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Hunter River

Read more about the article To Morpeth by steamer
Hunter River at Morpeth, photo by Henry King.

To Morpeth by steamer

Dawn was breaking when the City of Maitland turned to enter the river channel, in the shadow of Nobbys. Seaward the grey, steel-like colour of the ocean was beginning to brighten. Daffodil and golden tints were spreading over sky and water. Soon the sounds of sailors scrubbing down decks came to the ears of the two girls as they sat on the bridge in the lee of the "dodger" watching the world awaken to another day. For some time they had seen dimly the hills on which part of Newcastle stands. Now those were gradually becoming…

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Read more about the article Which “Awabakal” called the river “Coquun”? Re-thinking what I thought I knew about some indigenous words.
Biraban, also known to the whites as "M'Gill", collaborated with Lancelot Threlkeld in compiling a record of his people's language. Portrait by Alfred Agate, 1839.

Which “Awabakal” called the river “Coquun”? Re-thinking what I thought I knew about some indigenous words.

Like a lot of people, I am fascinated by the indigenous history of the part of Australia in which I live. I'm frustrated by the paucity of teaching of this important subject in our schools, and I often wish I had better access to real knowledge about the people who lived here before us. I have tried to read and learn, using the sources of information that are available to me. And very often, embarrassingly and frustratingly, I find that things I thought were dependable facts turn out to be not so certain, or perhaps misunderstandings,…

Continue ReadingWhich “Awabakal” called the river “Coquun”? Re-thinking what I thought I knew about some indigenous words.
Read more about the article The great Newcastle railway debate of 1856

The great Newcastle railway debate of 1856

WHEN the newly formed NSW Railway Commission proposed in 1856 to extend the Newcastle railway line from Honeysuckle Point to the city's east, many of the town's inhabitants were horrified. An angry public meeting was held and nearly a third of the town's population signed a petition begging the government to put a stop to what they saw as a destructive plan. Newcastle was designed and laid out around its harbour and to have access to this tremendous feature wiped out by a fenced-in railway line was considered an outrageous imposition. Leading Newcastle citizens including James…

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