The Manning Valley
Flora Activity
This week you need to play the game at the website below. It is about making a healthy river catchment. The Manning Valley is our river catchment area.
This game requires you to use VMware (horizon). Log into VMware and go to the website below
http://catchmentdetox.net.au/play-game/
When you are finished create and infographic showing what makes a healthy catchment.
There is an example of an infographic below, these are just examples, DON'T USE THE FACTS!
This week you need to play the game at the website below. It is about making a healthy river catchment. The Manning Valley is our river catchment area.
This game requires you to use VMware (horizon). Log into VMware and go to the website below
http://catchmentdetox.net.au/play-game/
When you are finished create and infographic showing what makes a healthy catchment.
There is an example of an infographic below, these are just examples, DON'T USE THE FACTS!
Native Animals Found in the Manning Valley and surrounds
Amphibians
Frogs
Australia's diverse frog populations are in decline. Find out what's threatening them, and become a frog spy.
Bell frogs
There are three species of bell frog in NSW. They are all similar in appearance but can be distinguished by their markings. Find out how.
Birds
Australian brush turkey
This fascinating bird belongs to the family of megapodes. Like the malleefowl, it incubates its eggs in large mounds of rotting vegetation.
Australian magpie
Ever been swooped by a magpie in spring? It's only defending its family during the nesting season.
Bowerbirds
These are thought of as the most advanced of all birds, because of the intricate display areas they weave out of twigs and other materials.
Emu
Australia's largest birds come from an ancient family, seen in their primitive feathers. They thrive in rugged, remote environments.
Ibis
The graceful nature and incredible adaptation of Australia's wetland birds to the harsh environment has captivated many people.
Laughing kookaburra
A kookaburra's call lets other birds know of its territory. Groups of the birds gather at the boundaries of their area, 'laughing' at other groups.
Little penguin
These flightless seabirds might seem a bit clumsy on land, but they're graceful swimmers, 'flying' through the water on their stumpy wings.
Lord Howe Island woodhen
These flightless birds are only found on Lord Howe Island. They were brought back from the brink of extinction in the 1980s.
Lyrebirds
These fascinating birds can mimic almost any sound - including other birds and animals, whistles, car alarms and even chainsaws.
Malleefowl
Malleefowl build nest mounds to incubate their eggs in, using a complicated system to keep the mound at the right temperature.
Parrots
Australia has 56 species of these colourful birds, from tiny budgerigars to large cockatoos.
These seabirds dive for their food, 'shearing' the water with their wings. Large numbers are sometimes washed up on our beaches, dead from the exhaustion of their travels.
Terns
People and shorebirds love the same places - the beautiful sheltered areas along our NSW coastline. Healthy populations of one of these species, the little tern, are a great indicator of ecosystem integrity and vigour.
Woodland birds
Freshwater mussels
Freshwater mussels are important indicators of stream health.
Purple copper butterfly
This beautiful insect is one of Australia's rarest butterflies. Found only in the Central West of NSW, it depends on a particular species of ant and special kind of blackthorn plant. Find out more.
MammalsBandicoots
These small marsupials were once common in suburban gardens, but now they're rare around Sydney. Find out why.
Dingo
Did you know that dingos have only lived in Australia for around 3500 years? Scientists think they were brought here by Asian sailors.
Bottlenose dolphin
Did you know that a dolphin can be individually identified by its dorsal fin? A dolphin's dorsal fin has a unique shape and arrangement of notches and scars.
Echidnas
These spiny termite eaters are monotremes, or egg-laying mammals. They might look a bit scary, but they're actually quite shy.
Flying-foxes
Three species of flying fox live in NSW, including the grey-headed flying-fox which is vulnerable to extinction. Find out what makes these animals important.
Kangaroos & wallabies
Did you know there are 45 species of kangaroos and wallabies? They range from huge western red kangaroos to tiny rat-kangaroos.
Koala
Koalas are fussy eaters, eating the leaves of a few varieties of eucalypt trees. Do you have any koala food trees in your area?
