Skip to content
 
Facebook
Share
midcoaststories.com
midcoaststories.commidcoaststories.com
  • About
  • Stories
  • Share Your Story
  • Rate Books
  • Resources
    • Educational Resources
    • General Resources
  • Photos
    • Commerce Photos
    • StreetScapes Photos
    • Recreation Photos
    • Organisations Photos
    • Events Photos
    • Transport Photos
  • Links
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Home
  • About
  • Stories
  • Share Your Story
  • Photos
    • Transport Photos
    • Commerce Photos
    • StreetScapes Photos
    • Recreation Photos
    • Organisations Photos
    • Events Photos
  • Rate Books
  • Resources
    • General Resources
    • Educational Resources
  • Links
  • Contact
  • Pixie O’Harris paintings
    In 1957, renowned Australian illustrator and author, Pixie O’Harris, painted a series of 24 murals for the Children’s Ward of the Manning River District Hospital in Taree. The paintings (measuring around 1.5 m x 1 m) depict scenes from children’s stories including Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty and Robin Hood...
    Read More
    Map
  • 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?
    Read More
    Map
  • James Hickey Stevens
    James Hickey Stevens, known as ‘Jim’ to all, was the second son of George and Eliza Stevens of ‘Killarney’, Dyers Crossing...
    Read More
    Map
  • Just a child: Private John Lancelot Andrews
    John Lancelot Andrews enlisted in December 1916 to fight with the Australian Imperial Forces in World War 1. Within three months he was a private in the Lewis Machine Gun Section of the 54th Battalion and encamped in England...
    Read More
    Map
  • Pindimar Shark Factory
    “Every shark taken by us lessens the chance of your being taken by a shark.” This was the catchcry of Marine Industries Ltd who in 1929…
    Read More
    Map
  • Edward Langley (Teddy) Whitbread
    Edward Langley Whitbread is buried in Woola Cemetery on the outskirts of Taree. The headstone describes his death on the 12th February 1909 as accidental. Look a little closer and you may be able to make out a jockey’s cap and crop incised into the stone. A local lad, Teddy Whitbread was born in 1888 and…
    Read More
    Map
  • When Hollywood came to Gloucester
    In the 1930s visiting the cinema was a favourite pastime. Most films shown in Australia at that time were Hollywood productions and, in 1935, the NSW government took steps to promote the Australian film industry...
    Read More
    Map
  • Empire Day in Taree
    Empire Day was first celebrated on 24 May 1902 after the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. The day was celebrated across the British Empire with parties, festivals, and patriotic dances. But Empire Day wasn’t entirely normal...
    Read More
    Map
  • 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…
    Read More
    Map
  • Manning Steam Laundry
    In the mid 1960s whilst undertaking work on the Chapman Place parking area, traces of brickwork were uncovered which were believed to be part of an underground well used by the Manning Steam Laundry. Henry W Alcorn was a local builder who, in 1915, saw the potential in developing a commercial laundry to service Taree…
    Read More
    Map
  • Those rascally rabbits: Broughton Island rabbit experiment
    Audiences tend to love fictional rabbits such as Thumper or Bugs Bunny, but in Australia rabbits have caused widespread environmental and economic devastation since their introduction in the 1850s. Governments have spent millions of dollars fighting these pests. In 1906, Broughton Island became the scene of one such attempt. Microbiologist Dr Danysz from the…
    Read More
    Map
  • 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…
    Read More
    Map
  • 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…
    Read More
    Map
  • Yarads Taree
    “We are here to stay!” declared Callile Abraham Yarad and his son Michael Callile ‘Mick’ in this 1933 advertisement of their store’s opening...
    Read More
    Map
  • The Australian Agricultural Company: Introduction
    The Australian Agricultural Company (AACo) is Australia’s oldest continuous company. It was established in 1824 through an Act of British Parliament for the purpose of improving flocks of Merino sheep...
