From the Royal-Approved ‘Happy Days’ Cave to a Celebration at Cronulla RSL
Today at Cronulla RSL, we had the honour of hosting a remarkable celebration—Robert Korman’s 80th birthday. Surrounded by his loving family and overlooking the breathtaking waters of Bate Bay, Robert shared stories that are as much a part of Cronulla’s fabric as the coastline itself.
As a child between the ages of four and ten, Robert lived in the “Happy Days” cave at Cape Solander, part of a community famously known as the Tabbigai Cliff Dwellers. Located in Kurnell, these rugged cliffside homes were built during the Great Depression by local fishermen and workers who constructed shelters on ledges carved into the sandstone.
But these weren’t hidden squatters. The dwellers were permissive occupants, paying fees to the Lands Department and local Council—and in a fascinating turn of history, they were even granted official permission by the Queen to stay. Their homes were fully functional, featuring spring water, electricity from a generator, kerosene refrigerators, and even carpets. They considered themselves the luckiest people alive, fishing straight from their living room windows.
Robert remembers falling asleep in the cave to the sound of adults playing cards outside, climbing steep cliffs barefoot, and spending his childhood in a rugged paradise. He also fondly recalls his later days spent in Cronulla, the RSL’s beginnings at the Cecil Hotel and a tight-knit local community.
In 1968, Robert moved to Far North Queensland but makes the journey back every year to see his family. This year, he returned not only to reunite with loved ones—but to mark an incredible milestone at a place with unexpected personal significance.
In a wonderful coincidence, the name of the cave Robert grew up in—Happy Days—is also the motto of Cronulla RSL. That connection made today’s celebration feel like a true homecoming.
We were proud to welcome Robert and his family back to the area that shaped his early years.
Happy Days!
Robert Korman, pictured on his 80th birthday at Cronulla RSL, overlooking the coastline where he spent his early childhood in the cliffside cave known as Happy Days. A local legend with a remarkable story.
Surrounded by love: Robert Korman celebrates his 80th with his beautiful family by the sea—returning from Far North Queensland to the place where it all began.
About the Tabbigai Cliff Dwellers:
The Tabbigai Cliff Dwellers were a unique group of residents who lived in hand-built homes along the sandstone cliffs just south of Cape Solander from the 1920s to the 1970s. Far from being squatters, these residents held permissive occupancy rights—paying fees to the Lands Department and even receiving formal approval from the Queen. Their dwellings were surprisingly sophisticated, with spring water, generators, and even carpeted floors. Built during the Great Depression, these cliffside homes offered not just shelter but a way of life—marked by simplicity, self-sufficiency, and deep connection to the ocean. Today, their story remains a fascinating and little-known chapter of local history.