1.
Macleay River
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Macleay River, an open and trained mature wave dominated, barrier estuary, is located in the Northern Tablelands and Mid North Coast districts of New South Wales, Australia. Formed by the confluence of the Gara River, Salisbury Waters and Bakers Creek, the river descends 460 metres over its 298 kilometres course. The river flows adjacent to the city of Kempsey, at Frederickton the river is traversed by the Pacific Highway via the Macleay River Bridge, the longest road bridge in Australia. The river is traversed by the North Coast railway line. The Macleay River is liable to flooding in the Kempsey area, during times of peak flooding, the Macleay River can hold over 200,000 gigalitres of water. Archaeological evidence of Aboriginal camp sites have found on the upper terraces of the Macleay. John Oxley, failed to realize the potential of this river in 1820 when he did not navigate far enough up the river to see the magnificent stands of timber, the river was vaguely referred to as the New River from descriptions given by Aborigines. In 1826 Captain Wright travelled overland from Port Macquarie and explored to the head of navigation at Belgrave Falls, a series of rapids to the west of the present town of Kempsey. Then called Wrights River, Major Archibald Clunes Innes, Commandant of Port Macquarie Penal Settlement, sent the first government gang of Australian red cedar cutters to work here in 1827. More cedar camps were established on the Macleay during the 1830s, by 1841, about 200 cutters were working on the river area, where violence and theft of logs was not uncommon. Demand and prices dropped in 1842 and cutting along the Macleay diminished although it continued in the upper tributaries, when Europeans arrived in the area around the 1820s the river mouth was just south of Grassy Head, and almost a mile wide with a sand spit in the middle. The small town of Stuarts Point was established on the river just inside to serve arriving ships, the coastal strip extending from South West Rocks to Grassy Head is a wide delta with various channels connected to the river. Around 1885 English marine engineer John Coode advised on improvements to various rivers and ports in Australia, the Department of Public Works prepared four plans for improvements to the mouth, Coode favoured improving the existing entrance. Work on the new entrance commenced in April 1896, improving the channel, a new pilot station was built in 1902, establishing the town of South West Rocks. Today the old mouth has silted up, leaving Stuarts Point on a dead-end reach, Rivers of New South Wales List of rivers of Australia Macleay River Bridge - the longest road bridge in Australia. Northern Rivers Geology Blog - Macleay River
2.
New South Wales
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New South Wales is a state on the east coast of Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south and it has a coast line with the Tasman Sea on its east side. The Australian Capital Territory is an enclave within the state, New South Wales state capital is Sydney, which is also Australias most populous city. In March 2014, the population of New South Wales was 7.5 million. Just under two-thirds of the population,4.67 million. Inhabitants of New South Wales are referred to as New South Welshmen, the Colony of New South Wales was founded as a penal colony in 1788. It originally comprised a more than half of the Australian mainland with its western boundary set at 129th meridian east in 1825, in addition, the colony also included the island territories of New Zealand, Van Diemens Land, Lord Howe Island, and Norfolk Island. During the 19th century, most of the area was detached to form separate British colonies that eventually became New Zealand. However, the Swan River Colony has never administered as part of New South Wales. Lord Howe Island remains part of New South Wales, while Norfolk Island has become a federal Territory, as have the now known as the Australian Capital Territory. The prior inhabitants of New South Wales were the Aboriginal tribes who arrived in Australia about 40,000 to 60,000 years ago, before European settlement there were an estimated 250,000 Aboriginal people in the region. The Wodi Wodi people are the custodians of the Illawarra region of South Sydney. The Bundjalung people are the custodians of parts of the northern coastal areas. The European discovery of New South Wales was made by Captain James Cook during his 1770 survey along the eastern coast of the Dutch-named continent of New Holland. In his original journal covering the survey, in triplicate to satisfy Admiralty Orders, Cook first named the land New Wales, however, in the copy held by the Admiralty, he revised the wording to New South Wales. After years of chaos and anarchy after the overthrow of Governor William Bligh, macquaries legacy is still evident today. During the 19th century, large areas were separated to form the British colonies of Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria. Responsible government was granted to the New South Wales colony in 1855, following the Treaty of Waitangi, William Hobson declared British sovereignty over New Zealand in 1840
3.