    Read More
    Map
  • Violet Isobel Jobson: 1912-1934
    On the morning of 12 April 1934, Violet Jobson, a young waitress at the Harrington Hotel, started her shift about 6.30am, but was too ill to work…
    Read More
    Map
  • Old Taree Showgrounds
    Did you know that the Taree Showgrounds near Muldoon Street were not always there? We have discovered that they were much closer to the centre of Taree. Read on to learn more...
    Read More
    Map
  • Tommy Boomer / Bulmer
    Tommy Boomer / Bulmer was born at Dingo Creek in 1865. He was a very good fisherman and diver, catching up to 10 lobsters each time...
    Read More
    Map
  • Toki Simon: The smiling assassin
    Toki William Simon was a Biripi man born in Forster, NSW in 1915. When he was young, Toki worked with his family to craft cabbage tree furniture at Forster. He also played rugby league for Cape Hawke being regularly identified as one of the team’s best players. In 1939 Toki married Joyce Dungay from Taree. World…
    Read More
    Map
  • George Stevens of 'Killarney' Dyers Crossing
    George Stevens was 79 years of age when he died at ‘Killarney’, Dyers Crossing surrounded by family. He had been active until four months prior to his death.
    Read More
    Map
  • 'Joker' the cattle dog
    'Horrie the War Dog’ is a well-known Australian novel documenting the true story of Private Moody and his dog during World War II. But did you know that Old Bar had its own war dog? His name was Joker...
    Read More
    Map
  • 2 Commerce Street, Taree
    Between 1903 and 1906, William Wrigley bought 5 lots of land on the corner of River and Commerce Streets, Taree. William was a builder and carpenter and after completing his apprenticeship in Sydney he went to South Africa where the building trade was flourishing. He returned to Australia in 1898 and spent the next 44 years…
    Read More
    Map
  • Louis Debreceny – Entrepreneur
    Allen Street, Deb Street, Louis Street, Eric Street, Georges Lane, etc, have you ever wondered about the origin of these Taree street names? Read on to find out...
    Read More
    Map
  • ‘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...
    Read More
    Map
  • Taree gaslight foot races
    “And in first place we have A. Worthing with M. Brislane close behind, followed by R. Tonkin”. Imagine the atmosphere of hundreds of people trying to find a spot to watch the Taree Gaslight Races...
    Read More
    Map
  • 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…
    Read More
    Map
  • The Man in the Hut
    Around the 1940s an unassuming man moved into a hut on the edge of the ocean at Crowdy Head. At times he worked in the Fishermen’s Cooperative, becoming well known to the locals. With no electricity or modern conveniences, he lived a simple, hermit-like lifestyle.
    Read More
    Map
  • The well in the Art Gallery Carpark
    On Friday 25 May 2018, as excavators were constructing a carpark for the Manning Regional Art Gallery in Macquarie Street, Taree, an old brick well was uncovered. Seeing the handmade bricks...
    Read More
    Map
  • Alice Ann Withycombe – an exemplary seamstress
    A finely carved headstone in Woola Cemetery, near Taree, marks the final resting place of Alice Ann Withycombe…
    Read More
    Map
  • Graham Barclay: Water ski champion
    As a young man, Graham Barclay played professional rugby league football before a serious knee injury ended his career…
    Read More
    Map
  • 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...
    Read More
    Map
  • 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…
    Read More
    Map
  • The Blue Cross - Taree landmark
    The Blue Cross atop the tower of St John’s Anglican Church in Victoria Street has long been prominent on the Taree skyline...
    Read More
    Map
  • Vincenzo Fazio (1865-1962)
    Driving around Tuncurry, you may notice iconic sites such as The Great Lakes Cinema, the abandoned BI-LO, and the Rockpool. But one lesser known locale is Fazio’s Transport and Bricks…
    Read More
    Map
  • Purfleet Butter Factory
    Most days I drive past the site where a magnificent butter factory once stood tall. The Purfleet Butter Factory was opened on 14 December 1897 by the Australian Dairying Company...
