Day Tour In The Wineries

I was recently doing my research at the Newcastle Historical Society when I came across an old Cessnock Council tourist map, originally issued in 1969 and it details 3 day tours that tourists can follow around the Cessnock area. So being an adventurous soul, I decided that I would try to follow one of the tourist drives and attempted  Tour 3 - Mount View Range and the Vineyards. It should be noted however that a lot of the wineries have changed owners and some landmarks are no longer visible , which I'll point out and I have left the distances in the original format, being miles, instead of kilometres.

0m. RIGHT - Mount View Road, Millfield (turn off Wollombi Rd, around 15.4 klms from Wine Country Drive Cessnock):

• Follow Mount View Road. To the north we see Mount View, though to be one of a north-south line of extinct volcanoes.

0.9m. LEFT - Entrance to old Millfield Racecourse: 

• Most of the rails and even the winning post on this racecourse still stand (now gone, it is now the entrance to a private property) 

1.3m. Bridge Across Creek:

• To the west at the foot of Mount Baker is William Lewis's diary farm, which stands on the Baker's grant of 1825-31. Some of the Baker family became pioneer farmers on the Orara River, west of Coffs Harbour

2.5m. RIGHT - Cedar Brush Valley:

• Red cedar trees still grow in this valley. In a paddock on its southern side Prof, T.W. Edgeworth David and his students at the turn of the century sank bores in the course of a survey of local coal seams ("and blew a blessed bugle all night at their camp")

3.3m. RIGHT (on the horizon) - Myall Range:

• A Jewish bushranger and his gang used Jew Boy Mountain in the Congewai Valley, which begins in the Myall Range, as a base for making raids on local settlers. He was Edward Davis, hanged in Sydney in 1841.

4.3m. RIGHT - "Jerusalem Rock":

• These greyish extrusions, known locally as "Jerusalem Rock", are characteristic of this area, which greatly interests geologists (although there are plenty of these formations to be seen in the area, I was unable to pinpoint this feature to its exact position & none of the local vignerons I spoke to were able assist ... more investigation needed)

5.4m. Mount View (Bimbadeen) Lookout:

•   From this look out you may see much of the valley of Black Creek. From the north to south you may see in the background the Barringtons, hils at Nelson Bay, Mount Sugar Loaf, and the Myall Range; in the middle-ground Molly Morgan's Range, the town of Weston and Kurri Kurri, and Mount Tomalpin (600ft), an isolated flat-topped feature; and in the foreground Black Creek farmlands, Allandale Geriatric Centre, Cessnock District Hospital, inner Cessnock, Aberdare, and Bellbird. In the immediate foreground a gravel road winds down past a dairy farm (and continues on to the vineyards). This is the road we shall follow (this road is now sealed).

Resume journey, first proceeding south, then north, and avoiding the turn-off right to Bellbird. Continue through undulating grazing lands to the foot of the range.

9.0m. RIGHT - Turn Off For Cessnock:

• Avoiding this turn off, continue north along tar-sealed road (Oakey Creek Road).

9.5m. LEFT - Turn Off To Vineyards And Vineyards Lookout:

• Follow this turn off (still on Oakey Creek Road)

11.1m. Right - Happy Valley Wine Cellars (now Wynwood Estate):

• Happy Valley vineyards are managed by Barrie Drayton, member of a branch of the wine making family, whose founder, Charles Drayton, planted a 40 acre vineyard at Pokolbin in 1870. 

LEFT  - Bellevue Wine Cellars (now Drayton Family Wines): 

• Bellevue, whose cellars stand on the 40 acres planted by Charles Drayton in 1870, is managed by Len Drayton. From the beginning the Draytons combined mixed farming with wine making. Fortunately for wine lovers, the Draytons resisted the temptation, during the Great Depression, to abandon wine making altogether.

LEFT - (beyond Bellevue) - Mount Pleasant Vineyards (Marrowbone Road):

• Mount Pleasant was acquired from Maurice O'Shea (who acquired it from Charles King) by the company whose founder was a London surgeon, Henry John Lindeman (1811 -71), who settled at Gresford in 1840, purchased Carwarra in 1843 and, later, Dr. Carmichael's Porphyry Estate. The Lindemans retained O'Shea as manager until his death in 1956. He was one of our greatest winemakers.

