The Lost Post Offices of Australia - Teralba (2284)

"This now little township, which has sprung up like a mushroom, has some comfortable miners residences already built in it. Mr. T. Williams, late of Minmi, has just opened a new hotel there, which is situated close to the edge of the lake. He seems to be one of the right sort, and is doing a flourishing trade, as it is the only hotel within several miles. There are two butchers' shops, two stores, and a baker's shop to supply the people's wants, with a good school for the children." - The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser 13th December 1887.


It would seem that our good correspondent from the Maitland Mercury forgot to add that Teralba also had a Post Office, although the Post Office was known as Winding Creek at that time.

original letter/newspaper receiver  

Teralba is a small community situated on the northern edge of Lake Macquarie (about 20 kilometres from Newcastle) and is part of an area of 914 acres that was originally granted to Capt. James St. John Ranclaud in the 1830's. Upon his death in 1842 the title passed to James Mitchell, who combined the Ranclaud land with his existing Lake Macquarie holdings and the area became known as the Awaba Park Estate. Upon his death in 1896, the Mitchell estate was then bequeathed to his daughter, Margaret Quigley, who continued to develop the land for pastoral enterprises. 


In the 1880's the NSW Government decided to extend the railway from Homebush to Newcastle and so it was from this great engineering achievement that the town of Teralba (or Tirelbah, as it was known to the local aborigines) began to rise from the scrub. The site was chosen by the contractors because of the access to a fresh water stream and that they were able to quarry the much needed ballast from a site that was known as 'Big Hill'

Teralba PO - 1920's  (NLA C4076)

As men sought employment on the railway, a town quickly established around the quarry and by 1885 there were over one hundred men employed in the quarry. A lot of these workers were accompanied by their families, living in rudimentary accommodation, mostly tents and dealing with the harsh environment of the Australian bush. It should also be remembered that at the time there were also over 45 children living in the fledgling camp as well ... hard days indeed!    

As the camp expanded the needs of a Post Office were required and so on the 1st January 1885 the Winding Creek Post Office opened, with Mr S.G. Hooper appointed as the first Postmaster. Who Mr Hooper was I can't ascertain, however, as most of the business owners can be identified, Mr Hooper could have been a mine manager at the  Amos & Co. gravel quarry, which was not uncommon in the early days of the Post Office. The mail was initially conveyed from Wallsend to Teralba (Winding Creek) three times per week via horse/coach and was incorporated into the existing Wallsend to Cooranbong mail run.

Street Posting Box circa 1870's

Luckily for the residents of Teralba a viable coal seam was also opened up in 1886, so once the railway reached Teralba in August 1887, the little township continued to thrive. Also coinciding with the arrival of the railway, the postal and telegraph operations were transferred to the railway station on the 1st January 1888 with the Officer in Charge Mr H.F. Nesbitt appointed the new Postmaster, his remuneration for performance both tasks was £150 p.a. ($115,000). The arrival of the railway also provided Teralba with a direct link to Sydney with the mail now arriving daily at 4.30pm without it having to come via Newcastle and Wallsend. The Teralba Post Office continued to grow, becoming a Money Order Office  (3/6/1889) and then a branch of the Government Savings Bank (1/10/1895). 
   


The growth of the Post Office was forcing more and more people to cross the busy main north railway so calls were made to find a more suitable location for the Post Office. The site that was eventually chosen on the western side of William St (possibly at 61 William St ) and the 'new' £700 ($85,500) non official Post Office was eventually opened on the 12th August 1904 with Miss M. O'Shannessy  appointed Postmistress.


According to the Sydney Morning Herald, on the 4th October 1924 the Postmaster-General called for tenders for the "Removal and re erection of post office building, repairs and painting, and installation of electric light". Who accepted the tender and when the work was actually done is still unclear, however we do know that the Post Office, including of the original building,  were moved from it's William St location to 42 York St in 1924/25. In 1996 Teralba became a Licensed Post Office (LPO) and then the current owners, Llynda & Peter Cleary, finally moved the Post Office from the cramped 100 year old building to combine the Teralba Post Office with their newsagency next door.


So it doesn't matter if it is called Tirelbah, Awaba Park Estate, Fresh Water Creek, Winding Creek, Big Hill, Glen Mitchell, Gravel Pits, Ballast Pit, Billy Goat Hill, Hillsborough, Quigley Estate or even Monkey Town .... the present day Teralba is still being served by Australia Post, as it has been for over 125 years!  

I would like to thank the NCC Library, LMCC Library, Trove Australia, Newcastle Family History Assoc. and Llynda & Peter Cleary for their assistance in compiling this blog.  

Teralba Update -  Teralba no longer has a Post Office. A few weeks ago the newsagency ceased to be an LPO & the licence has been downgraded to a CPA (Community Postal Agency).


