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Buildings

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  • Carlyle Hospital Wingham: Nurse Phyllis Bidner
    In 1929 Fassifern Private Hospital in William Street, Wingham became known as Carlyle Hospital; a residence transformed into a hospital. As a young woman, Phyllis Bidner joined the nursing staff in 1951 and had one week in which to make her two blue uniforms and cap. The life of a nurse in the 1950s was…
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  • Majestic Theatre Gloucester
    The history of the Majestic Theatre is as dramatic as the movies that played there for over half a century. In 1926 Albert Augustus Smith, baker, bought the property and built a bakery and a picture show. The theatre, with seating for 400, opened on 21 August 1926 with Charlie Chaplin’s “Gold Rush” being one…
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  • Brinawa School
    The Bulga Plateau in the rugged Wingham hinterland has always been somewhat inaccessible and sparsely populated: however a school was established in the Bulgong (now Elands) village in 1916. In the mid 1920s, the scattered settlers to the west of the village petitioned the government to provide another facility in the locality of Brinawa to…
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  • Glenthorne Public School: Segregated history
    Glenthorne Provisional School opened in a room on Thomas Trotter’s farm “Orange Grove” in July 1877 with an enrolment of 36 students. Within three years, under the tutelage of Miss Eliza Plummer, the school became a Public school. In 1891 a more permanent brick building was erected, while in 1906 a cottage was moved from…
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  • The wrecking of the Empress of India
    The schooner, Empress of India, was travelling from Port Macquarie to Sydney loaded with sawn hardwood when she encountered fierce weather. Captain Peter Williams sheltered in Cape Hawke Bay but during the night the winds were so violent that the ship started leaking and was in danger of being driven ashore...
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  • ‘Belmont’ House, Tinonee
    Perched on a hill overlooking a bend in the Manning River is the heritage-listed house ‘Belmont’ at 4 Washington Street, Tinonee. The Gollan family owned this property for over 100 years...
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  • Bohnock Literary Institute Hall
    Before 1925 the people of Bohnock had to travel long distances to attend dances and other night-time functions. After many years of discussing building a community hall, the dream finally came to fruition in 1925. Local identities, Vic and Ettie Carle, generously donated a corner section of their property on Bohnock Road for the purpose…
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  • Call of the mermaids at Crowdy Head Lighthouse
    For centuries watery sirens have lured sailors and their vessels onto Mermaid Reef 10 kilometres off the coast of Crowdy Head creating sadness and destruction. In 1878 the government fought these forces by erecting a lighthouse to warn ships of their impending doom...
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  • Darawank Public School
    The former Darawank Public School is a heritage listed building and a fine example of a nineteenth century brick school in the New South Wales Mid-Coast region. The school was built on land owned by James Brown, a farmer, who bought 100 acres of farmland along the Wallamba River in 1889. Soon after, two acres…
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  • Shipwrecks at Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse
    Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse is one of the shortest lighthouses in Australia yet it towers above the wild, dramatic coastline. Built in 1875 to warn of the perils of Seal Rocks, it was Colonial Architect James Barnet’s first lighthouse design. Shipwrecks were an unfortunate part of life. In 1876 three vessels stranded simultaneously during a storm.…
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  • Taree Literary Institute
    Tucked away upstairs from the busyness of Victoria Street is a hidden gem that has been operating for over 150 years, the Taree Literary Institute. Also known as Schools of Arts, Literary Institutes were established to provide a combination of adult education and recreation facilities and often became the heart of small town activities...
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  • The Walter Plummer Hall
    ‘The Walter Plummer Hall’ is a two-storey brick building situated in the heart of the Taree Showgrounds. It was built in 1910 as an exhibition hall for the new showgrounds. Some declaring it ‘the best hall outside the great cities of the state’. Walter Plummer was an auctioneer and one of the most popular men in the district.
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  • Clancy's furniture store Taree
    Walking through Clancy’s furniture store one wonders what was this building’s prior use? An old sign referring to a bakery is not an item for sale but instead a signal to the past...