13.0m. RIGHT - Turn Off To Lindemans Ben Ean (McDonalds Road) :

• Avoiding this turn off, continue west along a gravel road the which leads to to the Vineyards Lookout (this road is Pokolbin Mountain Road) 

RIGHT - Cote d'Or :

• Note grove of trees surrounding an old house, Cote d'Or. Cote d'Or was built by Lieutenant Frederick A. Wilkinson who came to Pokolbin in the 1860's and set about clearing thick scrub and planting a vineyard. After living in tents for six months the Wilkinsons, a cultured family, set about building Cote d'Or: they used hand made bricks and nails, pit sawn slabs and shingles.* Cote d'Or is nearly collapsed & it is a real tragedy that it historical building hasn't been preserved. The ruins can now only be glimpsed from the Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard on De Beyers Road.

When turning right to begin the ascent to the Vineyards Lookout note the old road, lined  with trees and fenced on either side, which runs straight up the ridge. This road, abandoned 60 years ago, leads directly to the Pokolbin Vineyards Lookout, which we now approach by  means of a relatively easy deviation. Towards the end of the climb note to the right the farms of the pioneer Mathews Family.

15.5m. Sharp Turn Left Off Road To Vineyards Lookout:

• Proceed on foot in a southerly direction along a ridge (following portion of the abandoned road already noted). This old road follows the general line of a road noted in 1832 which ran from Millfield across Mount View and the eastern side of the Broken Back (Range)and on to the Hunter River. From this ridge you have an uninterrupted view of the vineyards, the Liverpool Range and Mount Royal Range  * the Vineyards Lookout that is mentioned isn't the current Pokolbin Picnic Area (cnr McDonald & De Beyers Road); but it is an older point of interest & is no longer in shown on contemporary maps or signposted. The Vineyards Lookout is 4.2 kilometres from the intersection of McDonald & Pokolbin Mountain Road .  

Rejoin vehicle and retrace journey as far as the intersection of the Vineyards Lookout road and the tar sealed road leading north (McDonalds Road). There continue north.

19.9m. LEFT -   St. Mark's Church of England:

• Students should not confuse this building with the one referred to as the church of the 1860's at Pokolbin: the church of the 1860's at Pokolbin was St. Luke's, the church near the cemetery at Nulkaba. George Frederick McDonald, a Presbyterian, donated the land on which Church of England vignerons erected St. Mark's. 

LEFT - Pokolbin School of Arts:

• Here there have been social and official gathering of our own great winegrowers and internationally known wine lovers.

RIGHT - Pokolbin War Memorial:

• Inscriptions on the tablets at the gates read like a roll call of our vignerons. They include the names of Pokolbin men who fought in the Great War of 1914 - 18 and the 1939 - 45 War.

LEFT - Lindeman's Ben Ean Wine Cellars and Vineyards

• Frederick, son of Dr Lindeman, purchased Bean Ean from J.F. McDonald, son of John McDonald, who obtained the grants in 1825 - 31 here and at Rothbury Creek. 

20.5m. Intersection With De Beyers Road:

• Turn right along De Beyers Road. Harry De Beyer, a German migrant, who worked in a Newcastle district coal mine, acquired and developed a vineyard property near Broken Back. At the same time there came to Pokolbin another coalminer. This coalminer's son, Bob Elliot, took over Oakvale vineyard on the Broke Road; developed Belford on the mainstream of the Hunter; acquired land at Fordwitch; and shortly after the 1939 - 45 War acquired Tallawanta east of Oakvale.

21.5m. LEFT - Entrance To Glen Elgin:

• John Younie Tulloch, a prosperous businessman at Branxton, acquired Glen Elgin around 1894 from J.Hungerford. After the 1914 - 18 War he acquired 50 acre blocks abandoned at Fordwitch by soldier settlers and there planted vines. J.Y. Tulloch died in 1940. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Hector. (the entrance to Glen Elgin is approximately now the entrance to McLeish Wines)

22.5m. Entrance To Cessnock Airport:

• Avoid entrance to airport. Turn sharp left. (this is now an olive tree plantation, the entrance to Cessnock Airport is now off Wine Country Drive)

23.5m. Lake's Folly:

• Lake's Folly is the young vineyard of Max Lake, surgeon, and author of two charming books; Hunter Wine (1964); Classic Wines of Australia (1966). Max Lake is a member of the Confrerie de Chevaliers du Tastevin. Max Lake deeply appreciates the historical background ot our Pokolbin and Rothbury families and the tenacity and skill of our vignerons.

