radio 107.5 FM * ABC South-East 103.5 FM *

ABC Radio National Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. History 1937: Predecessors an ...

105.1 FM *

ABC Classic FM ABC Classic, formerly ABC-FM (also ABC Fine Music), and then ABC Classic FM, is an Australian classical music radio station available in Australia and internationally. Its website features classical music news, features and listening guides. ...

101.9 FM *

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

98.9 FM (from the adjacent Illawarra region). A local service from Mount Wandera is planned, subject to the clearance of local analogue television stations.

Climate

The climate of South Durras is moderated by the sea, with warm summers and mild sunny winters. Nights can be cold in winter.

Thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are someti ...

s can occur between November and March, with rainfall maximums in summer.

References

Sources

South Coast Secrets - Batemans Bay
*

Protected areas of New South Wales (Australia) The Protected areas of New South Wales include both terrestrial and marine protected areas. there are 225 national parks in New South Wales. Based on the Collaborative Australian Protected Area Database (CAPAD) 2020 data there are 2136 separa ...

NPWS page2002 NPWS Plan of Management
*The Heritage of Australia, Macmillan Company, 1981, pp. 2/148, 2/164. *Guide to New South Wales National Parks, National Parks and Wildlife Service of New South Wales, 2002, p. 45 {{authority control Towns in New South Wales Towns in the South Coast (New South Wales) Eurobodalla Shire Coastal towns in New South Wales