P.S. I mentioned in an earlier blog about how I come across some interesting side stories during my research. However, some of those stories are tragic and with the railway running through the middle of town, some of those stories are truly heart wrenching. On the 17th December 1911, one week prior to Christmas, two young girls were killed in a terrible tragedy. Below this is the SMH report from Monday 18/12/1911 -

“A double fatality occurred line near Teralba yesterday, when two little girls were dashed to death by a passing train

At about 3.15 yesterday afternoon Ada Duncan, aged 10 years and 9 months; Clara Duncan, aged 8 years; and Gladys Duncan passed through tho wicket-gates about half a mile north of the Teralba railway station. They were about to cross the rails, when they noticed an empty ballast train travelling from Teralba towards Newcastle. As their attention was directed towards this train, they   failed to notice the Tamworth mail, which was dashing along towards Sydney. When the ballast train had passed, the children attempted to cross, but Ada and Clara were struck by the englne of the Tamworth mail. Ada was dragged about half a dozen yards, and was killed instantaneously. Clara was thrown clear of the rails, but was badly injured. She was brought on to Newcastle, and taken to the Newcastle Hospital, where she died at 17.30 last night.

Gladys appears to have had a narrow escape. The little girl Ada, who was killed instantaneously, was a cousin to the two other girls. Ada had arrived from Dora Creek at about midday, and the three children were taking a walk when the accldent occurred. Clara and Gladys were sisters, and lived with their mother In Victoria Street, Teralba. Their father, Robert Duncan, died recently.

An inquest will be held at the Courthouse, Teralba, at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning"

site of the former wicket gates at Teralba

That makes this tragic accident 100 years old this year and so I plan to give reflection on the 17/12/2011 to the two young lives, Ada and Clara Duncan, who were snatched away well before their time.


   

When heavenly shades of night are falling

Ok, I know the title of this post is a clichéd rip off of that famous Platters song "Twilight Time", but it is the best way to describe the view of sunset on Lake Macquarie yesterday.

One of the best things about my job is that I'm always presented with different photographic opportunities every day. Not only are the locations and seasons varied, but also are the times of day that I'm out and about, including that most sort after photographic time, the 'Golden Hour' (the hour before and after sunrise/sunset).


This week I happened to be around the western shores of beautiful Lake Macquarie, from around 4pm - 5pm, so remembering some of the stunning sunsets from previous years, I made sure that my Sanyo S1275 was packed and fully charged to take advantage of any photographic opportunity that may present itself. Because time wasn't on my side (I was actually working), as I drove around on Monday and Tuesday I made mental notes on what locations would be suitable to quickly capture this wonderful painted landscape. My reconnaissance was done with almost military precision and execution, I call it guerrilla style photography, because as with a military style operation, you only have a few seconds to capture the shot. So you .. plan, stop, shoot and then evacuate.

Another factor in my favour this week is that it is winter and so that means that the air is very still, clean and crisp. In July/August the winds in Newcastle come predominately from the WSW, which pushes the moisture laden humid air out to sea, leaving the atmosphere almost pristine and allowing the even light to enhance the vivid sunsets without distortions of  humidity, which can be the curse of summer coastal photography.


So if you are ever on the western side of Lake Macquarie in winter, make sure you take your camera, upload into your iPod, 'Twilight Time - The Platters' and marvel at the stunning vista that is presented as the day slowly fades into night ... 

♫♫ Heavenly shades of night are falling

It's twilight time

Out of the mist your voice is calling

It's twilight time

When purple colored curtains

Mark the end of the day

I hear you my dear at twilight time ♪

♫♫ Deepening shadows gather splendor

As day is done

Fingers of night will soon surrender

The setting sun

I count the moments darling

Till you're here with me

Together at last at twilight time ♪

       

Lunch Breaks In Photoshop

Once again I was lucky enough to be able to get out and about during my lunch breaks and photograph some of the best scenery in NSW, much of it located around Lake Macquarie. Situated 150 kilometres north of Sydney, Lake Macquarie covers an area of 110 sq kilometres, which makes it the largest coastal lake in Australia. This also makes it the largest permanent saltwater lake in the Southern Hemisphere! 


Being such a large body of water there are also ample photographic opportunities for the amateur photographer to get out and capture some of the beauty of the lake.


The photo's showcased here were taken around Swansea, Belmont (on the eastern shoreline) and Bolton Point (on the western shoreline) and were taken using my new pocketsize friend, the Sanyo S1275 camera.

Although the natural beauty of the area is enough to hold the eye, for something a bit different I decided to play around in Photoshop to see if I could achieve something just that bit different. Using the programme  "Photoshop Tutorials - Watercolor Painting Effect" (which is a free programme and can be found at -

http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-effects/watercolor-painting/page-2.php, I think I have achieved an interesting effect.

While some photographic purists frown on excessive use of Photoshop post editing and prefer the lens to capture the moment, sometimes it good to experiment, just to see where you can go using modern computing power as an artform.

Australia's Riviera

I'd like to be a Tram-man, and ride about all day,
Calling out, "Fares, please!" in quite a 'ficious way,
With pockets full of pennies which I'd make the people pay.
But in the hottest days I'd take my tram down to the Bay;
And when I saw the nice cool sea I'd shout "Hip, hip, hooray!"
   But I wouldn't be a tram-man if ...
      I couldn't stop and play.
         Would you? 

