Skennars Head before the Coast Road

Prior to the construction of the coast road in the late 1960s, Skennars Head was the only place on the coastal section between Ballina and Lennox Head that you could easily drive into.

As this topographic map from 1942 shows, the main road between the two towns ran inland up alongside North Creek. A rough vehicular track can be seen in place along the coast to provide access to the various landholdings.

Carsten (Charles) and Wilhelmina Bulwinkle built the first holiday shacks at Skennars Head, circa 1910.

By the 1940s, other local families including Cawleys, Rankins, Chilcotts, Browns, Boots and Fredericksons had built shacks. Some of the larger ones were comfortably furnished but overall conditions were fairly basic.

Candles, kerosene lamps and stoves, ice chests, meat safes, water tanks and laundry tubs for bathing were the order of the day. Bread and other supplies were delivered by cream truck from Ballina and the dairy on Skennars Head provided milk.

By the 1960s only four of approximately 12 dwellings remained and they were removed when the Coast Road was constructed.

All that remains of the shacks is a stone foundation, rock step and concrete slab that formed part of Agnes (nee Bulwinkle) and Owen Cawleys’ cottage on the beach front.