Nganyaywana language
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Nganyaywana is an extinct Australian Aboriginal language of New South Wales. Once included in the Kuric languages, Bowern classifies Nganyaywana as a separate Anēwan branch of the Pama–Nyungan languages, besides Nganyaywana, Anewan may include Enneewin, with which shares about 65% of its vocabulary. Crowley counts these as distinct languages, whereas Wafer and Lissarrague consider them to be dialects, dyangadi languages Bibliography of Nganyaywana language and people resources, at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
4.
Point Lookout (New South Wales)
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With an altitude of 1,564 metres above sea level, Point Lookout is the second highest peak in the region. During cold spells the mountain may receive a dusting of snow. Point Lookout is also the name of the main location in the New England National Park. The Point Lookout Road is accessed via Waterfall Way and is 85 kilometres east of Armidale and 75 kilometres from Dorrigo, near Ebor. The lookouts have spectacular views east across the Bellinger River valley, out to the developed areas of the north coast of New South Wales. On the escarpment only 10 minutes walk south is Banksia Point, there are a number of cabins and a hut here. These are available from the National Parks and Wildlife Service for short stays in the park. List of mountains of New South Wales
5.
Mount Royal Range
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The Mount Royal Range is a mountain range in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia. The Mount Royal Range is a spur on the side of the Great Dividing Range. It diverges from the Liverpool Range at a point north of Scone, New South Wales, the range generally extends to the southeast for about 45 kilometres and then generally to the south southwest for about 50 kilometres to Mount Royal. The range generally forms the divide between the Hunter River and Manning River drainage basins, both of which drain to the Tasman Sea. To provide water for the Bayswater Power Station, the Barnard River Scheme was constructed in the 1980s so water could be transported over the range into the Hunter River, the Mount Royal range forms the northern rim of the Hunter Region. The Barrington Tops, a plateau at the headwaters of the Barrington River, are part of the Mount Royal Range. The World Heritage listed Barrington Tops National Park includes this area
6.
Walcha, New South Wales
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Walcha is a town at the south-eastern edge of the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. The town serves as the seat of Walcha Shire, Walcha is located 425 kilometres by road from Sydney at the intersection of the Oxley Highway and Thunderbolts Way. The Apsley River passes through the town to tumble over the Apsley Falls before joining the Macleay River further on, originally the river caused flooding in the town prior to a levee bank being constructed and saving the town from more floods. At the 2011 census, Walcha had a population of 1,482 people, the Main North railway line is located some distance away, at a separate village called Walcha Road which serves as the railhead. This is served by the daily NSW TrainLink Xplorer service between Sydney and Armidale, the railway line was built at Walcha Road, because it was the closest point they could get to the town, due to the steep climb over the Great Dividing Range. The area is thought to have been occupied by the Danggadi Aborigines prior to European settlement, in 1818, John Oxley became the first white person to discover the area and the falls which were later to be named Apsley Falls. Hamilton Collins Sempill was the first settler in the New England area when he took up the Wolka run in 1832, other early runs around the district were Bergen-op-Zoom, Ohio, Europambela, Surveyor’s Creek, Emu Creek, Ingalba, Orandumbie, Tiara and Winterbourne. A severe depression from 1841 to 1843, and low demand for wool created hardship for many of early settlers. In 1848 Walcha run is recorded as being 64,000 acres, during 1854 Walcha was sold to Rundle and Dangar who held the mortgage for Jamison and Connal. Later John Fletcher acquired Walcha and moved from Branga Plains to Oorundumby, after being sold in 1905, Oorundumby was resumed for soldier settlement in 1947 and subdivided into 22 holdings. A ‘wool’ road to Port Macquarie was under construction in 1842 for the transportation of wool from New England to the coast, Walcha Post Office opened on 1 July 1850. The mail arrived from Macdonald River, Walcha was gazetted as a village site in 1852, when town allotments were sold, with annual sales following. At that time there was a shop, a general store. A Roman Catholic chapel was erected in 1854, a station and the first Presbyterian church was built in 1857. In 1861 the population was recorded at 355 and the Anglican church was built in 1862 of stone taken from the homestead, Villa Walcha. The old church has fine stained-glass windows which bear tribute to some of the towns pioneers, the population dropped in the 1860s but the town soon began to grow for two reasons, firstly, red cedar getters were active in the areas rainforests by about 1870. Gold was discovered near Walcha in the 1870s at Glen Morrison, Tia, The Cells River, antimony, copper, graphite, manganese, silver and high quality slate was also mined in the district. On 5 April 1878 Walcha was proclaimed a town, when it was gazetted, the boundaries defined, a rail link to Sydney and Uralla opened at Walcha Road in 1882
7.