Platypus
When the first platypus was sent to England for identification, scientists thought it was a hoax. It's a member of the strange and exclusive monotreme family.
Possums
The spotted-tailed quoll is mainland Australia's largest carnivorous marsupial. It is about the size of a domestic cat.
Whales
Humpback and southern right whales travel along the NSW coast between May and September each year. Find out why, and get tips on some great whale-watching spots.
Wombats
Full-grown wombats can weigh up to a whopping 36 kg! They are territorial animals, but will share their burrows with visitors.
Reptiles
Snakes
Some 100 Australian snakes are venomous. However, they are not naturally aggressive, and will only attack humans if hurt or provoked.
Freshwater turtles
NSW is home to seven species of native freshwater turtle, two of which are found nowhere else in the world.
Reference: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/animals/NativeAnimalFactSheetsbyTitle.htm
Amphibians
Frogs
Australia's diverse frog populations are in decline. Find out what's threatening them, and become a frog spy.
Bell frogs
There are three species of bell frog in NSW. They are all similar in appearance but can be distinguished by their markings. Find out how.
Birds
Australian brush turkey
This fascinating bird belongs to the family of megapodes. Like the malleefowl, it incubates its eggs in large mounds of rotting vegetation.
Australian magpie
Ever been swooped by a magpie in spring? It's only defending its family during the nesting season.
Bowerbirds
These are thought of as the most advanced of all birds, because of the intricate display areas they weave out of twigs and other materials.
Emu
Australia's largest birds come from an ancient family, seen in their primitive feathers. They thrive in rugged, remote environments.
Ibis
The graceful nature and incredible adaptation of Australia's wetland birds to the harsh environment has captivated many people.
Laughing kookaburra
A kookaburra's call lets other birds know of its territory. Groups of the birds gather at the boundaries of their area, 'laughing' at other groups.
Little penguin
These flightless seabirds might seem a bit clumsy on land, but they're graceful swimmers, 'flying' through the water on their stumpy wings.
Lord Howe Island woodhen
These flightless birds are only found on Lord Howe Island. They were brought back from the brink of extinction in the 1980s.
Lyrebirds
These fascinating birds can mimic almost any sound - including other birds and animals, whistles, car alarms and even chainsaws.
Malleefowl
Malleefowl build nest mounds to incubate their eggs in, using a complicated system to keep the mound at the right temperature.
Parrots
Australia has 56 species of these colourful birds, from tiny budgerigars to large cockatoos.
- Glossy black-cockatoo
These magnificent birds feed on the seeds of casuarina trees, and nest in the hollows of old eucalypts. They're threatened in NSW, largely due to the loss of these trees.
These seabirds dive for their food, 'shearing' the water with their wings. Large numbers are sometimes washed up on our beaches, dead from the exhaustion of their travels.
Terns
People and shorebirds love the same places - the beautiful sheltered areas along our NSW coastline. Healthy populations of one of these species, the little tern, are a great indicator of ecosystem integrity and vigour.
Woodland birds
- Bush stone-curlew
Bush stone-curlews are impressive birds, with long, gangly legs and a loud, eerie, wailing call. - Wedge-tailed eagle
With a massive 2.5-m wingspan, this is Australia's largest bird of prey.
Freshwater mussels
Freshwater mussels are important indicators of stream health.
Purple copper butterfly
This beautiful insect is one of Australia's rarest butterflies. Found only in the Central West of NSW, it depends on a particular species of ant and special kind of blackthorn plant. Find out more.
MammalsBandicoots
These small marsupials were once common in suburban gardens, but now they're rare around Sydney. Find out why.
Dingo
Did you know that dingos have only lived in Australia for around 3500 years? Scientists think they were brought here by Asian sailors.
Bottlenose dolphin
Did you know that a dolphin can be individually identified by its dorsal fin? A dolphin's dorsal fin has a unique shape and arrangement of notches and scars.
Echidnas
These spiny termite eaters are monotremes, or egg-laying mammals. They might look a bit scary, but they're actually quite shy.
