History revisited - tragedy at sea

The SS Fitzroy was a familiar sight in Coffs Harbour. Owned by the Sydney based shipping firm Langley Brothers, a smaller competitor of the large North Coast Steam Navigation Company, the ship ran a regular passenger and general cargo route between Sydney and Coffs and return.

The afternoon of Saturday 26 June 1921 threatened storms. The ship took on considerable cargo, as well as fourteen passengers.

The Fitzroy was not a big ship. Built at Old Kilpatrick in Scotland in 1914, it was 51.87 metres long, had a breadth of 9.33 metres and had a gross tonnage of 623. However, it was important to the people of Coffs as a key way of getting to Sydney, as well as goods in and out.

The afternoon of Saturday 26 June 1921 threatened storms. The sixteen passengers along with luggage had been loaded onto the ship via wicker ware baskets. This was not uncommon. As late as the 1930s, North Coast students returning home from the Armidale Teachers’ College had similar experiences.

The ship sailed under the command of Captain James Colvin. A Woolgoolga man, Colvin was an experienced mariner who had been shipwrecked several times on the sometimes dangerous North Coat run. He knew the territory, but in those pre-weather broadcast days, you had to make the best judgement you could.

As the ship steamed south on Saturday night, it was struck by what was variously described as a gale or a cyclone. The deck cargo shifted and the ship listed, flooding the engine room. Power lost, the crew tried to launch the two life boats but could not because of the list.

There was no panic as the crew tried to help the passengers. One of the sailors seeing a stewardess on deck, told her to get a life belt. “I can’t”, she replied. “I have to get blankets for the passengers.”.

On board, the Captain tried to steer the ship for shore to beach it. As the ship sank, he was seen still at his post trying to save the vessel.

Passenger Herbert Ramsay was sucked down with the ship, but manager to get to a lifeboat that had broken free. “Everybody remained cool to the last”, he said. Ramsay saw the second boat with eight people aboard, but it was never seen again.

Able seaman Jansen was thrown into the water. He grabbed the stewardess, but she was swept away in the swirling waters. Jansen survived by swimming 14 miles to shore.

In the end, three crew members and one passenger were saved. It had been a horrendous experience.

Note to readers: This post appeared as a column in the Armidale Express Extra on 5 February 2014. I am repeating the columns here with a lag because the columns are not on line outside subscription. You can see all the Belshaw World and History Revisited columns by clicking here for 2009, here for 2010, here for 2011, here for 2012, here for 2013, here for 2014.

History revisited - ship sales marked the end of an era

On 31 March 1954, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the North Coast Steam Navigation Company had called for tenders for the sale of its nine ships. This announcement marked the end of a now largely forgotten era.

The Company had begun in 1857 as the Grafton Steam Navigation Company primarily to get the produce of the coast and tablelands more effectively to Sydney. Over time, it grew into a significant coastal shipping operation. Now squeezed by rising costs, the company had decided to go into voluntary liquidation.

Before the construction of the Great Northern Railway, people living in Armidale and surrounding districts had a choice in bringing goods in or sending produce out. You could send them overland to the river port at Morpeth on the Hunter or, alternatively, down one of the precipitous tracks over the escarpment to one of the North Coast river ports.

The choice was made on grounds of cost and convenience. From Armidale north, the focus was west-east to the coast. At Tenterfield just prior to the construction of the railway, several hundred people were employed carting goods between the Tablelands and the Northern River ports.

Even after the construction of the railway, the coastal trade continued. As late as the 1930s, some North Coast students at the Armidale Teachers College found it easier to go to Sydney by rail and then complete the journey by steamer because of the bad condition of the roads to the coast. One student remembered being lowered in a wicker ware basket from the steamer onto the long wooden pier at Woolgoolga that used to stretch from the beach into the open sea.

The Northern seas could be treacherous. Wrecks were common.

The 2005 ton twin screw steamer Wollongbar was the pride of the North Coast fleet. It had accommodation for 235 first-class passengers, 40 second-class and extensive general cargo.

On 14 May 1921 the ship was alongside the jetty at Byron Bay when a storm broke out. Attempts to move the vessel into the Bay failed. It was driven ashore and wrecked. Its replacement, the Wollongbar II, was lost of Crescent Heads in 1943.

The Second World War came far closer to Armidale than many realise. Japanese submarines operated along the Northern coast, torpedoing ships and laying mines. The mini-sub attack in Sydney Harbour is well remembered because of the panic it caused. Fewer people remember the sea war of the New England coast.

During the War, both the Great Northern Railway and the New England highway were vital transport links. Troop trains and war supplies passed through the Armidale railway station on Brisbane bound trains.

The railway is gone now, of course. Armidale itself would have lost its rail connection without the work of our local activists.