    Read More
    Map
  • The New Manning Valley Pioneers
    Around about 2003, we three couples were on the cusp of retiring from Sydney. We knew that as retirees we might have difficulty adjusting to a major move. So we thought, let’s move together...
    Read More
    Map
  • First television in Taree
    Peter and Dawn Calvin were proud owners of the first television in Taree. Owners of Calvin’s Electrical at 70 Manning Street (now 34 Manning Street), Taree they proudly showed off this technology to the Taree community in the early 1960s. Living behind the shop, they offered the television for everyone to enjoy. Dawn remembers that…
    Read More
    Map
  • Coded postcard message
    This postcard was bought by a stamp collector in 2009. Can you imagine his surprise when he turned the postcard over and discovered the coded message written on the back? He thought it was a message between teenagers but this is not so...
    Read More
    Map
  • The Great White Train
    The Great White Train steamed into Taree in the early hours of Thursday 2 September 1926...
    Read More
    Map
  • Level Crossing Smash, Wingham 1956
    On 7th January 1956, around 9.50pm, the southern bound North Coast Mail train No. 14 collided with a 1950 Studebaker utility, on the Wingham-Taree Road level crossing…
    Read More
    Map
  • Alfred Cavalchini: Baker, Confectioner and Photographer
    Italian born Alfred Cavalchini arrived in Sydney at the age of 16 in 1900. During World War I, Cavalchini took photographic portraits of young men as they headed to war in their uniforms...
    Read More
    Map
  • 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...
    Read More
    Map
  • Private Willie Alway
    When you find a personalised photo in your Aunt's collection from someone you have never heard of before, your curiosity can't help but get the better of you...
    Read More
    Map
  • The McAskill Murders, Booral Wharf
    In January 1878, the Booral Wharf store was alight and there was no sign of the wharfinger Alan McAskill or his wife Mary...
    Read More
    Map
  • Richard Stoddart – buried far from home
    Richard Stoddart did not die a lonely death. He was surrounded by friends, with, presumably, no thought that his life was about to be cut short...
    Read More
    Map
  • Taree’s Volunteer Air Observers Corps
    Tom Dyball was not only science master at Taree High School during World War II, he was Zone Commandant of the Volunteer Air Observers Corps (VAOC) in Taree…
    Read More
    Map
  • Andre Majerszky and the ‘Iron Chief’
    In April 1928, while Andre Majersky was working as a photographer at the Manning Studios in Taree, an unusual opportunity presented itself…
    Read More
    Map
  • Missing: Edith Margaret Smith
    On 20 July 1930, Edith Margaret Smith, her Pomeranian dog, jewellery and clothes went missing from her Gloucester home never to be seen again. It was not her husband Albert Augustus Smith who reported her missing but her mother who lived in Sydney...
    Read More
    Map
  • Father Patrick O'Regan
    Patrick O’Regan was one of three Irish born brothers who were ordained as priests and joined the catholic ministry in Australia.
    Read More
    Map
  • The joy and tragedy of young Michael Dunn
    Late in the afternoon on Thursday 23 July 1953 a four year old Taree boy, Michael Dunn, was reported missing at Coomba Park (Wallis Lake)…
    Read More
    Map
  • Mrs M E Williams' Refreshments Room
    Since 1908, Maud Elizabeth Williams had conducted a successful tea room in Church Street. She was a confectioner, fruiterer and pastry cook...
    Read More
    Map
  • Arthur William Mackenzie Mowle – Architect and Dairy Cattle Enthusiast
    Arthur was born at Bondi on 27 October 1894, the eldest son of William Stewart Mowle and grandson of Mr A K Mackenzie of “Boonara”, Bondi...
    Read More
    Map
  • 61-65 Church Street, Gloucester
    In December 1936, the finishing touches were being made to Mr Robert Kendall’s new business block. Designed and built by Mr E Patmore…
    Read More
    Map
  • George William (Gunyah) Green – timber craftsman
    The Bulga Plateau, is well known for the quality and abundance of its timber.  Large timber mills once provided employment for its menfolk, but one man had a lighter touch...