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  • Boomerang Theatre
    “Drum roll please! Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight at the Boomerang Theatre…Blind-folded Boxing!” In 1921, Taree Theatre was open for business...
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  • Taree West Public School
    Taree West Public School, aka the best school ever, opened in January 1953. Since then it has changed a lot. Let’s take a trip down memory lane to see how the school began...
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  • Geoffrey Blake Hammond
    Geoffrey Blake Hammond was born 1898, Wingham and served in WW1. He was granted land under the Returned Soldiers Settlement Act of 1916...
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  • Wingham School of Arts
    The first School of Arts in Wingham began in 1875 in a single-storey building at 23-29 Isabella Street…
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  • Craft Cottage: 77 Pulteney Street, Taree
    Following the death of the then owner George De Fraine of Sydney, vacant land having frontages to Pulteney, High and Wynter Streets was sold in 1908…
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  • Tunbridge Wells, 81 High Street, Taree
    Henry Wilson Alcorn began his life on the Manning as a farmer and later advertised his services as a brick merchant and building contractor. He constructed many brick buildings around Taree, including the Exchange Hotel and his own home 'Tunbridge Wells'…
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  • Fire at the Bellevue Hotel, Tuncurry
    In the early hours of 13 July 1954, a fire started within the Bellevue Hotel at Tuncurry…
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  • The old red shed and a tornado
    One of the few buildings that survived the march of time on the Strathcedar property that had been owned by Royden and Florence Newell in the 1900s was the house and the old red shed...
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  • Wesley Chambers, 146 Victoria Street, Taree
    For two separate Councils to occupy premises in the same regional town is not unheard of, but to occupy space just across the hallway in the same building ... now that is unusual…
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  • Peters Factory, Railway Parade, Chatham
    The Peters group of companies was founded by American born Frederick Peters who, in 1907, saw an opening in the Australian market for ice-cream, which was not then commonly available…
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  • The Exchange Hotel, 154 Victoria Street, Taree
    A new brick hotel, constructed by local contractor H W Alcorn, was built on the corner of Victoria and Manning Street opposite Clerke’s butcher shop…
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  • 'Holmlea' Copeland
    In 1889, Joseph Fallon bought crown land, Section 8 Lot 1, in the village of Copeland. He sold it a year later to Janet Higgins…
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  • Nigel Kennedy and Fotheringham’s Hotel Taree
    Nigel Kennedy is an English violinist, famous for bringing classical music to the masses when he sold over two million copies of his above album in 1989. But did you know of his connection to Taree?
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  • Fotheringham’s Hotel, Taree
    Fotheringham’s Hotel (affectionately called Fog’s) in Victoria Street, Taree started out as the Commercial Hotel and was owned by John Keats, then Alfred McCartney…
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  • Ladies’ Old Bar Surf Club
    In September 1930, a proposal to form a Ladies’ Surf Bathing Club at Old Bar in conjunction with the Old Bar Surf Club was eagerly adopted and five weeks later the club house was complete…
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  • 32 Eric Street, Taree
    32 Eric Street, Taree is a modest, yet eminently practical residential development, which has stood the test of time...
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  • Dorothy Hayter Memorial and 2BOB Radio Station
    On 29 July 1949, 4 year old Dorothy Hayter was playing in Railway Parade, Chatham just near the Peters Creameries Factory with her sisters and other children from the street…
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  • Timber Building, Taree Park
    This building was purchased in 1985 by the fledgling 2BOB Radio. The purchase price was $2,000 with a small annual lease payment to NSW Department of Lands...
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  • Library and Visitor Information Centre, Gloucester
    In 1937 George Harold Matthewson, a well-known stock and station auctioneer in Gloucester, built new premises for his next venture – a car and farm machinery sales centre…
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  • Former Union Church, Craven
    The village of Craven was settled in the early years of the twentieth century. For many years there was no church in the village…
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  • Gloucester Advocate
    The Gloucester Advocate newspaper was founded by Frank Townshend who released the first issue 8 July 1905...