The mournful sound of the whistle of the Brisbane Mail as it travelled through Armidale at 3am is a fading memory. The railway station at Wallangarra with its dual Queensland and NSW stations with their very different architectures stands as a mute memory of that past.

Note to readers: This post appeared as a column in the Armidale Express Extra on 28 November 2012. I am repeating the columns here with a lag because the Express columns are not on line. You can see all the Belshaw World and History Revisited columns by clicking here for 2009, here for 2010, here for 2011, here for 2012(Belshaw's World), 2012 (History Revisited).

Environment and the distribution of Aboriginal languages in NSW

In a post on my personal bog, Why micro-environments are important, I discussed the importance of micro-environments. That post was triggered by my re-reading of the commentaries associated with the 1977 Atlas of New England published by the University of New England Geography Department[1]. In that post I referred to the Kamilaroi (Gamilaraay) language group. This drew the following comment from David Nash from the Australian National University’s Linguistics Department:

"The large Kamilaroi language group is large because it had access to water ..."

I don't think this follows (whether you mean large in territory or in population). Compare the size of language groups along other large rivers. Or one could equally suppose that assured water could be shared by many different groups each of whom need less territory.

David’s comment was helpful because it highlighted an area where my thinking was arguably sloppy. For that reason, I decided to take the opportunity offered by David’s comment to clarify and extend my thinking. The material that follows should be read as musings, thoughts in progress.

Introducing Geography and the Distribution of Aboriginal Languages

In their Prehistory of Australia, Mulvaney and Kamminga noted that there have been numerous attempts to map complexes of Aboriginal cultural traits throughout the continent that might help understanding of the major differences in language, social customs, mythology, artistic styles and technology.[2]. To their mind, the 1976 explanation by Nicholas Petersen was the most persuasive.

Petersen observed that major cultural areas correspond with major drainage basins. He suggested that the reason for this is that the topography and environments of drainage basins tend to be internally uniform, while their margins are relatively poor in plant, animal and water resources. This led to more social interaction between groups living within the basin; much less between groups living on either side of the marginal zones.

Petersen’s conclusions broadly fit with those that I reached in my own earlier work[3]. However, I also considered that major geographic regions were important since the close relationship between the Aborigines and their environment meant that the patterns of Aboriginal life varied with changes to that environment. By implication, areas with similar environments were more likely to have commonalities in life and culture.

To the degree that this conclusion is correct, we would expect similarities within New England’s major north-south zones, the humid coastal strip, tablelands, western slopes and western plains. Indeed, this does seem to have been the case.

So at this level, we seem to have a clear if sometimes uncertain relationship between geography and language distribution linked to river catchments, as well as other major geographic features. We can extend this analysis by looking at the distribution of Aboriginal languages across NSW as a whole.

Distribution of Aboriginal Languages

The following map shows the distribution of Aboriginal languages across NSW as defined in The Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia[4]. There are a number of problems with the map in terms of names and boundaries, problems that I discussed in my 2010 paper delivered to a meeting of the Armidale & District Historical Society[5]. We can ignore these for the present because we are interested in broad patterns.

Look at the map first: my comments follow afterwards.

If you look first at the bottom of the map, you will see a heavy concentration of languages. These follow the Murray River, a rich and densely populated Aboriginal area at the time of European colonisation. Much of the land along the Murray is semi-arid. Aboriginal populations concentrated on the river, living a semi-sedentary life[6]. Here language territories effectively subdivide the riverine corridor.

On the left of the map, there are a range of languages - a patchwork quilt - occupying larger territories. These are the languages of the Darling River and western deserts. Like the Murray, the Darling was quite densely populated, although densities were far less. The Darling is simply a smaller river. As with the Murray, languages ran along the river, but the relationship between river and language distribution is more complex, less certain. The variety in the desert languages to the west of the Darling is a factor of distance and small populations; languages and dialects diverged because of distance.

To the right of the Darling, we find the two biggest language groups by area, the Wiradjuri and and the somewhat smaller Kamilaroi. They occupied the river valleys flowing to the west from the Great Diving Range. These were quite rich territories; language expansion was facilitated by geography, people could spread. Here another pattern seems to emerge.

These language groups occupy multiple river valleys. However, Michael O’Rourke’s study of the Kamilaroi[7] suggests that social and to a degree language or dialect groupings still ran along rivers; language dividing lines could cross catchments

The broad sweep of languages along the Western Slopes and Plains, the riverine languages, seem clearly related, merging into the languages of the western deserts. Dividing lines are linked to rivers and catchments. However the relationship is not an exact one.

Along the coast and adjoining ranges you have another dense distribution. On the coast, there is a clearer relationship between catchment areas and language distributions. We can think of this in both north-south and east-west terms.

North-south, most language groups are directly related to catchments. The partial exception is the Clarence, the big river. There the sheer size of the river made it the divide between two very different language groups, the Gumbaynggirr and the Bandjalung. A third Gumbaynggirr related language, Yaygirr, occupied the areas around the mouth of the Clarence.