• To the left on the Broke Road beyond Tallawanta (Hunter Valley Gardens & Harrigan's Cellars) is the Ashman's property (known by the family as 'the marriage settlement' of Tyrells Vineyards Pty. Ltd. (this vineyard is just now known as Tyrrells Estate, 1838 Broke Road Pokolbin)  This company is managed by Murray Tyrrell. great-gradson of Edward Tyrrell, brother of Rt. Rev. William Tyrrell, first Bishop of Newcastle Church of England Diocese.

23.8m. Intersection With Road To Branxton (Wine Country Drive):

• Follow this road north * although it is only about 600 mtrs to Wine Country Drive from Lakes Folly, if you take the trip to Tyrrells as described in this tour it actually adds nearly another 11.5 kilomtetres to the trip!  

25.7m. RIGHT  - Turn Off Along Widerness Road To Allandale and Lochinvar:

• Follow this turn off

RIGHT - Daisy Hill (Old Vineyard & Wine Cellar):

• For details see Tour 2

LEFT - Wilderness Cemetery:

• For details see Tour 2. The Wilderness Church and cemetery (named after the home built on this road in the 1840's by Joseph Broadbent Holmes, a native of Exeter, on the east bank of Black Creek) is the resting place of members of the families of almost all of our pioneer vignerons * the cemetery is located behind Emma's Cottage  438 Wilderness Rd Rothbury.

RETURN BY BRANXTON ROAD (Wine Country Drive) TO CESSNOCK

Trying to follow that map was a difficult assignment, not just because of the changing names of the properties, but the compiler added diversions (Mt Pleasant and Tyrrell Wineries) without adjusting the milages. Also, there was no road names indicated (especially when I was trying work out where the Vineyards Lookout was situated!) and to further complicate things, the speedo that they used in the vehicle was out by over 10%, making the trip even more confusing than it needed to be.

Overall, it was a fun way to spend a day out, driving around one of Australia's best wine producing regions and living the history of Australia's pioneer vignerons ... a great day out. 

I'd like to thank the invaluable help given to me by Stephen Drayton & Robyn Drayton in identifying historical landmarks around Pokolbin. Also the Newcastle Family History & Historical Society for use of the extensive pam files & the Cessnock City Council who originally produced the Cessnock Day Tours  guide 

Sharing Weekends

After our dismal summer, it has been great to actually get out and about, doing things that make the week at work bearable.


What is even better when you get to share those moments with people you love.


Saturday dawned to a fine and warm early autumn day, not scorching hot, but still warm enough to visit Nobbys Beach. It was made even better because my grand-daughter was visiting and so we headed down to make the most of the last of the sun, surf and sand. The temperature was still around 25 deg. and the water temperature was still around the low 20's, which made a late, late season swim quite pleasant experience ..... something I missed out on during our summer of sorrows.


Sunday was also a copy of Saturday, fine and mild. So it was off to a community planting day, organised by the local council to help stabilise a local creek that has recently been reclaimed from invasive non native plants. So for two hours, we dug, planted, mulched and watered new plants to help our local environment and our local community.


After our free breakfast, it was then off to Kurri Kurri and to wander around the 9th Annual Nostalgia Festival. Rock 'n' Roll music, classic cars, Rock 'n' Roll music, hot rods, Rock 'n' Roll music, market stalls, Rock 'n' Roll music ... all combined to make the day a wonderful adventure, a real step back in time to the 50's and 60's era ... oh and did I mention the Rock 'n' Roll music?

Sometimes it is great to get some 'me' time on the weekends, however it is better when you can share your weekends with family, community .... and Rock 'n' Roll music.   