    Read More
    Map
  • Massacre at Belbora
    In 2017, the University of Newcastle began documenting massacres of Aboriginal people at the hands of early settlers. One such massacre occurred at Belbora…
    Read More
    Map
  • 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…
    Read More
    Map
  • Market Square, Cundletown
    In November 1854 an advertisement was placed in the Sydney newspaper Empire seeking the services of “a competent surveyor to lay out for sale the township of Cundle on the Manning River” The set out, and probably also the design, of this private township was subsequently awarded to Walter Clayton. Walter came from Sussex, England…
    Read More
    Map
  • Trooper Percy Lyon – 7th Light Horse Regiment
    Generally speaking, the names inscribed on war memorials indicate that the individual has experienced the horrors of the battlefield, but this is not always the case. For these exceptions, their stories are, nevertheless, poignant. Percival Ernest Lyon was born on 22 November 1891, the fourth son of James and Alice Lyon. His father was a…
    Read More
    Map
  • Croki Regatta
    In its heyday around 1900, Croki was a thriving village. Croki Regatta, an annual event, was a great drawcard. Some people paraded in their finest while others looked upon it simply as an excuse to let off steam. Boat races and competitive swimming featured, while a range of…
    Read More
    Map
  • Rare wooden grave marker
    This rare example of a legible wooden grave marker was found behind a shed at the Great Lakes Museum in 2014. It once marked the grave of 14 year old Joseph Edwin Hadley...
    Read More
    Map
  • Nicholas Boyaze
    Nicholas Boyaze (Voyatzis) was born in Crete and settled in Bohnock, a small township on the Manning River, where he managed oyster leases for the Comino Brothers…
    Read More
    Map
  • Sad tales of Glenthorne Public School’s teachers
    Glenthorne Public School operated for 63 years with nine teachers serving the small community. Of these teachers, four suffered tragic events while serving in their roles. William Percy was a popular teacher who loved playing cricket. He passed his pupil teacher’s examination at 13 and worked his way to full teacher. He taught at Glenthorne…
    Read More
    Map
  • The Flag Dress
    Amelia Ellis was a gifted needlewoman with her own business in Tinonee at the time of World War 1...
    Read More
    Map
  • Fire in Victoria Street, Taree, 1905
    Shortly before 7 pm on 29 November 1905, fire broke out in Victoria Street, Taree. It started in a small room at Donnelly’s Red Colonnade Store...
    Read More
    Map
  • “Tall Timbers” a tale of treachery and deceit
    The 1937 film “Tall Timbers” directed by Ken Hall featured many scenes shot in the vicinity of Stroud and Gloucester on the Mid North Coast of NSW…
    Read More
    Map
  • White's Corner, Gloucester
    Archibald Joseph White, prominent townsperson, Shire Councillor and District Coroner was found dead in a hut on his grazing property at Bundook in 1939. He had died of a heart attack soon after arriving there...
    Read More
    Map
  • Wingham School of Arts
    The first School of Arts in Wingham began in 1875 in a single-storey building at 23-29 Isabella Street…
    Read More
    Map
  • Sander’s Dairy
    Christian Sander, his wife and three daughters, arrived in Brisbane aboard the Japanese steamer “Aki Maru” in December 1923. Sander, an Estonian national, told of colourful adventures in escaping from the Bolshevik regime in Russia. Circa 1926 Sander commenced the production and sale of ice-cream in a small premises in Victoria Street, Taree. The success…
    Read More
    Map
  • The first Pilot of Cape Hawke Pilot Station
    On Pilot (Flagstaff) Hill overlooking Forster Harbour are the remains of a Pilot Station established in 1883. The first pilot, Captain Amor Hicks Kendall, took up residence at the new station where he remained until his retirement in 1908...