East-west, there appear to be language shadings inland. In the Hunter Valley, for example, the traditional presentation of language distribution has a coastal language with a linked inland language. The position further north appears somewhat similar. Bainbaa, the language spoken in the headwaters of the Nymboida River (a tributary of the Clarence to the south extending into the Tablelands near Guyra) appears to be a version of Gumbaynggirr.

Tribal groups occupying the Tablelands areas between the Kamilaroi/Wiradjuri and the coastal languages were generally smaller in population because the environment was poorer. They were also squeezed. The New England Tablelands, the largest tablelands in Australia, is shown with just two language groups

If we now drill down, we can see more of the relationships between geography and the distribution of people. The nature of the evidence means that our analysis must be uncertain. Still, patterns do seem to emerge.

Geography and the Distribution of People

Traditional Aboriginal life was organised around family groups linked in a variety of ways with other family groups. Each family group occupied a particular territory or run. Groups gathered together for particular purposes, ceremonial or to take advantage of periodic food surpluses. There seems to have been a fair bit of what we would now think of as travel, longer journeys by individuals or small numbers for particular purposes including adventure or warfare. There were also traditional patterns of friendship or enmity.

Relationships within and between groups were governed by a complex web of culture and tradition. While boundaries existed, they were not defined in the way we think of them today, hard lines on a map. Rather, boundaries are better thought of as a series of overlapping patterns divided by shaded lines.

Boundaries shifted with time. Over time, the smallest unit, the extended family group, was vulnerable; warfare or changing local conditions could see their effective disappearance. We can see some of these forces in play in the stories associated with the Gunnedah Kamilaroi leader the Red Kangaroo, one of the few Aboriginal tales to have survived presenting a picture of the dynamics of Aboriginal life in New England in the pre-colonial era[8]. Here we have a picture of internal group dynamics, of concerns about survival in a sometimes hostile environment, of warfare.

By their nature, the larger language groups were more stable in geographic terms than smaller units, although here too it seems likely that boundaries shifted with time. The language groups were not political entities, rather groups that appear to speak common or at least related dialects.

Each of the larger language groups covered a number of dialects, with the number determined by a combination of geographic coverage and population size. The Anaiwan or Nganyaywana Aboriginal peoples who occupied the southern areas of the New England Tablelands appear to have been relatively homogeneous and limited in number, although even here there is debate about the number of dialects. By contrast, the Bundjalung language group occupying territory stretching from the Clarence Valley into Southern Queensland may have had as many as twenty separate dialects[9]. To the west, the Kamilaroi may have had at least five major dialects, seven if the related languages of Yuwaalaraay and Yuwaaliyaay are included[10]. Bigambul, the language group on the slopes and plains in Queensland to the north was also reported to be close to Gamilaraay[11].

My point in this discussion is that when we talk about geography and the distribution of people we are in fact talking about a complex hierarchy that moves up from the family group to the much larger language group.

The Aborigines and the Importance of Water

Australia is a very dry continent, marked by periodic droughts and floods. The inland rivers of the Murray- Darling Basin including the Murray have all stopped flowing for periods in recorded times. This affects not just water for human consumption, but also the vegetable and animal food supplies on which the Aborigines depended.

It seems that the size and distribution of Aboriginal populations were broadly related to what we might think of as the carrying capacity of the country in bad times. However, this relationship was a variable one. Among other things, the human birth rate cannot be exactly matched to changing conditions. It seems likely that populations expanded during prolonged good times, then contracted.

We have some evidence for this from the Murray River with its high population but smaller river dependent language territories. There skeletal evidence from burials shows signs of periodic malnutrition.

Elsewhere in inland NSW, Aboriginal populations concentrated near water during dry periods, expanding across land at other times to take advantage of newly available water and food resources. Here we need to distinguish between local groups and larger entities.

Looking at it from a language group perspective, as compared especially to the Murray language groups, both the Kamilaroi and Wiradjuri occupied large and varied territories running along the rivers from the Western Slopes out onto the Western Plains. This provided a variety of natural resources. During dry periods, population shifted within language group territories, although there may also gave been shifts at the margin between language groups recognising the shading of boundaries and the complexity of social relationships.

Looking at it from a small group perspective, the size of runs varied depending on the area required to support the group. Putting this another way, the population density varied greatly depending on the geography. Here O’Rourke quotes various estimated population densities for different parts of Australia ranging from 1.3 square kilometres per person on the tropical coast, north east Arnhem Land to 200 square kilometres per person in arid central Australia[12].

All these estimates are speculative. However, they illustrate the point that similar size groups required different size runs depending on geographic location. Even then, local groups were more vulnerable to extreme conditions than larger groups.