 

Walking Into The Past

In 1973 the Daily Mirror newspaper described Ingleburn as a "wasteland" dominated by "ugliness, lack of amenities and boredom". As a teenager growing up in the suburb at the time I was absolutely gobsmacked that anyone would describe my town in such vitriolic manner and also as a result of that article, I don't even think my mother has bought a Murdoch published newspaper for nearly 40 years! 

When I was a young kid growing up in Ingleburn in Sydney's south western suburbs, history was something that happened in more exotic locales. In the NSW school history syllabus during the 60's & 70's, we were taught about the great monarchs of the United Kingdom, the journey of Australia's discovery by Captain James Cook, Australia's convict transportation era, the explorations of the Australian continent, the deeds by our brave fighting men at Gallipoli (World War 1) and the defeat of the Japanese by the sons of Gallipoli at Kokoda (World War 2). All great historical events in their own right and it was probably deemed sufficient in the public school curriculum at the time, given the limited resources available to educators at the time.


However, history existed right under our noses if we cared to suspend our prejudices, remove our blinkers and just look at our own town.


The development of Ingleburn can be traced back to colonial botanist, George Caley, who in 1805 traveled from Prospect across to the upper reaches of the Georges River mapping its course near Ingleburn. Not long after the travels of Caley, settlers pushed out of the Sydney confines and into the area that is now known as Ingleburn. In 1809 four soldiers, William Hall, William Neale, Joshua Alliot and Timothy Loughin from the NSW Corps took up farm selections in the area that became known as Soldiers Flat, on the eastern side of Bunburry Curran Creek (according to Parish Maps of the late 1830's show that Bunburry is spelt with 2 r's and not with one 'r' as it is today). Although the southern railway came through in 1858, it wasn't until 1869 that a rail platform was built on the Neale property to service the growing rural industries and so a name had to be found for the new locality. The name chosen was Macquarie Fields, named after the large property located on William Redfern's land holdings to the north of the platform. The properties near the platform changed hands a few times up until 1881 when the area was purchased by Elias Laycock and the home he built on his new holdings  was called Ingleburn House. Also in 1881 William Redfern's former Macquarie Fields property was subdiivided and became the new village of Macquarie Fields. To save confusion over the names in August 1883 the railway authorities decided to adopt the name of the nearby Elias Laycocks house, so the name was changed to Ingleburn. When the area around the station was eventually subdivided, the area simply became known as Ingleburn as well.


As Ingleburn was basically a rural village, most of the early buildings were constructed using easily accessible building materials such as timber and iron. Even the local public school, which was relocated from Brooks Point near Appin and opened in 1887 was originally built as a timber and iron structure. The current brick building, including the teachers residence, that stands on the site today were constructed in 1892 at a cost of  £1097/9/0 ($1.6 million) which reflects the standing Ingleburn had achieved in it's very short history.


Ingleburn even managed their own civic affairs when they elected their own council and which first sat in1896. The first meetings were conducted in Alderman Smiths lounge room (as there was no council chambers at the time) with Mr Barff serving as Ingleburn's first Lord Mayor. Also serving were some old Ingleburian names such as Mr Percival and Mr Collins (the areas first Postmaster) who were elected as Alderman in the first local administration. Eventually the council was incorporated into the Campbelltown Council in 1948. One of the legacies of the Ingleburn Council was the development of Kings Park (now called the Georges River Reserve) in the late 30's as a recreation area and was popular spot for swimming on those hot summer days. It was also where a lot of local kids, myself included, learnt to swim, mainly thanks to the now heritage listed weir that made the conditions less treacherous by artificially slowing down the fast flowing water. The area was also used extensively by the Scouting movement for orienteering and bush related activities, a real asset to the early community before the age of swimming pools.   

In 1901, the original railway station burnt to the ground and so the government decided that it would be one of the first built in the contemporary style of the day, that is in what is known as the 'Initial Island' style. Ingleburn railway is one of the few remaining examples of the first attempts to implement this style of rail architecture into the Sydney metro area and is considered to be the prototype for many other railway station buildings that were erected in the 1910 -20  period using this style.

The Ingleburn School of Arts (Community Hall) is another example of pride in local community, built in the 1920's it is an example of the Art Deco style that was becoming in vogue around that time. The hall has survived during this time, however a recent redevelopment of the Ingleburn Arts Precinct, saw the old hall demolished and now only the facade remains.
   
