The traditional inhabitants of the Shire are the communities of the Monaro and Yuin nation. From ancient times they have been the inhabitants and custodians of the land, sea and waterways in the area now called the Bega Valley Shire. Sites throughout the Shire demonstrate occupation by these rich cultures to be in excess of 6,000 years. These people nurtured an organised and active culture many thousands of years older then the creators of the great pyramids of Giza did or the medieval monuments of Stonehenge did. Some of the oldest physical records of human occupation and activity to be found anywhere in the world are located beneath our noses here in the Bega Valley Shire.

Colonisation and white settlement of the Shire occurred in the early nineteenth century and was originally focussed on the Twofold Bay (Eden) and Bega areas. The area rapidly became an important source of food for the fledgling colonies at Botany Bay and Van Diemans Land (Tasmania). Of such importance was the supply of food to the Tasmanian settlements that their viability in the 1830's and 1840's depended on regular shipments of beef, pork and mutton from Twofold Bay. Farming and agricultural activity was supported by timber getting, the collection of wattle bark and later by fishing, whale processing at Twofold Bay and the occasional discovery of gold. In later years the area become synonymous with the production of butter and cheese and continues to enjoy a reputation for its 'clean and green' production.

Originally isolated by a lack of road and rail access, the far south coast depended on coastal shipping for virtually all import and export activity. The port towns of Bermagui, Tathra, Merimbula and Eden became the 'power points' that connected the district to the outside world. This splendid isolation insulated a lifestyle that continued for over 100 years. Although the stirrings of change began around the time of Federation, it was not really until after the Second World War that the breeze of change became a gale.

Modernisation and economic consolidation saw significant change to the traditional industries of the area. The rate at which earth was shrinking increased. Land based transport improvements, both promised and realised saw an end to coastal shipping. With markets for local products dwindling and with access to raw materials being even more restricted by government policy the prosperity of many small towns and villages was gone and it all happened in a single generation.

From these upheavals flowed social and family change. From the post war years until the mid 1970s the 'Far South Coast' seemed to be as isolated as ever, despite the shrinking world. Never as well serviced or accessible as the central and north coast areas of New South Wales, the term 'forgotten Corner' was an apt name for the whole area south of Wollongong and east of the Monaro Highway.

During the latter decades of the twentieth century the area was 'rediscovered' as a holiday and escape destination for thousand of 'urbanites' predominately from Melbourne but also from Sydney and Canberra. From these annual pilgrimages were to come many future residents. These were people who were destined to tackle the challenge of creating lifestyle from the pages of the family photo albums and holiday brochures. They came as retirees seeking urban order and form with uninterrupted ocean views. They came as hippies seeking the protective isolation of the forested mountains. They came as 'lifestylers' wanting to stake their claim to a few acres of rural paradise, to grow some veggies, have a few chooks and maybe a horse for the kids - even if that meant a 9 to 5 job, with four weeks annual leave and weekends.

Meanwhile for the many of the long established families, the 'lifers' and locals, this new migration of 'blow-ins' represented a new and uncertain chapter in the history of the district. In many towns and villages familiarity was to be replaced by a sea of new faces, attitudes and ideas. This migration, and the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that are part and parcel of it, continue to this day.