From a language group perspective, the size of language groups was a function of area covered times population density. Some had only a few hundred speakers, others more than 10,000. O’Rourke’s guestimate of 10,000 for the pre-contact Kamilaroi population is probably not unreasonable, making them a large language group. By contrast, the Aboriginal language groups on the Northern Tablelands had far smaller populations, perhaps in the hundreds or low thousands, reflecting smaller territories as well as availability of natural resources.

I have focused so far on the inland population. The coastal population including the large North Coast language groups had access to extremely rich environments combining land, riverine and the immediate estuarine and coastal strip itself. Like the Murray, some groups were semi-sedentary. My own original guestimate was that coastal population densities were perhaps twice that of the territory occupied by the Kamilaroi, although there were variations on the coast too, with lower densities in the upper river valleys as compared to the immediate coastal strip.

The Importance of Micro-environments

The close relationship between immediate local environments and Aboriginal life including the size and distribution of the Aboriginal population is the reason why an understanding of micro-environments is so important in increasing our understanding of Aboriginal life.

On the Northern Tablelands, for example, there appears to be a relationship between population distribution and soil types, for better soils provided a wider range of vegetable products as well as certain animal life. On the Liverpool Plains, ground water that fed springs probably played some role in maintaining what appears to have been a higher density population because it provided a better water supply in dry times.

I have only begun to scratch the surface here in terms of my own understanding of the relationships between such variations and Aboriginal life, including the way in which Aboriginal responses affected the environment. An example is the way in which burning appears to have maintained the Liverpool Plains as a more open environment, increasing the supply of animal and vegetable foods.

All very interesting, at least to me!

---

[1] David A. M. Lea, John J. J. Pigram, Lesley Greenwood (eds), An Atlas of New England, Volume 2, The Commentaries, University of New England Geography Department, Armidale, 1977

[2] John Mulvaney & Johan Kamminga, Prehistory of Australia, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, 1999, p78

[3] J. Belshaw, The Economic Base of Aboriginal Life in Northern NSW in the Nineteenth Century, BA (Hons) thesis, UNE, 1966; Population distribution and the pattern of seasonal movement in northern NSW, in Isabel McBryde (ed), Records of Times Past: Ethno-historical Essays on the Culture of the New England Tribes, AITSIS, Canberra, 1978

[4] Horton, David, general editor The Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia : Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, society and culture, Aboriginal Studies Press for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Canberra : 1994.. The map itself is drawn from the NSW Aboriginal Housing Office web site accessed 6 October 2009.

[5] Jim Belshaw, An Exploration of New England’s Aboriginal Languages, Paper delivered to a meeting of the Armidale & District Historical Society, Armidale 20 July 2010. In revision for publication.

[6] Material on Aboriginal life along the Murray is drawn from Mulvaney & Kamminga, 1999, especially pp 302-309

[7] Michael O’Rourke, The Kamilaroi Lands,: North-Central New South Wales in the Early 19^th Century, published by the author, Griffith, 1997

[8] Michael O’Rourke, “Sung for Generations” Tales of Red Kangaroo War-Leader of Gunnedah. The Ewing Manuscripts transcribed with a commentary, published by the author, Braddon, 2005.

[9] Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Culture Co-operative, Bundjalung, http://www.muurrbay.org.au/bundjalung.html, accessed on line 19 August 2009.

[10] The material on the Gamillaraay is drawn from Peter K Austin, The Gamilaraay (Kamilaroi) Language, northern New South Wales — A Brief History of Research, SOAS, University of London, 2006, accessed on-line 17 December 2008.

[11] Flick Isabel & Heather Goodall, Isabel Flick: the many lives of an extraordinary woman, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, 2004, p3.

[12] O’Rourke, 1977, pp139-141

Aboriginal populations and sea level change

I have really been bogged down looking at the distribution of New England's Aboriginal languages. I want to get the paper that I gave in Armidale to July to the point that I can post it here for comment, but I keep finding things that I don't know. Indeed, some (much?) may be unknowable.

I talked a little about the problems I faced in a post on my personal blog, McBryde, Hoddinott and the story of New England's Aboriginal peoples. I really want to tell a story in a way that does credit to my subject matter.

After completing that post, I completed my re-reading of some of Isabel McBryde's work that I referred to in that post. In turn, this triggered another stream of thought, something that I referred to in one of today's posts, Gold, geography and the patterns of Aboriginal life.

I have often written of the importance of geography to the history of New England. Yet the more I research, the less I realise that I know.

In this morning's post, I talked about the conundrum posed by the apparently late dates for Aboriginal settlement in New England. I ended by wondering whether this was due to the nature of the sites or to a combination of geography with climate change.

In this post I want to flesh this out a little. I am not trying to make the argument rigorous; this is simply a muse.

When I look at the pattern of traditional Aboriginal life on the North Coast, certain things stand out.

