South Durras, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place
type = town
name = South Durras
state = nsw


imagesize =
caption =
pop = 327
pop_footnotes = Census 2006 AUS |id = SSC18817 |name = South Durras (State Suburb) |accessdate = 2008-03-27]
poprank =
density =
density_footnotes =
est = 1937
postcode = 2536
coordinates =
elevation = 25
elevation_footnotes=
area = 3.214
area_footnotes =
timezone = AEST
utc = +10
timezone-dst = AEDT
utc-dst = +11
propval =
mayor =
dist1 = 280
dir1 = SSW
location1 = Sydney
dist2 = 762
dir2 = ENE
location2 = Melbourne
dist3 = 151
dir3 = ESE
location3 = Canberra
lga = Eurobodalla Shire
region = South Coast
county =
parish =
stategov = Bega
fedgov = Gilmore
maxtemp = 24.1
mintemp = 5.9
rainfall = 956.8
near-n =
near-ne =
near-e =
near-se =
near-s =
near-sw =
near-w =
near-nw =

South Durras is a small village on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. South Durras is located approximately 280 kilometres south of Sydney and 15 kilometres north of Batemans Bay, in the local government area of Eurobodalla Shire. The village is surrounded by the Murramarang National Park. [cite web | url= http://www.eurobodalla.com.au/southdurras.html | title=South Durras | publisher=Eurobodalla Nature Coast Tourism | accessdate=2008-05-08 ]

History

Prior to white settlement, South Durras was home to the Yuin people whose land covered much of the South Coastof New South Wales. Just north of South Durras in the Murramarang Aboriginal Area is what is believed to be the largest midden on the South Coast. While there was some initial hostility between the Yuin and the white settlers, introduced diseases such as smallpox killed off around 95% of the tribe, leaving them in no state to fight for their land. [cite web | url= http://www.esc.nsw.gov.au/CulturalMap/aboriginal/History.htm | title=A Koori history of the Eurobodalla| publisher=Eurobodalla Shire Council | accessdate=2008-05-08 ] [cite web | url= http://www2.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/parks.nsf/ParkContent/N0304?Opendocument&ParkKey=N0304&Type=xo | title=Murramarang Aboriginal Area | publisher=National Parks & Wildlife of NSW | accessdate=2008-05-08 ]

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. [cite web | url= http://www.esc.nsw.gov.au/CulturalMap/places/Durras/DurrasHist.htm | title=South Durras - Early European Settlement | publisher=Eurobodalla Shire Council | accessdate=2008-05-08 ]

Attractions

* Murramarang National Park 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 goannas.
* A campground is located just in the bush behind the beach.

Population

South Durras has a population of about 330 permanent residents, while in the summer months the population swells to almost 1000Fact|date=March 2008.

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
*Radio National 105.1 FM
*ABC Classic FM 101.9 FM
*Triple J 98.9 FM (from the adjacent Illawarra region). A local service from Mt. 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. Thunderstorms can occur between November and March, with rainfall maximums in summer.

References

ources

* [http://www.southcoastsecrets.com.au South Coast Secrets - Batemans Bay]
*Protected areas of New South Wales (Australia)
* [http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/parks.nsf/parkcontent/n0025?opendocument&parkkey=n0025&type=xo NPWS page]
* [http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/pdfs/pom_final_murramarangnp_islands.pdf 2002 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