Shack Life

Shacklife tells the story of a rare and enduring coastal community living lightly in a heritage-listed shack settlement, set in pristine coastal bushland. Built on cooperation rather than consumerism, the community has survived for generations through shared responsibility, volunteering, and a deep connection to place.

Drawing on local history and lived experience, the book traces how this oƯ-grid settlement evolved. From depression-era shacks built on freehold land which was then incorporated into the Royal National Park, its people had to take on successive governments to keep their shacks. It's a community story of struggle to survive with State Heritage Listing ensuring these simple beach shacks remain to the present day.

Residents continue to care for both each other and their environment. From operating volunteer surf life saving clubs, a Landcare group to hosting walking tours that share knowledge of the coast and sustainable living, the community's story is one of quiet service and stewardship.

Part social history, part portrait of place, Shacklife explores what it means to belong to a landscape, to protect living heritage, and to sustain community in a world of increasing change.