Flying-foxes
Three species of flying fox live in NSW, including the grey-headed flying-fox which is vulnerable to extinction. Find out what makes these animals important.
Kangaroos & wallabies
Did you know there are 45 species of kangaroos and wallabies? They range from huge western red kangaroos to tiny rat-kangaroos.
Koala
Koalas are fussy eaters, eating the leaves of a few varieties of eucalypt trees. Do you have any koala food trees in your area?
Platypus
When the first platypus was sent to England for identification, scientists thought it was a hoax. It's a member of the strange and exclusive monotreme family.
Possums
- Brush-tailed possum
These marsupials are common backyard visitors. Find out about them, and see how you can build a special possum box. - Gliding possums
Gliders can cover distances of more than 100 m in a single leap, gliding on a thin sheet of skin between their forepaws and ankles.
The spotted-tailed quoll is mainland Australia's largest carnivorous marsupial. It is about the size of a domestic cat.
Whales
Humpback and southern right whales travel along the NSW coast between May and September each year. Find out why, and get tips on some great whale-watching spots.
Wombats
Full-grown wombats can weigh up to a whopping 36 kg! They are territorial animals, but will share their burrows with visitors.
Reptiles
Snakes
Some 100 Australian snakes are venomous. However, they are not naturally aggressive, and will only attack humans if hurt or provoked.
Freshwater turtles
NSW is home to seven species of native freshwater turtle, two of which are found nowhere else in the world.
Reference: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/animals/NativeAnimalFactSheetsbyTitle.htm
A Manning Valley Timeline
1770
Captain Cook, sailing a fair distance from shore, observed three prominent mountains grouped together, which he called the Three Brothers. They also observed smoke from the fires of aborigines. (The district TV towers are now located on Middle Brother Mountain.)
Aborigines had been living in Australia for many thousands of years. In the days before the white man, the Biripi lived in the area between Tuncurry in the south to Telegraph Point in the north, and as far west as Gloucester and Nowendoc. They lived in harmony with the land and the sea - it was little disturbed by their presence.
1818
John Oxley and George Evans set out from Bathurst on an expedition of exploration. They went north-east along the Macquarie, Castlereagh and Peel Rivers. They eventually crossed the Great Dividing Range and headed east to the coast (near where Walcha is today). They climbed Mount Seaview and saw the Hastings River to the east and the Manning River in the distant south-east.
They travelled to the mouth of the Hastings and named it Port Macquarie. Then they proceeded south to Camden Haven and on to Harrington at the northern mouth of the Manning. They did not realize it was a large river and named it Harrington Inlet.
Using a boat they had found further up the coast, they crossed to the south side (Manning Point on Mitchell’s Island). They were able to cross Old Bar at low tide and found the wreck of the “Jane” from which the boat had come. The southern mouth of the Manning was named Farqhar Inlet.
They needed the boat to cross the river at Tuncurry, where they saw the wreck of the “Governor Hunter”. William Blake was speared by an aboriginal when he wandered away from the main group. They continued south, reaching Port Stephens on November 1, before travelling onto Sydney.
1821
A penal colony at Port Macquarie was established, when Captain Allman landed with convicts and soldiers.
1825
The Australian Agricultural Company, which had been formed in England for the specific purpose of agricultural investment in Australia, asked John Oxley for a recommendation of where they should operate. They accepted his second recommendation - the area north of Port Stephens (a deep harbour). His first had been the Hasting Valley area.
Now that he was the Surveyor-General of NSW, Oxley ordered Henry Dangar, a surveyor employed by the Company, to examine the area between Port Macquarie and Port Stephens. Dangar went west from the Hunter then north through mountainous country. He found a large stream flowing east, but only followed it until he was about 40 km from the sea, before heading north east to Port Macquarie. (This was the Manning River.)
1826
Dangar returned again to this river, but this time followed it to the sea at the southern outlet. He assumed that the outlet at Harrington was also the same river. He named it the Manning River after Sir William Manning, the Deputy Govenor of the Australian Agricultural Company.