It was during the 1970's that population of the former rural village exploded, when the Housing Commission and developers opened up vast tracts of farmland to housing and changed the face of my town forever, dragging the locals from a sleepy insular backwater, to a thriving Sydney suburb. However, what puts Ingleburn apart for other suburbs in south west Sydney is that Ingleburn has a very rich civic and architectural history  ... all you have to do is look.

N.B. - I'd like to thank the Campbelltown City Library, the online resources of the National Library of Australia, the late Ingleburn historian Mrs Genevieve Tregear & my 4th Form history teacher Miss Burrows, who gave me my inspiration ... better late than never!. 

The Lost Post Offices of Australia - Stockton (2295)

In 1800 a gang of 15 convicts, escaping from Broken Bay in NSW, stole the colonial sloop 'Norfolk' and ran aground at the present day Stockton, thus giving the area it's first and more romantic name, Pirate Point. 

Situated less than 1 kilometre across the harbour from Newcastle, Stockton has its own unique history, which dates back to early Aboriginal occupation and was known as  "Burrinbingon" by the local Worrimi tribe. Stockton was known by the aboriginal as a gathering place of plenty as it was well stocked with oysters, pippies and plenty of fish species in the river. When Lt Shortland 'discovered' Newcastle in 1797 word got back to Sydney about the natural riches that could be found, especially the coal and cedar and it didn't take long before 18th century entrepreneurs came to take advantage to the abundant riches. One of the first  businessmen was Hugh Meehan, who in 1799 began operating a saw pit on Stockton's northern shore      

Following the establishment of the convict settlement at Coal River (Newcastle) in 1804, Stockton then became a horrendous place of punishment as convicts were sent over the river to work the lime kilns that were situated close to the former aboriginal middens that were scattered around the area.   


By 1823 the convict era had finished and so private settlements along the length of the Hunter River flourished, including Stockton. Large grants of land were issued in the 1830's and early industries quickly flourished, salt works and foundry in 1838, vitriol (sulphuric acid) works in 1853, tin smelter in 1872 and the colony's biggest textile factory (which burnt down in 1851). however the mainstay was shipbuilding, with at least six shipbuilders operating in the area by the 1860's.


With a population of over 150 permanent residents the first calls were made for the establishment of a Post Office on the peninsular in 1859, however the NSW government declined, mainly due to the high cost submitted by the contractors to convey the mail across the harbour, one tender was quoted as £60 ($10,000), which was considered to high of a cost at the time.


Not to be deterred, in November 1861 representations were once again put to the government, this time by local politician Mr James Hannell and in this instance they were successful. On the 1st February 1862, Mr Samuel Sterling became the first Postmaster of the new Stockton Post Office. A contract was also let to Mr Henry Plenglaze for £36.13.5 ($6,000) to provide a 6 day mail service from Newcastle to Stockton. According to the Parish Maps the first Post Offices seemed to be located off Fullerton Road, near what is now known as Punt St (formerly known as Factory St.). Several Postmasters followed Mr Sterling ... William Adams (1868), Edward Miner (1870) and then in 1873 the former contractor, Henry Penglaze, who held the position until his death in 1882,  then passing the running of the Post Office licence to his wife, Elizabeth.


As Stockton continued to grow, especially when the Stockton Coal Company commenced operation in 1882, so did the demands for better postal services, including the connection to the telegraph. Following an assessment by Postal Inspector Davies in 1886, it was decided to erect an 18 mile  telegraph line from Raymond Terrace to Stockton and amalgamate the Post Office and the Telegraph Office.



In 1887, Stockton at last had an official Post & Telegraph Office with Mr John Beckett appointed to the position with a salary of £124 p.a. ($130,000). On the day he opened Stockton's the new Post & Telegraph, the 27th June 1887, his first message as the official Post & Telegraph master was "I have opened the office here this morning, may I take on a Probationer to carry messages, no other person employed here but myself ", Postmaster Beckett was quick to realise the short comings of being the only employee at the Post Office! Not only was his plea for additional staff agreed to but he also gained a part time Postman as well, John Griffiths, who commenced his rounds on 1st September 1887, thus earning the distinction of being the first postman in Stockton .


