DURRAS

When the first land grant in the area was made to John Whitehead McNee, in 1840, the name Durras was already in use to describe the area. For the next ninety years or so, the area was primarily used for timber cutting and milling.

The first sawmill in the Durras area was at Wasp Head and was operated by a John McMillan from around 1905 until 1929.

The timber from this Wasp Head sawmill was transported along a tramway out onto the rock platform below the mill, was loaded onto lighters and transported to vessels waiting offshore. Most of the timber was shipped to Wollongong, Sydney and Newcastle and was used for railway sleepers and mine props.

The closure of the mill (a result of the collapse of the coastal timber industry during the Great Depression) resulted in a reappraisal of the area's potential and the land south of Durras Creek was subdivided in 1937 to form the village of Durras. This later became known as South Durras when another settlement emerged north of Durras Lake. In the 1940s and 50s, a school, post office and store were established in the town.

Grazing was carried out in the area from the 1920’s with much of the vegetation on Durras Mountain’s rich, volcanic soils being cleared for dairy and other agriculture.