The Company’s Estate was now established as going from Port Stephens to the Manning as the northern border and the Gloucestor Valley in the west.
1827
Thomas Florance, a government surveyor, mapped the position of the Manning River.
During the year two attempts were made to sail into the Manning across the bar at Old Bar and one attempt at Harrington - all failed.
Robert Dawson, the manager of the Company stationed at Port Stephens, sent a party including surveyor John Armstrong to survey north of the Manning. They then surveyed the Manning River up to the mouth of a tributary opposite Dumaresque Island (naming it the Dawson River) and then down the southern branch.
John Guilding was impressed with the plains in the Ghinni Ghinni area and decided he would return to settle there. He planted sugar cane, maize and tobacco before he left. The party then mapped the river 40 km upstream, where they could go no further. On their return to Old Bar, one of the party was injured by a spear from an aborigine, cutting short the expedition.
1828
John Guilding was granted an estate where he wanted it. He called it “Mooto” (now called Moto). Guilding had nine men working for him including seven convicts. A. P. Snow was granted an estate on Jones Island but found it had salt marshes and was not suitable for the tropical crops he wanted to grow. He moved south of Guilding’s estate to “Goonal Goonal”. When refused permission to settle there, he left the district.
Hart Davis received a grant of land on the Landsdowne River but never took it up.
1829William Wynter arrived in Sydney on the “Pyramus” with his wife, Elizabeth, and three chilren, Mary, William and Thomas. He was 41 years of age and retired from the navy after 30 years service. This service gave him due consideration when he applied for a grant of land. He was awarded 2560 acres and selected it on the northern side of the Manning. In his letters to the government, he used the aboriginal word “Taree” as the name of his selection.
His description of the selection to the Suveyor General was: “... to the westward of the Dawson River ......northerly from a bight or bend in the River Manning, just above the western corner of Dumaresque Island ....... the whole of the neck of land formed by the Bend of the River and as much of the adjoining land to the northward as will complete number of acres authorized to be selected.”
The Wynter family, and the four convicts assigned to them, stayed at “Goonal Goonal” briefly before moving to their Taree Estate on the treeless flats opposite present day Tinonee.
1830
Guilding lost his estate after mortgage problems, and left the district. William Wynter was the only settler on the Manning.
1834
William Wynter wrote to the Colonial Secretary stating that there were now a number of groups of squatters who had arrived on the Manning and were cutting cedar trees. He had his own cedar cutting site called ’The Cedar Party’ (near present-day Wingham)
William Wynter had his own boat, the ’Tarree’, 48 tons with two masts, built on the Manning. It commenced trading along the NSW coast in September. He had complained that, as he was alone and the river entrance was dangerous, ships had been reluctant to visit and trade with him.
1835
The government tried to control cedar cutting by issuing licences. William Wynter and Dr. Fattorini were the first on the Manning to receive licences.
[Red Cedar was highly valuable and used for many things, especially furniture. It obtained a beautiful red lustre when polished - but only matured after growing for 100 years or more. It can only grow in the middle of rainforests. Giant cedars can grow for 1000 years and be over 35 metres tall.]
1837
First properties bought were:
’Braynbyn’ (later known as ’Brimbin’), 960 acres, on the Dawson River by A. C. Innes.
’Mondrook’, 980 acres, on the Manning opposite the ’Tarree’ estate by C. Steele.
’Mt. George’, 895 acres, by Isabella Mary Kelly.
An unnamed property of 726 acres further up river from Mt. George by T. Steele.
’Purfleet’, 1280 acres, south of Tarree, by W. Caswell (1838).
1840
Henry Flett, a Scot, first took up land at Killawarra. He later married Mary Wynter, daughter of William Wynter, and bought her father’s estate, ’Tarree’.
1841
The population on the Manning reached about 300 in 1841.
