DEAN SAFFRON
PHOTOGRAPHER / FILMMAKER

 Australian have long been known for their endurance in the face of  hardship . I think this stems from being isolated from the rest of the world.  A  great example of this  is a small beach shack community   that spawned out of necessity  During the Great Depression.    Whole Mining families  lost their jobs and  collectively decided to approach a large land owner  they asked could  build a limited number of beach shacks at the edge of his property and live of the land  in hunter gather style . The   tight knitted community lived there out  the desperation  surviving on wild game , fish and home-grown vegetables. The small allotments  of land were still privately owned  each family  paid  about two shillings  per week (about $8 today)  to the land owner  they originally made  bark huts but  overtime the families would help each other build permanent cabins,

 Over the  years, when a shack was abandoned or a person with the deed title died the  shacks were demolished by the  National Parks and Wildlife Service  Shackies got around this by continuing to pay the rates notice under the name of the original title owner   the shackies simply  didn't notify the authorities when a loved one passed away . this land is so valuable that the National Park has  been trying to remove the beach shacks vigorously  ever since  their  construction .