    Read More
    Map
  • Premonition at the Australian Hotel
    Mr Cregg, a well-known tea traveller, spent the night at Wingham’s Australian Hotel on Friday the 8 November 1901 where he had a vivid dream…
    Read More
    Map
  • 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…
    Read More
    Map
  • The Changing Fortunes of Algar and Cath Bunyard
    A headstone in Wingham Cemetery marks the final resting place of Algar Bunyard. He died in Taree on 22 July 1910 of cirrhosis of the liver, aged 47 years…
    Read More
    Map
  • The kindness of fisherman: Broughton Island
    Broughton Island’s pristine environment has long been popular with fishermen. In the 1880s Italian fishermen established a small settlement on the island followed later by Greek fishermen who arrived around WW1...
    Read More
    Map
  • Adelaide Hill of Zeal Cottage, Wingham
    Everybody loves a ghost story and Wingham has its very own. Zeal Cottage in Queen Street, Wingham is purportedly haunted by the house’s first owner, Adelaide Hill. But who was Adelaide Hill? The daughter of once wealthy parents John and Mary Hooke, Adelaide was born in NSW in 1833 and at an early age…
    Read More
    Map
  • Alban Albury Maloney
    At the south-western corner of Taree Park stand memorial gates dedicated to the memory of A A Maloney. But who was A A Maloney? Born in Albury in 1888, Alban Albury Maloney was a highly skilled dentist. He settled in Taree circa 1912, acquiring the dental practice formerly conducted by Mr H A Tuck. Following…
    Read More
    Map
  • Westcrag Lodge of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows
    The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows was conceived as a friendly society which provided financial support to its members in need and promoted their moral, social and intellectual development. It was established in Australia in the 1840s. Lodges proliferated in Australia and even small communities were able to generate sufficient numbers to form local Lodges…
    Read More
    Map
  • Eliza and George Stevens' Daughters
    Dyers Crossing pioneers, Eliza and George Stevens, had nine children. Below are brief details of the lives of their four daughters...
    Read More
    Map
  • 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…
    Read More
    Map
  • The Bungay Ghost
    In December 1887, Mr R Cameron, a highly respected resident of Bungay, was riding home from Wingham one evening when a ghost in black rode up to him...
    Read More
    Map
  • 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...
    Read More
    Map
  • Australian Botanical Products Limited
    In the early years of the 20th century, Eric McMaster arrived in the Nabiac area. In 1912 he married Catherine (Katie) McKinnon, the youngest daughter of the late Captain Donald McKinnon of Glen-Ora, Nabiac.
    Read More
    Map
  • 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...
    Read More
    Map
  • Air Pageant and Aviator’s Ball – Taree 1930
    In the 1920s the fledgling aviation industry was thriving and progressive towns wanted an aerodrome. Thus it came to pass that a portion of Taree Showground was combined with adjoining land donated by Mr H Beeton to provide Taree’s first in-town aerodrome. The official opening was celebrated with an air pageant and aviator’s ball on 7…
    Read More
    Map
  • One of the first trucks and mail run in Strathcedar
    One of the first trucks in Strathcedar was a 1926 Chevrolet with a wooden cab. It was purchased by Royden Robert Newell and wife Florence, and was used to take their cream cans to the Wingham Factory…
    Read More
    Map
  • Tinonee Ghost
    Just imagine you are roaming around an empty paddock when you hear a mysterious sound, you turn around and come face-to-face with a … GHOST???!!!
    Read More
    Map
  • David Stirling Sharpe: Surveyor
    David Stirling Sharpe was a land surveyor who worked for many years in the Manning region...
    Read More
    Map
  • Henry Woodward, Oyster Merchant
    Henry Woodward has been called ‘Father of Australia’s oyster industry’ after he was granted the first ever oyster lease in 1884. The lease was No. 41 in Breckenridge Channel, Wallis Lake – just off Little Street, Forster...
    Read More
    Map
  • Manning Miniature Golf
    171 Victoria Street, Taree – the heart of the CBD – not the most obvious place for a golf course, albeit a miniature course. But, for a short time, one did exist there...