Below are figures taken from the 1841 census:
Brown’s Creek - 7
Brymbyn - 9 and 2 servants
Bungy Bungy - 30 and 8 servants
Cateye - 6
Cedar Party - 12
Croki - 13 with 7 servants
Cundle Cundle - 35 and 3 servants
Duramba - 7 and 4 servants
Johnson’s Station - 7 and 5 servants
Killawarra - 21 and 13 servants
Koory Island (Jones Island) - 15
Lewis’ Station - 11 and 10 servants
Mitchell Island - 5 and 1 servant
Mondrook - 15
Mt. George - 13 and 8 servants
Pelican Island - 14
Tarree - 25 with 14 servants
Yakengat - 15
N.B. The "servants" were "assigned servants", who were convicts assigned to settlers.
1842
The ’Sovereign’, 119 tons and under the command of Captain Cape, successfully entered the Manning River. It ran aground on shallow flats near the mouth but floated off several hours later before proceeding up river to Taree. There she loaded 94 bales of wool as well as a quantity of wheat. It was the largest ship up to this time to enter the Manning.
1844
The village of Wingham is proclaimed. It had been surveyed by John Gormon under instructions from the Surveyor-General. It was chosen for a number of reasons:
Boats of a reasonable size were not able to travel further up river.
It was central to existing farms.
It was on the high road between Maitland and Port Macquarie.
The river was fordable at low tide.
Although it was proclaimed there was not a great demand for village lots.
1854
In September, village lots at Wingham were sold at public auction..
Henry Flett, who now owned the Tarree estate, set aside about 100 acres for the establishment of the village of Taree. He laid out the streets and named them. In December, a total of 40 allotments were sold at a public auction.
The Martin Bridge
The opening of the Martin Bridge across the Manning River at Taree in 1940 was a major event and opened a new era in Manning Valley history.
Before the bridge the Pacific Highway, such as it was, wound up through Gloucester, Krambach, across the Manning by punt at Tinonee, then through Taree.
In 1936, tenders were called for the building of a bridge over
the Manning at Taree to cost £60 000 (the final cost was
£97 000 or $194 000 - but 1940 value).
- it had to have a carriageway above any possible flood level
- it had to have a span which could be elevated to allow shipping
to pass under it.
Construction began in early 1938 and took two years.
The bridge was opened by the Premier of NSW, Mr. Alexander Mair.
During the Opening Ceremony the lifting span was elevated and the droger passed under the bridge.
5After the official opening a large crowd crossed the bridge.
After the bridge opened, the punts ceased operating.
In 1952 the Pacific Highway was re-routed from from Hexham - Stroud - Gloucester - Krambach - Taree to Hexham - Stroud - Buladelah - Nabiac - Taree
In 1963 the Pacific Highway was again re-routed: Hexham - Karuah - Buladelah - Nabiac - Taree
In 1997 Taree was by-passed by a dual carriage expressway
with bridges onto and off Dumaresque Island.
Reference: http://www.manninghistorical.org/P&E.htm
1770
Captain Cook, sailing a fair distance from shore, observed three prominent mountains grouped together, which he called the Three Brothers. They also observed smoke from the fires of aborigines. (The district TV towers are now located on Middle Brother Mountain.)
Aborigines had been living in Australia for many thousands of years. In the days before the white man, the Biripi lived in the area between Tuncurry in the south to Telegraph Point in the north, and as far west as Gloucester and Nowendoc. They lived in harmony with the land and the sea - it was little disturbed by their presence.
1818
John Oxley and George Evans set out from Bathurst on an expedition of exploration. They went north-east along the Macquarie, Castlereagh and Peel Rivers. They eventually crossed the Great Dividing Range and headed east to the coast (near where Walcha is today). They climbed Mount Seaview and saw the Hastings River to the east and the Manning River in the distant south-east.
They travelled to the mouth of the Hastings and named it Port Macquarie. Then they proceeded south to Camden Haven and on to Harrington at the northern mouth of the Manning. They did not realize it was a large river and named it Harrington Inlet.
Using a boat they had found further up the coast, they crossed to the south side (Manning Point on Mitchell’s Island). They were able to cross Old Bar at low tide and found the wreck of the “Jane” from which the boat had come. The southern mouth of the Manning was named Farqhar Inlet.