Manning River
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Manning River, an open and trained mature wave dominated barrier estuary, is located in the Northern Tablelands and Mid North Coast districts of New South Wales, Australia. The river flows past the towns of Wingham and Taree, at Taree, the river splits and becomes a double delta. The southern arm reaches its mouth at the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean, within the delta there are several channels dividing coastal land into large islands, such as Mitchells and Oxley islands. Between Croki and east of Bohnock, Scotts Creek links both the northern and southern passages of the river, the Manning River is one of Australias few large river systems that have not been dammed for water supply purposes anywhere along its catchment. The local water supply is fed by Bootawa Dam, which is a dam, however, water is pumped from the river to the dam whenever river turbidity. The scheme is shutdown until needed but as of 2006 this Scheme was partly decommissioned due to its rare use, the Manning River is one of only a few Australian mainland rivers to receive annual winter melting snow deposits. The Manning River is variously transversed by the Pacific Highway between Taree and Coopernook, and the North Coast railway line at Taree, in 1818, John Oxley crossed and named Harrington and Farquhar inlets during a trip from the Hastings River, near Port Macquarie, to Port Stephens. The Manning River itself was first surveyed by Henry Dangar in 1825, later in 1826, the river was named Mannings River for the Deputy Governor of the Australian Agricultural Company, William Manning. In the same year it was declared that the Manning was the limit of the Nineteen Counties. Until 1913, ships servicing the coast brought goods and supplies up the river, Wingham was established at the furthest point supply boats could reach up the river and became the regions major port. The old cargo wharf at Wingham Brush has since been refurbished, the town of Tinonee was also settled on the river near Taree. The Manning River is a producer of Australian oysters and is home to many fish, the most common being the Dusky Flathead. The Manning River is frequented by dolphins and sharks, with some venturing as far up the river to Wingham, whales also frequent the river, mainly at the larger Harrington Inlet, although some do enter the Farquar Inlet and generally do not venture far up river. However, on 16 September 1994 a rare tropical Brydes whale measuring 9-metre long, nicknamed Free Willy by locals, Taree is home to the annual Manning River Summer Festival, which features rowing, and sailing. The Taree Powerboat Club Spectacular is held in the Manning River during the Easter long weekend, commercial fishing and oyster farming are both practiced in the Manning. The peak season for oyster production is September to March, the link between Taree and the oyster industry is shown by the presence in Taree of the Big Oyster, a building constructed in the shape of an open oyster shell. The Manning River area is popular for domestic tourism, rivers of New South Wales List of rivers in New South Wales List of rivers of Australia Manning River catchments
8.