    Read More
    Map
  • Wingham Brush
    Imagine this…it is 1920 and you are travelling along Isabella Street, Wingham. You see an enormous fig tree on one side and foliage on the other. At the end of the street is the Wingham Wharf leading onto the Manning River. What is this place?
    Read More
    Map
  • 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...
    Read More
    Map
  • Chinese Market Garden of Wingham
    Just north of the Cedar Party Bridge at Wingham is the site of an old Chinese market garden that was originally worked by Ben Lee (Yee Sow) in the early 1900s...
    Read More
    Map
  • A sawmiller and beef farmer
    When Trevor Newell inherited 160 acres in 1974 from his parents Royden and Florence Newell, at Strathcedar on the Mooral Creek Road, it was going back to tea tree scrub and weeds...
    Read More
    Map
  • 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…
    Read More
    Map
  • A successful farmer with a wooden leg
    After losing a leg due to an accident with a cricket ball, Royden Robert Newell made use of a wooden replacement…
    Read More
    Map
  • Wingham Wharf
    The remnants of the Wingham Wharf have witnessed nearly 190 years of activity. Apart from stories of the timber and shipping industries, there are tales of celebration, sadness and madness. Read on…
    Read More
    Map
  • Tom L Dudgeon – Stonemason
    Born in 1884, Tom Dudgeon followed in his father’s footsteps and became a stonemason…
    Read More
    Map
  • George Cassimaty: Local hero
    George Cassimaty was a well-known business identity in Taree running a fruit exchange and refreshment rooms in Manning and Victoria Streets for many years. Born on the Greek island of Kythira, it can be imagined that George knew how to swim. On 8 December 1923, two year old Gwen Graham was playing in her…
    Read More
    Map
  • 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…
    Read More
    Map
  • Camphor Laurel Trees, Albert Street, Taree
    In the early twentieth century, the planting of street trees for town beautification was strongly advocated...
    Read More
    Map
  • Redex, The World’s Toughest Car Trials
    Redex Trials were novel with 200 amateur and pro drivers circumnavigating Australia in a contest. Bill Nelson was always passionate about cars and talked his mate into...
    Read More
    Map
  • Nurse Avery’s Private Hospital, Tea Gardens
    In 1927, Mabel Avery completed her training in Midwifery in Sydney before opening a private hospital in the large house called ‘Glengarry’, Myall Street, Tea Gardens...
    Read More
    Map
  • Secret under the Taree Railway
    Just a railway station? Or a Lodge Motel? You would never believe what actually lies beneath!
    Read More
    Map
  • Sewing Lessons at Mitchell’s Island Public School
    The year was 1973 and on Thursdays, sewing was on the agenda at Mitchell’s Island Public School (for girls only of course!)...
    Read More
    Map
  • Not all wartime tragedies happen on the battlefield
    On the Bulga Plateau, in the Wingham hinterland, a small number of blocks were set aside for selection by returned service personnel after their repatriation following World War I...
    Read More
    Map
  • Prickly Pear Cough Syrup – a local speciality?
    Until the mid nineteenth century cochineal was highly sought after as the pre-eminent agent to produce a rich, vibrant red dye. It was the substance used to colour the British army ‘Red Coat’ uniforms…
    Read More
    Map
  • Hannah Webster
    On 12 November 1913, Hannah, daughter of Mr and Mrs John Wallis, was married at her father’s homestead “Ellerslie”, Bulga. The bridegroom was Benjamin Webster, a timber worker many years her senior. Hannah and Benjamin settled into life on the Plateau. However, over the years relations between them soured and, notwithstanding their large family, they…
    Read More
    Map
  • 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…
    Read More
    Map
  • How 'Poitrel' brought a touch of glamour to Taree
    Poitrel was a chestnut stallion, a racehorse, best known as the 1920 winner of the Melbourne Cup...