They needed the boat to cross the river at Tuncurry, where they saw the wreck of the “Governor Hunter”. William Blake was speared by an aboriginal when he wandered away from the main group. They continued south, reaching Port Stephens on November 1, before travelling onto Sydney.
1821
A penal colony at Port Macquarie was established, when Captain Allman landed with convicts and soldiers.
1825
The Australian Agricultural Company, which had been formed in England for the specific purpose of agricultural investment in Australia, asked John Oxley for a recommendation of where they should operate. They accepted his second recommendation - the area north of Port Stephens (a deep harbour). His first had been the Hasting Valley area.
Now that he was the Surveyor-General of NSW, Oxley ordered Henry Dangar, a surveyor employed by the Company, to examine the area between Port Macquarie and Port Stephens. Dangar went west from the Hunter then north through mountainous country. He found a large stream flowing east, but only followed it until he was about 40 km from the sea, before heading north east to Port Macquarie. (This was the Manning River.)
1826
Dangar returned again to this river, but this time followed it to the sea at the southern outlet. He assumed that the outlet at Harrington was also the same river. He named it the Manning River after Sir William Manning, the Deputy Govenor of the Australian Agricultural Company.
The Company’s Estate was now established as going from Port Stephens to the Manning as the northern border and the Gloucestor Valley in the west.
1827
Thomas Florance, a government surveyor, mapped the position of the Manning River.
During the year two attempts were made to sail into the Manning across the bar at Old Bar and one attempt at Harrington - all failed.
Robert Dawson, the manager of the Company stationed at Port Stephens, sent a party including surveyor John Armstrong to survey north of the Manning. They then surveyed the Manning River up to the mouth of a tributary opposite Dumaresque Island (naming it the Dawson River) and then down the southern branch.
John Guilding was impressed with the plains in the Ghinni Ghinni area and decided he would return to settle there. He planted sugar cane, maize and tobacco before he left. The party then mapped the river 40 km upstream, where they could go no further. On their return to Old Bar, one of the party was injured by a spear from an aborigine, cutting short the expedition.
1828
John Guilding was granted an estate where he wanted it. He called it “Mooto” (now called Moto). Guilding had nine men working for him including seven convicts. A. P. Snow was granted an estate on Jones Island but found it had salt marshes and was not suitable for the tropical crops he wanted to grow. He moved south of Guilding’s estate to “Goonal Goonal”. When refused permission to settle there, he left the district.
Hart Davis received a grant of land on the Landsdowne River but never took it up.
1829William Wynter arrived in Sydney on the “Pyramus” with his wife, Elizabeth, and three chilren, Mary, William and Thomas. He was 41 years of age and retired from the navy after 30 years service. This service gave him due consideration when he applied for a grant of land. He was awarded 2560 acres and selected it on the northern side of the Manning. In his letters to the government, he used the aboriginal word “Taree” as the name of his selection.
His description of the selection to the Suveyor General was: “... to the westward of the Dawson River ......northerly from a bight or bend in the River Manning, just above the western corner of Dumaresque Island ....... the whole of the neck of land formed by the Bend of the River and as much of the adjoining land to the northward as will complete number of acres authorized to be selected.”
The Wynter family, and the four convicts assigned to them, stayed at “Goonal Goonal” briefly before moving to their Taree Estate on the treeless flats opposite present day Tinonee.
1830
Guilding lost his estate after mortgage problems, and left the district. William Wynter was the only settler on the Manning.
1834
William Wynter wrote to the Colonial Secretary stating that there were now a number of groups of squatters who had arrived on the Manning and were cutting cedar trees. He had his own cedar cutting site called ’The Cedar Party’ (near present-day Wingham)
William Wynter had his own boat, the ’Tarree’, 48 tons with two masts, built on the Manning. It commenced trading along the NSW coast in September. He had complained that, as he was alone and the river entrance was dangerous, ships had been reluctant to visit and trade with him.