The first thing is a whole series of micro-environments. The Aborigines used these in a variety of ways giving different groups access. This led to a pattern of seasonal change designed in part not to exhaust the resources available in particular environments. So the shell fish usage suggested by the middens along the northern bank of the Clarence near the mouth and as tested by the dig at Wombah indicates that usage was sporadic, seasonal.

We also know that the richness of environments varied between environments, as well as in seasonal terms within environments. The carrying population was related not to the maximum carrying capacity of an environment, but to the carrying capacity of the environment over time. Various techniques were used to control population.

If you start from the premise of different micro-environments offering different resource bases, then it seems reasonable to ask the question how those micro-environments may have changed over time and how this might have affected populations.

We know, I think, that the greatest food resources were to be found along the immediate coastal strip and in the rivers and swamps immediately behind. This area combined a variety of aquatic and vegetable food resources, along with some animal and bird resources. This was also an area where life seems to have been somewhat more sedentary, population numbers higher.

Okay, so far so good. Now when I look at the impact of changes in sea levels, it seems to me that their effects would have been greatest along the immediate coastal strips and the swamps and estuaries behind, the areas of highest food value. As seas rose or fell, the calorie value would have been immediately affected. Further, it would have taken time for the food position to stabilise.

If this is the case, and if we look at the patterns of sea level changes, it might suggest that that the great richness to be found in the immediate past was in fact quite recent in historical terms. If that were the case, then it would explain dating patterns.

North Coast Stories

While I was in Armidale recently, John Ryan from the University of New England suggested that I should write a shot biography of a North Coast figure to go into a new book equivalent to ones published previously for the Northern Tablelands.

Whom do you think might be a suitable candidate?  I have more or less agreed to do it, but thought that it might be sensible to seek some suggestions.

SS Fitzroy

I have just completed a post, North Coast Memories - SS Fitzroy, looking at the life and death of this ship. I have added references so that I can use the material again.

In preparing the story I looked at a number of photos from the State Library of NSW. Their tight copyright conditions make it difficult to use the photos properly to really draw out history. I felt justified in using the Fitzroy photo because I was correcting an historical inaccuracy in their description of the photo.

New England Australia - Tweed River catchment map

This is one of a series of posts providing maps of the various river catchments within New England. For some reason I have not been able to upload been to upload the Tweed River catchment map. Click here to access map.

• Full list of maps

New England Australia - Richmond River catchment map

This map is one of a series providing maps of the various river catchments within New England. Click on the map to get a full size map. Source

• Full list of maps
  

New England Australia - Bellinger River catchment map

This map is one of a series providing maps of the various river catchments within New England. Click on the map to get a full size map. Source

• Full list of maps
  

Clarence Valley timeline

The following Clarence Valley time line is from the Clarence Valley Historical Society:

