NSWPlanned settlement
Killcare
Named with a pun and sold to Sydney weekenders who arrived by ferry.
1916Killcare Estate subdivided
WHAT STARTED IT
Killcare spans the Bouddi Peninsula between the sheltered water of Hardys Bay and an ocean beach, where rock engravings and middens survive. Launches from Woy Woy station made its waterfront reachable long before a road arrived.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Early settlers farmed, cut timber and gathered shells, but after the railway came, Arthur Rickard & Co. carved the waterfront into holiday estates, including Killcare, all subdivided by 1920. Ferries remained the main link until the Scenic Road opened in 1936, and rutile mining stripped the dunes behind Killcare Beach in the 1960s.
TURNING POINTS
1916Hardys Bay is subdivided, creating the Killcare estate.
1930sKillcare Surf Life Saving Club is built.
1936The Scenic Road opens, ending reliance on ferries.
1960sRutile mining strips the sand dunes at Putty and Killcare beaches.
1967Bouddi is dedicated as a state park, later Bouddi National Park.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A small coastal village of holiday houses and permanent homes centred on the Killcare Store, flanked by Bouddi National Park. A surf club patrols Killcare Beach in summer.