 CJ Dennis (A Book For Kids - 1921)

What a grand day it must been when Mr Cary from the Excelsior Land Company smashed a bottle of champagne over wheel of the locomotive and declared the £15,000  tramway officially open on the 7th March 1891. The 100 or so invited dignitaries made the 6 minute trip from Fassifern Station  and were greeted at Toronto by  Mr Samuel Fisher (owner of the Toronto Hotel) who had prepared a banquet to celebrate this momentous occasion. This tramway was only one of three privately run ventures in NSW, with the others being at Parramatta and Rockdale in Sydney.

A day trip to the Toronto picnic grounds was a special day indeed and with the Excelsior Land Company selling land throughout the boom years of the 1890's the tramway's future seemed assured. While the early years proved productive for this privately run venture, with the economic downturn of the late 1890's, the standard gradually fell away, even to the point where locomotives were replaced by horses to complete the 5klm journey and so local residents started to demand that the Government take over the operation. 

So it was on the 28th May 1911, NSWGR reopened the totally refurbished railway, including a new station at Toronto, new tracks and upgrading of the bridges to mainline standard, capable to taking any of NSWGR's rolling stock.Once again Toronto had became a day trippers delight with visitors coming from Newcastle and some as far away as Sydney, to partake in the pleasures of what was described as Australia's Riviera.

However, with the advent of the private motor car, the fascination of a long train trip to Toronto fell away and so on 30th March 1990 the last diesel electric train left Toronto, to be replaced by a bus service (ironically called 'The Train'). 

Today the entire length of the railway is a is an easily traversed bike/walk track, which is sealed all the way and is quite a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. The old rail tracks are still visible through the encroaching scrub and there are many points of interest along the way.

So grab your camera, grab a picnic lunch and spend an enjoyable day along one NSW most historic railways, the railway to Australia's Riviera. 

   

 Further reading on this subject can be found at http://home.kooee.com.au/ajl/cp/history.htm

The Lost Post Offices of Australia - Boolaroo (2284)

Boolaroo is another Hunter/Lake Macquarie town that was basically founded atop one of the many coal seams that traverse the area, this time it was the Stockton Borehole mine in 1886 and the township quickly spread around the workings. The name of the town was apparently that of an Aboriginal word meaning a 'place of many flies', funny way to name a town!


It was the opening of the Sulphide Corporation, in 1897, that provided the major impetus for the establishment of the Boolaroo Estate and slowly, but surely the township took shape.


Boolaroo can actually trace its origins back to a Government grant of 1280 acres to William Brooks in 1839, and it seems that with the discovery of coal, Mr Brooks sold his land to Sir James Fairfax (of Sydney Morning Herald fame). Williams Brooks, Sir James and later on Thomas James Thompson, by the 1900's, had sub-divided all vacant land for housing
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Of course with a growing community you need a Post Office and in 1899 local store owner Mr J.W. Findley applied to the NSW colonies Postmaster General to operate postal facilities in the town. However, as there was already a Post Office incorporated in the nearby Cockle Creek railway station, his application was denied. However, with the opening up of further subdivisions and probably with the thought of all colonial postal facilities coming under the auspices of the soon to be Federal Government, Boolaroo finally opened its first Post and Telegraph Office on the 1st March 1901 (for some reason the Post Office was actually completed in January 1901, but not officially opened until 2 months later) .


There was probably no better way to celebrate the commencement of the Commonwealth Postmaster-General Department (PMG), than with a brand new Post Office. Incidentally the honour of the first "postie" went to Mr Frederick Hindley. Poor Frederick had to walk 11 miles a day on his rounds until he was granted an allowance for a horse and feed, it seems some things never change at Australia Post. 


The original timber and iron building served until 1924, when the PMG sold it and moved to a new solid brick building located on the Cnr of Main Rd and Seventh Ave. This building was designed during the period when George McRae was the NSW Government Architect and strongly reflects the Inter-War Georgian Revival style of architectural values, which exhibit a simplicity of style that reflects both economic stringency and the move towards modernism


This lovely building, which will probably last another hundred years, fell victim to Australia Post's property portfolio rationalisation during the late 1990's and suffered the fate of many perfectly functional buildings, it was quietly sold off to turn a 'paper' profit. It is now being used by local real estate agent.


The current (and the third incarnation) Boolaroo Post Office is a pleasant enough shopfront sandwiched between a chemist and a country style 'bric-a-brac' store on Main St. As nice and helpful as the dedicated staff that work there are, the current Post Office lacks the panache, the style, the quality of a George McRae designed Post Office. 


So while Boolaroo continues to thrive as a community  based village, the former jewel in the crown of Australia Post's Lake Macquarie property portfolio gets passed from owner to owner and each time that it happens, it slowly erodes away our rich community history.   

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I'd like to thank the staff and online resource at Lake Macquarie City Council Library for their assistance