1830 ......... Richard Craig escaped from Moreton Bay Penal colony.
1835 ......... Craig pardoned...told story of the “Big River”.
1838 ......... John Small sailed to the Clarence on board “Susan”.
.................. Cedar-getters arrive on river.
.................. Captain Butcher’s map of river 1838.
1839 ......... Ship building yard and timber business established by Phillips & Cole.
.................. Big River named “Clarence”.
.................. Eatonswill Station established by the Mylne Brothers.
1840 ......... Route from Tablelands made - “Craig’s Line”.
.................. Ramornie Station established by Dr. Dobie.
.................. Post Office opened 1st October - Arthur Price postmaster.
.................. Yulgilbar taken up by Ogilvie.
1841 ......... First store on Grafton side near mouth of Alumny Creek by Bentley.
1842 ......... “Clarence Settler’s Arms” hotel opened near Christopher Creek - Proprietor Durno.
.................. Rev. J. McConnell appointed 1st resident Anglican clergyman - Grafton & Clarence.
1843 ......... First marriage recorded ........... Henry Wall married Bridget Connel?
.................. Baptism of Mary Ann, daughter of Samuel and Arabella Avery.
1844 ......... Birth of George Miller son of Samuel and Arabella Avery.
1847 ......... First Court held at Grafton, 5th April.
................... Court House built on river bank Victoria street.
................... Surveyor, W. W. Darke, surveyed the town of Grafton.
1850 ......... Rev. John Gibson appointed Presbyterian Minister.
1851 ......... First sale of town blocks.
1852 ......... Government assisted school opened - other private schools beforehand.
1854 ......... Anglican Church built in Duke Street.
.................. Five acres granted on river to Grafton Steam Navigation Co.
1856 ......... Grafton School of Arts formed.
................ Arrival of 182 German immigrants in March.
1857.......... First RC church on Nth. Coast opened at South Grafton.
1859 ......... Clarence & Richmond Examiner printed in Grafton June 28th.
.................. First race meeting officially held.
.................. German Club formed.
.................. Grafton proclaimed a Municipality 28th July. J. E. Chapman, mayor.
1860 ......... Volunteer Rifle Corps formed.
.................. First Catholic School opened in Church at South Grafton.
...................Township of Copmanhurst gazetted.
1861 ......... Methodist Church commenced in April - Cnr. Prince and Fry Streets.
.................. Baths built on river bank.
.................. Henry Kendall engaged as solicitor’s clerk in Grafton.
.................. Hand powered punt used for river crossing.
.................. Branch of Ancient Order of Royal Foresters formed.
.................. New Court House opened on Cnr. Duke and Victoria Streets.
1862 ......... Telegraph Station opened.
.................. Grafton Hospital opened.
.................. Father Murphy appointed resident priest.
.................. Clarence River Jockey Club formed in August.
.................. Gaol opened in Victoria Street.
1863 ......... Big disastrous flood recorded.
.................. First harbour works at Clarence Heads.
1864 ......... Branch of Oddfellows Lodge first opened.
1866 ......... Formation of Clarence Pastoral and Agricultural Society.
.................. Foundation Stone of St. Marys laid.
.................. Post Office in South Grafton opened.
.................. Ramornie Meat Works opened - Joseph Page manager.
1867 ......... Bishop Sawyer appointed Anglican Bishop of Grafton.
.................. St. Marys opened.
.................. South Grafton School opened as private school.
1868 ......... Bishop Sawyer drowned.
.................. First steam punt at Dobie St. was commissioned.
.................. Catholic School opened in Grafton.
1869 ......... Earl & Countess of Belmore visited Clarence.
.................. Opened Belmore sugar mill at Ulmarra.
.................. Free Presbyterian church commenced.
.................. Royal Theatre erected in Pound Street.
1870 ......... Solferino Goldfields opened up.
1871 ......... Tannery established cnr. Prince and Hoof Streets.
.................. Grafton Grammar School established by Frederick Newton.
.................. Free Presbyterian church commenced.
.................. Public School Buildings opend Cnr. Queen and Bacon Streets.
1872 ......... Clarence and New England Railway League formed.
1874 ......... Foundation stone of Cathedral laid.
.................. Grafton Argus Newspaper established.
.................. Council adopts a ‘Tree Planting Policy’.
.................. Post Office foundation stone laid.
.................. Bawden Bridge opened April.
1875 ......... Lutheran Church established.
1876 ......... Memorial Park at Boulevarde dedicated.
.................. Lutheran Church built cnr. Alice and Oliver Streets.
1878 ......... Grafton Grammar School new building opened in Mary Street.
.................. Post Office building on present site opened
.................. Shares offered in Grafton Gas Lighting Co.
1879 ......... Commercial Bank of Sydney constructed cnr. Prince and Fitzroy Streets.
.................. Volunteer Fire Brigade commenced.
1880 ......... Court House constructed on present site.
1882 ......... Wreck of SS New England.
1884 ......... Christ Church Cathedral dedicated.
.................. Salvation Army commenced.
.................. AMP building constructed by Wm Kinnear.
.................. Arrival of Sisters of Mercy.
1885 ......... Grafton proclaimed a city.
.................. Grafton Volunteer Water Brigade founded.
.................. Baptist Church opened in March.
1886 ......... St. Andrews Presbyterian Church opened.
1888 ......... Fisher Park gazetted.
.................. The Grip newspaper founded by Baptist Clergyman Henry Beecher.
.................. “The Barn” erected on old showground site.
1889 ......... Zietsch’s Cordial Factory commenced.
.................. First milk separator in district demonstrated at Grafton Show.
1890 ......... Largest recorded flood (8.13m) in March.
1891 ......... District Cricket Association formed.
1892 ......... Grafton Dairy Company began operations.
.................. Grafton Cycle Club formed.
1893 ......... Gaol opened on present site. ................... Floods in February (7.95m) & June (7.45m)
1894 ......... Aruma Benevolent Home opened.
1897 ......... South Grafton Municipal Council formed.
.................. Town Hall & Council Chambers erected in Prince Street.
.................. “Examiner” business moved to School of Arts Hall Prince Street.
1899 ......... McKittrick Park dedicated.
.................. Grafton “Clarion” Newspaper established at South Grafton.
1900 ......... Reticulated water supply for laying of dust in Prince Street.
1901 ......... Golf Club formed - course now Westlawn Services Golf course.
.................. Turning of first sod Grafton-Casino Railway.
1902 ......... Experiment Farm established.
1903 ......... Grafton Telephone Exchange opened New Years day.
