In the 40s and 50s there were no power to campsites in the foreshore camping ground. Campers had to walk across to the road to the ice works, to purchase ice to keep their food and drinks cold.

During the period up to World War II, there was very little development in Rye, but as roads were built day trippers and holiday makers came further south to enjoy the natural beauty of the area.

Families with children enjoyed the freedom of swimming in the bay and playing on the sandy beaches, collecting shells and building sand castles. The tourism industry, which had such humble beginnings as far back as the 1880s, had become the mainstay of Rye by the 1960s.