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  • Waukivory Community Hall
    In 1903 The Gloucester Estate Ltd purchased a large tract of land from the Australian Agricultural Company and embarked on a programme of staged subdivision...
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  • ‘Bridgecourt’, 9 Commerce Street, Taree
    In 1949 Edward Rupert Payten invested the not inconsiderable sum of £11,000 in the construction of a ‘hostel’ on the corner of Albert Lane and Commerce Street...
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  • The Star Theatre, Gloucester
    George O’Gorman Boustead was a Gloucester mechanic who had a passion for moving pictures. He is credited with bringing the ‘talkies’ to Gloucester...
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  • Majestic Cafe, Gloucester
    In 1926 picture show proprietor and baker, Albert Augustus Smith, built the Majestic Theatre and a year later constructed a shop (café) and five-roomed dwelling next door called the Majestic Café...
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  • St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Gloucester
    St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Gloucester was opened Wednesday 19 December 1906 and was celebrated by a service followed by photos, tea and a meeting...
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  • Tahlee House
    Nestled in the grounds of Tahlee Ministries near Carrington is the beautiful, heritage-listed ‘Tahlee House’. It was built in 1826 by the Australian Agricultural Company...
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  • Waukivory School
    In 1907 The Gloucester Estate Ltd put to auction the first blocks in the so called Waukivory Subdivision. As the land was taken up the community saw the need for a school…
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  • "Merton", 3 Macquarie Street, Taree
    In November 1903 George Ford, a Taree butcher, paid £50 for land in Macquarie Street, being Lot 17 in Section 15…
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  • Former Manning River Times Building, Taree
    Taree’s local newspaper, the Manning River Times, has a long history dating back to January 1869 when the first issue was published by Charles Boyce and George Buckleton…
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  • Former National Australia Bank, Taree
    Hardly recognisable today (2019) in its Priceline Pharmacy livery, this building started life in 1935 as a branch of the National Australia Bank…
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  • St Luke’s Anglican Church, West Street, Coopernook
    St Luke’s Anglican Church at Coopernook is built on land donated by William Newton of “Coopernook House”...
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  • St Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Taree
    On 28 July 1869 the Taree Presbyterian Church was opened by Rev. James Cameron of Richmond with the presiding minister Rev. J S Laing delivering the first sermon in the evening…
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  • Manning River VJ Sailing Club
    Sailing resumed on the Manning River after WW2. When the VJ Club was established in 1947 it occupied the North Coast Steam Navigation Company wharf...
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  • Former Rural Bank of NSW, Taree
    On Tuesday 25 June 1935 at 10am the newly built Taree branch of the Rural Bank of NSW opened for general business. The opening of the bank...
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  • Old Bar Public School
    In November 2019, Old Bar Public School celebrated the completion of their new building. As students proudly showed off their modern learning place...
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  • Badgers to Boogie Woogie, 31 David Street, Old Bar
    For over a century, tourists have frequented the seaside village of Old Bar. The building on the corner of David and Clerke Streets was, and still is, central to the ‘vibe’ of the town…
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  • The Davey holiday home, Hawks Nest
    Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest were sleepy little villages when Joyce Davey first ventured there in the 1930s. Hawks Nest was the main area but not much more than a few bush tracks...
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  • Taree Old Bar Surf Life Saving Club
    On New Year’s Day 1928 a meeting was held to discuss the formation of a surf club at Old Bar. A week earlier on Boxing Day there had been almost 4000 beachgoers...
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  • 41 Florence Street, Taree
    I have always admired the lovely house that sits on the corner of Florence and Wynter Streets, Taree. The property was part of the original Taree estate granted to William Wynter in 1834…
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  • 9 Smith Street, Taree
    The land on which the heritage-listed brick house at 9 Smith Street is situated, was part of the Taree West End Estate granted to William Wynter in June 1839...
