Naming of Scotts Creek

Scotts Creek starts at the junction of the Manning River near Croki and divides Oxley and Mitchells Islands as it snakes to the south channel of the Manning River. It was named by Surveyor Greaves after the first purchaser of land on Mitchells Island, George Scott.¹

George was born in Luthrie, Scotland in 1821 and at the age of seven began work as a seaman where he learned the trade of boat building.² Following his marriage to Mary Ann Boyle in 1841 the pair boarded the “Ann Milne” and came to Australia as assisted immigrants.³ After completing their employment commitments in Maitland, Allyn and Paterson Rivers, they moved to Sydney before settling on Mitchells Island. George helped build the ship “Fanny Fisher” and secured employment at Pelican boat building yard.⁴

His property, at the mouth of Scotts Creek, was named ‘Rosebank’ after the roses that grew wild along the creek and river. Presbyterian Rev Carter, the first settled clergyman in the area, visited the house regularly to preach. George teamed up with the Donaldson brothers to build a sawmill on the adjoining property, but they were unable to make it pay.⁵ After working all day George would build boats in his spare time producing a vessel a month.

Eventually the Scott family left the Manning Valley and settled near Walcha on a property called “Blink Bonnie”. George built many of the older buildings in the district. He died aged 80 years in 1901.⁶ Luthrie Island and surrounding waterways in the Manning River were named after George’s place of birth.⁷

Author: Janine Roberts

Sponsored by the Old Bar Manning Point Business & Community Association and supported by Create NSW’s Cultural Grant Program, a devolved funding program administered by the Royal Australian Historical Society on behalf of the NSW Government.