.................. Carrs Creek School of Arts formed.
.................. First railway line to Grafton opened via Casino and Lismore.
.................. Chess Club formed.
.................. Imperial Hotel erected cnr. Pound and Turf Streets.
1904.......... First Private Hospital opened - Clarence House.
.................. First nurse graduates at Grafton Hospital.
.................. Coldstream Bridge opened.
1906 ......... Showground moved to present site in Prince street.
.................. “The Barn” moved to Showground.
.................. McFarlane Bridge at Maclean opened.
1907 ......... Jacaranda Avenue created.
1909 ......... Clock Tower constructed to commemorate City’s Jubilee.
.................. Fire station built. Weileys Hotel Built.
.................. Bowling Club formed.
.................. Walkers Hotel Built.
1910 ......... Runnymede Hospital opened cnr. Queen and Fitzroy streets
1911 ......... Turning first sod Nymboida water supply September 11.
1912 ......... Grafton High School established.
1913 ......... St. Marys Catholic Church destroyed by fire.
.................. Clarence River Coursing Club formed.
1914 ......... Foundation stone for new St. Marys church laid.
.................. Also of Grafton High School Building.
.................. Catholic Diocese of Grafton created.
1915 ......... Drill Hall constructed.
.................. Upper Clarence Rugby League competition started.
1916 ......... Grafton Council sacked - Raymond Truman administrator.
1917 ......... Scoutmaster Roy Strong appointed.
.................. Returned Soldiers Association formed.
.................. South Grafton Public School - New buildings erected.
1919 ......... Cub Pack formed.
1923 ......... Council granted permission to use Duke of Grafton ‘Coat of Arms’
.................. Ramornie Meatworks closed.
.................. Methodist Church Built.
1924 ......... Scout Hall built.
.................. Girl Guides commenced...Ingrid Olssen as leader.
.................. Train ferry “Swallow” started.
1925 ......... Saraton Theatre opened.
.................. Prince Edward theatre opened.
1926 ......... Ambulance station opened in Market Square.
.................. “Induna” commenced service.
1927 ......... Garden Theatre opened.
.................. Freemasons Hotel rebuilt.
1931 ......... Historical Society formed.
1932 ......... Bridge over Clarence opened.
.................. Formation of Rotary Club.
1933 ......... Radio 2GF commenced.
.................. Clarence River County Council formed.
1934 ......... Sewerage installed in Grafton.
1935 ......... First Jacaranda Festival held.
1936 ......... 3rd St. Patricks Church, South Grafton opened.
.................. Ambulance station opened on present site.
.................. 2NR commenced.
1939 ......... Tech. classes commenced in Shorthand, Typing, Carpentry and Joinery.
.................. Sir Earle Page Prime Minister for 19 days.
.................. Sandmining at Minniewater commenced.
1940 ......... Free Presbyterian Church opened in Fitzroy Street.
1942 ......... Federal Match Co. commenced in Turf Street.
.................. Five American B-25 Bombers lost over Grafton 15th August.
1943 ......... 13 Wolf Cubs drowned.
.................. Base Hospital status granted to Grafton Hospital.
1944 ......... Public Library opened..first free library in Country NSW.
.................. Sailing Club formed.
1946.......... International Rugby League Match Nth. Coast v Great Britain.
1947 ......... Sailing Clubhouse built on river bank.
.................. South Grafton Infants School opened.
1948 ......... Basketball commenced in Drill hall.
.................. Sunderland Flying boat service commenced.
1949 ......... Full-time teachers appointed to Technical college.
1950 ......... Major flood 7.74m. Guide Hall built in Prince Street
1952 ......... Technical College choir formed.
.................. Pelican Players commenced.
.................. Brewery opened.
.................. Koolkhan Power Station opened.
1953 ......... Present golf course opened.
.................. Lions Club inaugurated.
1954 ......... Major flood 7.72m.
.................. Westlawn Infants school opened.
.................. Technical College opened.
.................. Peter’s Creamery opened in October.
1955 ......... Gas exploration bore at racecourse.
1956 ......... Memorial Olympic Pool opened.
1957 ......... Grafton City Council formed after amalgamation with South Grafton.
1958 ......... “Tim the Bream” Ampol Fishing Competition.
1960 ......... New Gwydir highway to Glen Innes opened.
1961 ......... Indoor Hockey played in Drill Hall.
1963 ......... Major flood 7.63m.
.................. Bank of NSW demolished.
1964 ......... South Grafton High School opened.
.................. Opening of South Grafton Baths.
1965.......... St. Aloysius opened February.
.................. Commercial Hotel demolished.
1966 ......... Schaeffer House purchased by Council.
.................. Harwood Bridge opened.
1967 ......... Match factory moved to Southgate Road.
.................. New Coldstream Bridge.
1968 ......... Civic centre opened. Runnymede hospital closed.
1969 ......... Opening of New Saleyards - December.
.................. Grafton Drivein Theatre - opened December.
1970 ......... Grandstand at racecourse burnt down.
.................. State Office Block - opened July.
1971 ......... Present Grafton Public School rebuilt.
.................. Gilwinga Public School opened.
.................. Garden Theatre becomes basketball stadium.
1972 ......... Grafton levee bank completed.
1974 ......... Freemasons Hotel fire.
1975 ......... New police station built on present site.
1976 ......... Peter’s creamery closed down.
1978 ......... Grafton Post Office restored.
1979 ......... Hockey pavillion erected.
.................. Koolkhan Power Station closed.
1981 ......... South Grafton heated pool opened.
1987 ......... Grafton Shopping World opened.
.................. Final Graduation of nurses at Grafton Base Hospital.
1989 ......... Cowper bus crash...20 persons killed.
1991 ......... Sand Based Hockey Field constructed.
1992 ......... Periodic detention centre opened.
1994 ......... Big W opened in May.
1997 ......... Brewery closed in May.
.................. ABC Office and studio moved to Lismore.
.................. Aruma Benevolent Home closed,
2000 ......... Bendigo Bank opened South Grafton.
2001 ......... River rise 7.77m — South levee complete.
.................. Bi-Lo supermarket constructed.
2002 ......... New sailing clubhouse erected on old site.
2004 ......... Water Based Hockey Field constructed.
.................. Park View Hotel destroyed by fire.
.................. Clarence Valley Council formed.
2005 ......... South Grafton Marina built.
.................. Extensions to Shopping World approved.
.................. Weileys Hotel closed.
2006.................. Bunnings Hardware opened South Grafton.
.................. Aldi Supermarket opened Grafton.