    Read More
    Map
  • 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'…
    Read More
    Map
  • '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…
    Read More
    Map
  • Taree’s Big Oyster, 100 Manning River Drive
    On Friday 30 March 1990, the NSW Premier, Nick Greiner, opened Taree’s newest tourist attraction – the Big Oyster…
    Read More
    Map
  • John Cassimaty: Café owner
    John Cassimaty opened his first cafe in 1911 in Victoria Street known as the ‘Elite Refreshment Rooms’…
    Read More
    Map
  • 32 Eric Street, Taree
    32 Eric Street, Taree is a modest, yet eminently practical residential development, which has stood the test of time...
    Read More
    Map
  • It's the way we have in Tinonee.....
    John Martin Waterman’s talent was apparent when in 1929 he was awarded a special prize in a state wide essay writing competition run by the Dickens Fellowship…
    Read More
    Map
  • Blackout Practice
    Blackouts were considered the best form of defence against possible night time bombardment and practice drills were initially held in Sydney…
    Read More
    Map
  • Albert Augustus Smith
    Albert Augustus Smith was a baker who owned ‘The Old Bakery’ in Comboyne, and a bakery and the ‘Majestic Theatre’ in Church Street, Gloucester. After his wife’s disappearance in 1930 police searched his ovens but found no clues, only a length of fuse which they could not link to the case...
    Read More
    Map
  • 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...
    Read More
    Map
  • 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...
    Read More
    Map
  • Bombardier John Daniel Stevens
    John Stevens, known as Jack to all, was the eldest son of George and Eliza Stevens of Dyers Crossing…
    Read More
    Map
  • "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…
    Read More
    Map
  • 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.
    Read More
    Map
  • 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...
    Read More
    Map
  • The Wrecking of the Urana
    It was just after 9pm on the night of 31 August 1937 when the Postmaster at Old Bar noticed the impending disaster – ship’s lights looming out of the fog and heading towards submerged rocks just off shore. The Urana, a steamer carrying 100 tons of coal from Newcastle en route to the Macleay River,…
    Read More
    Map
  • Channell's, 54 Church Street, Gloucester
    Henry James Channell was a hairdresser in Sydney with two salons in Park and George Streets. In 1907 he and his brother Arthur bought land at the Waukivory Subdivision...
    Read More
    Map
  • Harry Bennett Park, Taree
    Harry Bennett Park is located off River Street, Taree on the Manning riverfront, visible to all who cross the Martin Bridge…
    Read More
    Map
  • Baheeg 'Bill' Saad: Manning Cafe, Taree
    Baheeg ‘Bill’ Saad was born in Douma, Lebanon in 1907. He was a well-known business man who established...
    Read More
    Map
  • Tinonee Broom Factories
    Tinonee was once home to no less than four broom factories. Joseph Edward Chapman established the industry when he distributed free seeds to farmers to encourage them to grow millet crops. The experiment was so successful that he opened a broom factory in 1894 which employed 5 people and provided work to local sawmills making broom handles...
    Read More
    Map
  • Dan Bros, Gloucester
    ‘Dan Bros’ was one of the businesses conducted in Kendall’s new building at 61-65 Church Street, Gloucester which opened December 1936...
    Read More
    Map
  • A Glimpse Into The Good Old Days
    This true life anecdote from Mitchell’s Island happened in either 1920 or 1921. It was told to me by the late Rosalie Cardow (nee Mudford) in her ninetieth year. The heartbreaking poverty of farming families in those days is hard to comprehend now.
    Read More
    Map
  • The Owl Store, Gloucester
    On 27 March 1929 ‘The Owl Store’ opened at 36 Church Street, Gloucester. It was a Self-Serve Grocery Store – a new method of shopping at the time…
    Read More
    Map
  • 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…
    Read More
    Map
  • Fire at the Bellevue Hotel, Tuncurry
    In the early hours of 13 July 1954, a fire started within the Bellevue Hotel at Tuncurry…
    Read More
    Map
  • 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...