1835
The government tried to control cedar cutting by issuing licences. William Wynter and Dr. Fattorini were the first on the Manning to receive licences.
[Red Cedar was highly valuable and used for many things, especially furniture. It obtained a beautiful red lustre when polished - but only matured after growing for 100 years or more. It can only grow in the middle of rainforests. Giant cedars can grow for 1000 years and be over 35 metres tall.]
1837
First properties bought were:
’Braynbyn’ (later known as ’Brimbin’), 960 acres, on the Dawson River by A. C. Innes.
’Mondrook’, 980 acres, on the Manning opposite the ’Tarree’ estate by C. Steele.
’Mt. George’, 895 acres, by Isabella Mary Kelly.
An unnamed property of 726 acres further up river from Mt. George by T. Steele.
’Purfleet’, 1280 acres, south of Tarree, by W. Caswell (1838).
1840
Henry Flett, a Scot, first took up land at Killawarra. He later married Mary Wynter, daughter of William Wynter, and bought her father’s estate, ’Tarree’.
1841
The population on the Manning reached about 300 in 1841.
Below are figures taken from the 1841 census:
Brown’s Creek - 7
Brymbyn - 9 and 2 servants
Bungy Bungy - 30 and 8 servants
Cateye - 6
Cedar Party - 12
Croki - 13 with 7 servants
Cundle Cundle - 35 and 3 servants
Duramba - 7 and 4 servants
Johnson’s Station - 7 and 5 servants
Killawarra - 21 and 13 servants
Koory Island (Jones Island) - 15
Lewis’ Station - 11 and 10 servants
Mitchell Island - 5 and 1 servant
Mondrook - 15
Mt. George - 13 and 8 servants
Pelican Island - 14
Tarree - 25 with 14 servants
Yakengat - 15
N.B. The "servants" were "assigned servants", who were convicts assigned to settlers.
1842
The ’Sovereign’, 119 tons and under the command of Captain Cape, successfully entered the Manning River. It ran aground on shallow flats near the mouth but floated off several hours later before proceeding up river to Taree. There she loaded 94 bales of wool as well as a quantity of wheat. It was the largest ship up to this time to enter the Manning.
1844
The village of Wingham is proclaimed. It had been surveyed by John Gormon under instructions from the Surveyor-General. It was chosen for a number of reasons:
Boats of a reasonable size were not able to travel further up river.
It was central to existing farms.
It was on the high road between Maitland and Port Macquarie.
The river was fordable at low tide.
Although it was proclaimed there was not a great demand for village lots.
1854
In September, village lots at Wingham were sold at public auction..
Henry Flett, who now owned the Tarree estate, set aside about 100 acres for the establishment of the village of Taree. He laid out the streets and named them. In December, a total of 40 allotments were sold at a public auction.
The Martin Bridge
The opening of the Martin Bridge across the Manning River at Taree in 1940 was a major event and opened a new era in Manning Valley history.
Before the bridge the Pacific Highway, such as it was, wound up through Gloucester, Krambach, across the Manning by punt at Tinonee, then through Taree.
In 1936, tenders were called for the building of a bridge over
the Manning at Taree to cost £60 000 (the final cost was
£97 000 or $194 000 - but 1940 value).
- it had to have a carriageway above any possible flood level
- it had to have a span which could be elevated to allow shipping
to pass under it.
Construction began in early 1938 and took two years.
The bridge was opened by the Premier of NSW, Mr. Alexander Mair.
During the Opening Ceremony the lifting span was elevated and the droger passed under the bridge.
5After the official opening a large crowd crossed the bridge.
After the bridge opened, the punts ceased operating.
In 1952 the Pacific Highway was re-routed from from Hexham - Stroud - Gloucester - Krambach - Taree to Hexham - Stroud - Buladelah - Nabiac - Taree
In 1963 the Pacific Highway was again re-routed: Hexham - Karuah - Buladelah - Nabiac - Taree
In 1997 Taree was by-passed by a dual carriage expressway
with bridges onto and off Dumaresque Island.
Reference: http://www.manninghistorical.org/P&E.htm