Toona ciliata
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Toona ciliata is a forest tree in the mahogany family which grows throughout southern Asia from Afghanistan to Papua New Guinea and Australia. It is commonly known as the red cedar, toon or toona, Australian redcedar, Burma cedar, Indian cedar and it is also known as Indian mahogany. In Australia its natural habitat is now extensively cleared subtropical rainforests of New South Wales, the Australian population was formerly treated as distinct species under the name Toona australis. The species can grow to around 60 m in height and its trunk can reach 3 m in girth, the largest recorded T. ciliata tree in Australia grew near Nulla Nulla Creek, west of Kempsey, New South Wales and was felled in 1883. The southernmost limit of distribution is on basaltic soils, growing west of the Princes Highway near the village of Termeil, south of Ulladulla, southern Illawarra. It also naturally occurs at Norfolk Island and it is one of Australias few native deciduous trees. The timber is red in colour, easy to work and very highly valued and it was used extensively for furniture, wood panelling and construction, including shipbuilding, and was referred to as red gold by Australian settlers. Heavily and unsustainably exploited in the 19th Century and early 20th Century, almost all the trees have been cut out. Availability of this timber is now limited, timber is currently also harvested in New Guinea. Although it is not generally a viable plantation species, trees are harvested by Forestry in the Atherton region of Queensland. The tree exudes a chemical that the cedar tip moth seeks out. The red cedar is planted in subtropical and tropical parts of the world as a shade tree. It is grown in the Hawaiian Islands and southern and eastern Africa, in parts of Zimbabwe and South Africa, it has naturalised, growing to maturity and spreading from seed. It is a seed producer and establishes readily. Cedar wood Macleay River Toona sureni Australian timbers National Register of Big Trees Distribution Map
9.
Squatting (pastoral)
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In Australian history, a squatter was typically a man, either a free settler or ex-convict, who occupied a large tract of Crown land in order to graze livestock. Initially often having no rights to the land, they gained its usage by being the first Europeans in the area. Eventually, the term Squattocracy, a play on aristocracy, developed to refer to some of these squatters, the term ‘squatter’ derives from its English usage as a term of contempt for a person who had taken up residence at a place without having legal claim. In its early derogatory context the term was applied to the illegitimate occupation of land by ticket-of-leave convicts or ex-convicts. From the mid-1820s, however, the occupation of Crown land without legal title became more widespread, as wool began to be exported to England and the colonial population increased the occupation of pastoral land for raising cattle and sheep progressively became a more lucrative enterprise. ‘Squatting’ had become so widespread by the mid-1830s that Government policy in New South Wales towards the practice shifted from opposition to regulation, by that stage the term ‘squatter’ was applied to those who occupied Crown land under a lease or license, without the negative connotation of earlier times. The term soon developed an association, suggesting an elevated socio-economic status. By 1840 squatters were recognized as being amongst the wealthiest men in the colony of New South Wales, many of them from upper, as unoccupied land with frontage to permanent water became more scarce, the acquisition of runs increasingly required larger capital outlays. Eventually the term came to refer to a person of high social prestige who grazes livestock on a large scale. In Australia the term is used to describe large landowners. Hence the term, Squattocracy, a play on aristocracy, when the British settled at Sydney Cove in 1788 the colonial government in Australia claimed all lands for the Crown. Governors of New South Wales were given authority to make grants to free settlers, emancipists. When land grants were made they were subject to conditions such as a quit rent. In line with the British governments policy of concentrated land settlement for the colony Governors of New South Wales tended to be prudent in making land grants. By the end of Governor Macquarie’s tenure in 1821 less than 1,000 square miles of land had been granted in the colony of New South Wales, during Governor Brisbanes term, however, land grants were more readily made. In addition regulations introduced during Brisbane’s term enabled settlers to purchase up to 4,000 acres at 5s an acre, during Governor Brisbanes four years in office the total amount of land in private hands virtually doubled. The impetus for squatting activities during early phase was an expanding market for meat as the population of Sydney increased. The first steps in establishing wool production in New South Wales also created a demand for land