    Read More
    Map
  • Don Athaldo: Taree’s Strongman Connection
    In 1935 Lewis Gorton and his brothers played in the Failford Football Club. As there were no gyms at the time, training was difficult, so Gorton wrote to Don Athaldo…
    Read More
    Map
  • The tragedy of SS 'Macleay'
    The beauty of Little Broughton Island belies the tragedy of the wrecking of the North Coast Steam Navigation Company’s S.S. ‘Macleay’ on 11 October 1911…
    Read More
    Map
  • Commonwealth Bank Mural – 176 Victoria Street, Taree
    In 1956 the Commonwealth Bank commissioned Byram Mansell to design a mural for its new premises to be erected in Victoria Street, Taree. Born in Sydney in 1893, William Arthur “Byram” Mansell was trained as an engineer, but attended evening classes at Julian Ashton’s Art School. Seeking to further his experience, he travelled overseas and, whilst…
    Read More
    Map
  • William Robert Hill Franks
    William Robert Hill Franks came to Australia with his mother in 1876. Soon afterwards his mother died leaving 12 year old William alone in Sydney…
    Read More
    Map
  • Message in a bottle
    On Monday afternoon, 18 November 1946, while the old residence of the Manning Ambulance Superintendent was being demolished to make way for a more modern building, a letter in a bottle was found...
    Read More
    Map
  • Eliza Stevens nee Hickey
    Eliza Hickey married George Stevens in 1889. After living their first two years of marriage on the Myall River, they moved to 'Killarney', Dyers Crossing where she lived for the next 49 years with her family.
    Read More
    Map
  • Taree Hospital Christmas Tree
    For over 32 years the pine tree at the Manning Base Hospital was lit up as a Christmas tree for everyone to enjoy...
    Read More
    Map
  • 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...
    Read More
    Map
  • Harry Wilfred Webster
    Harry Wilfred Webster was born in Essex, England in 1885 and undertook his architectural training there...
    Read More
    Map
  • Lionel Stephen Whitbread
    Lionel Stephen Whitbread was born in 1885 and lived his early life at Sidebottom (Koorainghat). Son of Taree town clerk and school teacher mother, Lionel was known for his integrity and honesty...
    Read More
    Map
  • Hector Holmes Service No. 3555 – POW
    In November 1917, in the midst of the Great War, newspapers nationwide carried the heartening news of two Australian escapees from a German prison camp. One of these combatants was Hector Holmes...
    Read More
    Map
  • Stevens Brothers’ Letters Home WW1
    The following extracts are from letters brothers Jack and Jim Stevens wrote home to their family at Dyer’s Crossing during WW1…
    Read More
    Map
  • Message from the Sky
    On the morning of Thursday 23 August 1928 a light plane was seen to approach Taree from the south, turn along Victoria Street and jettison a small bag, weighted with sand, which landed close to the War Memorial (then located at the intersection of Victoria and Manning Streets)...
    Read More
    Map
  • 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...
    Read More
    Map
  • Victory Cafe Taree
    In 1943 George Cassimaty moved his business from Manning Street to set up the Victory Café in the Beehive Building. It was here that George changed the face of the Taree café scene...
    Read More
    Map
  • Young boy mauled by shark at Forster
    A real case of jaws in our very own small town? One Friday afternoon in January 1944, a 14 year old boy named Keith Weir was out with his friends surfing at Main Beach, Forster…
    Read More
    Map
  • 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…
    Read More
    Map
Categories
  • People
  • Places
  • Buildings
  • Events
  • Commerce
  • Artefacts
Recent Posts
  • A Film Star visits Taree!
  • “Tall Timbers” a tale of treachery and deceit
  • Yarads Taree
  • Sewing Lessons at Mitchell’s Island Public School
  • Pindimar Shark Factory

Developed by FireHawk Digital

Go to Top
Disclaimer

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this website contains images and voices of deceased people which may cause sadness or distress. The stories of the MidCoast could not be told without recognising their achievements. Do you wish to proceed?