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Grafton Steam Navigation Company - entry page

GRAFTON STEAM NAVIGATION Company was formed on January 24th 1857, consisting of a group of Gentlemen with vested interests in the Clarence River area. In name as first Directors, were, Francis Mitchell, Clark Irving and Rober Waterson. The first Auditors were David Jones, who went on to found the famous Sydney retail firm that still bears his name, and a Mr Grant Tindall of the Ramornie Station and Meatworks on the Clarence River.

Note: There appears to be a confusion in names - Grafton Steam Navigation versus Steamship Navigation. I have still to clarify this.

Source

1. Port Australia

Supporting Posts

1. Grafton Steam Navigation Company - paddle steamer Grafton
2. Grafton Steam Navigation Company - William the Fourth

Grafton Steam Navigation Company - William the Fourth

Illustration: William the Fourth 1831-1868

WILLIAM THE FOURTH 54 tons. Lbd: 74' x 15'6" x 7'. Wooden paddle steamer, 2 masts built by Marshall & Lowe on the Williams River at Clarencetown New South Wales. Of passenger capacity. Engine manufactured by Fawcett of Liverpool England. First owner J H Grose of Sydney. Was the first ocean going steamship built in Australia in 1831. June 1839 owned by Brisbane Water Steam Packet Co. September 1839 of General Steam Navigation Co. 1842 of Edye Manning & others. November 1843 of James Byrnes, Parramatta. February 1844 of John Dobbie & D Bloxome (possibly trustees of for the Twofold Bay Pastoral Co). October 1850 of William M Manning & A B Spark. 1853 lengthened to be 77 tons and Lbd: 86' x 14'8" x 8'2". 1857 of the Grafton Steam Navigation Co. June 1858 (supposedly) owned outright by W M & Edye Manning. February 1860 of the Illawarra Steam Navigation Co. 1863 saw sent sent abroad to China where she was puchased in 1864, and operated by A Ellissen & Co., on the Shanghai - Ningpo route. Laid up towards end of December 1868 she was despatched to Japan. Records end.

Source

Grafton Steam Navigation Company entry page

Grafton Steam Navigation Company - paddle steamer Grafton

Photo: Grafton 1854-1898

GRAFTON 316 gross tons, 212 net. Lbd: 140'9" x 22'3" x 10'6". Iron paddle steamer of 2 masts brig rigged and built by J Laird, Birkenhead for R S Ross & Partners in 1854. Sold to David Jones & Partners in December 1858. Sold to Clark Irving & Partners (Grafton S N Co) June 1860. March 1866 of Clarence & Richmond River S N Co. August 1874 owned by J E Manning. During 1877 she underwent conversion to be Twin screw, as well as dimension increases of 397 gross tons and 270 net with Lbd: 145'5" x 27'6" x 13'6".December 1877 owned by W R Williams, Wellington New Zealand and then by the Union Steamship Co., of New Zealand where they placed her on the Strahan(Tasmania) - Melbourne run. 1878 deckhouse added. 1879 lengthened to be 173' x 27'3" x 13'6" and 424 gross tons. 1885 tonage bacame 548 gross after more alterations. and 553 gross tons in 1892. June 12th 1898 she struck the 'bar' at Strahan inward bound. She returned to open sea only to discover the loss of some of her propellor blades had had been holed under the boiler. She was taken in tow by the steamer Mahinapua and attempted the entry into Strahan again only to strike the bar again. The tow line parted and she drifted fatally to the shore, becoming a total loss.

Source

Grafton Steam Navigation Company entry page