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  • The Steam Packet Hotel, Taree
    It was here that he erected an hotel reputedly known as the “Ship Inn”, and later the “Steam Packet Hotel”…
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  • The Bridge Service Station, Cnr Victoria and Commerce Streets, Taree
    In the early 1920s Russian born John Kusnetzoff and his family arrived in Queensland. He later moved to NSW and joined the staff at Sanders Dairy…
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  • The Columbian Café – a glimpse of Taree in the Great Depression
    In 1931 John Foster opened a new business, the Columbian Café and Accommodation House, in Victoria Street, Taree…
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  • 35 Victoria Street, Taree
    As the township of Taree continued to expand in 1912, the land at Section 82 along Victoria Street was offered for sale…
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  • Rushby Casino
    Vic Rushby had a secret. During the week he was the ‘mild-mannered’ manager of Rushby Shoes, while on the weekend he unleashed his superhero powers on Old Bar…
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  • Dr Morse’s Indian Root Pills
    These little amber bottles, discovered in the mudbanks of the Wallamba River, were once found in most Australian households particularly from the late 1890s to 1940s…
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  • “Mimosa” 25 Edinburgh Drive, Taree
    “Mimosa” is a beautiful brick home built in 1920 and brings together two of Taree’s most industrious people from the turn of the 20th century…
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  • “Invermay”, 70 Wynter Street, Taree
    The story of “Invermay” is connected to the story of Catherine Thomson. Catherine was a commercial institution in Taree…
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  • “Rito” 25 David Street, Old Bar
    “Rito” at 25 David Street is known as the second oldest surviving house in Old Bar…
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  • Sauzier’s “Sanitarium House”
    One of the earliest buildings in Old Bar, apart from the Pavilion, was John Sauzier’s “Sanitarium House”. It was a wooden guesthouse that catered for...
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  • Hobson’s Store - 135 Victoria Street, Taree
    Late in 1922 an imposing two storied commercial building was under construction in Victoria Street, near the intersection with Manning Street...
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  • 1 Manning Street, Taree
    This building is a rare survivor. A purpose-built dental surgery, constructed for Cuth Haddan in 1938…
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  • Cape Hawke Memorial Hospital
    After WWII, the population of Forster-Tuncurry had almost doubled and there was a growing need for a local hospital…
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  • Hector Haden
    Hector Haden was born in Liverpool, Sydney in 1894 and moved to Forster with his family when his father was appointed engineer of the Dredge Forster…
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  • Forster Ocean Baths and Casino
    The Forster Ocean Baths opened on 20 December 1935 with an official ceremony conducted on 18 January 1936. The baths and buildings were designed by…
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  • 22 Canget Street, Wingham: A women’s affair
    During an era when most women did not have control over their finances, this house represents a diversion from that norm…
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  • 12 Alban Street, Taree
    12 Alban Street, Taree sits on traditional Birrbay land which later became part of the 2560 acres granted to William Wynter in 1839...
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  • “Malvern” 120 Manning Street, Taree
    Ray Hurst has been a long time resident of 120 Manning Street, Taree and was interested in the history of this old house. Here is what we found…
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  • Temple Chambers - 138 Victoria Street, Taree
    Manning born David Cowan had established a legal practice in Taree in 1899. In 1921 a fire threatened his offices which were then located in the Belmore Hall, a timber building in Pulteney Street, Taree…
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  • Mayo Private Hospital
    Doctors Frank Oliver Stokes and Allen Muscio opened the Mayo Private Hospital in Taree with the first patients being treated in January 1921...
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  • Croquet in Taree
    Following a public meeting of interested persons in Taree in April 1937, the formation of Taree Croquet Club took place on 7 August of that year…
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  • 19 River Street, Taree
    For nearly a century this beautiful timber house at 19 River Street, Taree has overlooked the Manning River. Florence Emma Billingham…
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  • Archaeological dig at Taree Police Station
    In December 2018 an archaeological excavation began at the site of the Taree Police Station. The dig uncovered the remains of four cesspits…
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We acknowledge the traditional owners, the Biripi and Worimi people, on whose lands these stories are told. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised this website contains images and voices of deceased people. The stories of the MidCoast could not be told without recognising their stories. Do you wish to proceed?