In 1890 the Post Office also gained a lamp for the front of the Post Office and as this had to be lit and maintained by Postmaster Beckett, so he asked for and was granted an additional allowance of £4 p.a. ($670) to perform this task. Just another perk of the job that we have seemed to have lost over the years!  


By 1891 however calls were made by the Stockton Municipal Council for a public building be erected for a Post Office, instead of operating out of Mr Bruce's rented premises, so after much negotiating a site on Hunter Street was selected and on the 18th February 1901 at a cost of £1,219 ($815,000) , Stockton finally had a new purpose built Post Office to be proud of.


Over time technology moves on and the Post Office building in Hunter Street had outlived it's useful life which required extensive renovations just to make it habitable. So in the late 1930's it was decided to build a newer office in Clyde St (cnr Douglass St) and update the delivery and retail service. It was with little fanfare on the 6th December 1941 that the new £2,500 ($490,000) modernised Stockton Post Office opened for business. The old Hunter Street Post Office was then sold off and converted into residential flats, eventually the building was demolished and became part of the revamped Stockton foreshore. 


By the late 1990's, the Post Office structure was once again under review and as a result the retail business became an LPO (Licensed Post Office) and is now located in the newsagency at 29 Mitchell St. The old 1941 Post Office building was retained for a few more years before it  too was also sold off and in June 2001, the remaining postal staff and contractors were moved out to Heatherbrae, near Raymond Terrace. 


Next year marks the sesquicentennial (1862 - 2012) of Post Office operations in Stockton, a Post Office that has had quite the history of being moved, updated, downsized, revamped and hopefully, will continue to serve this local community well into the future.


As for the 15 pirates from the Norfolk? Eleven of them stole another boat, but eventually all were recaptured and two of the ringleaders executed ... perhaps they just should have opened a Post Office! 

N.B. I'd like to thank the staff at the Newcastle Library, the National Archives of Australia, The National Library of Australia & the residents of Stockton for their help in compiling this blog.

Wonderful Weekend Wanders In Wickham

In my last blog entry 'The Ghosts of Post Offices Past' I covered the Post Offices that were situated in and around the former Wickam Municipality. As I was doing my research I performed a walk around the area armed with my compact S1275 Sanyo to track down and photograph the former Post Office sites. As I decided to walk the route, instead of drive, it enable to to get a different perspective of the area and the more I walked, the more I liked what I saw.


Now to be honest the former Wickham Municipality, comprising the towns of Wickham, Islington, Tighes Hill and Maryville are presented as run down urban grunge by the media, reinforcing an unfair stereotype by those Novocastrians who live outside this wonderful urban gem. Once you move past the sterotypes, you'll be astounded by some wonderful late 19th century archtecture,  such as  the wonderfully restored Tighes Hill School of Arts, magnificent civic parks, historic bridges and some wonderful street architecture that reflect Newcastles evolving social history.


The area also boosted some of the richest Aboriginal sites in the Newcastle area, with a well documented  Corroboree site located on the cnr of Church & Hannell Streets (formerly the St James Anglican Church, now Blackwoods), with the last Corroboree performed in 1830 (Wickham PS Centenary 1878 -1978). In addition to the Corroboree site there were many other sites that evidenced Aboriginal life in the area, with reports that fish traps were set in the tidal mangroves & extensive middens along the sandy shores and clear waters of Throsby Creek. Evidence of the middens can be found if you look closely at the concrete pourings on the Grahame Bridge at Lewis Street, you can still see the shell grit that were taken from the ancient middens during the construction!     

With Newcastle expanding with free settlers after the end of the convict era in 1823, more land was sought as the fledgling settlement of Newcastle spread west. When the railway arrived at Honeysuckle Point (Wickham) in 1857, land situated to the north of the railway was an obvious choice as it was flat fertile land, plentiful food from the numerous creeks and freshwater springs (Islington & Smedmore), the area must've seemed like paradise to the early settlers However, with the settlers came the industry and without todays environmental controls, the original beauty of the area was raped in the push for development .


The were slaughterhouses set up (near the present day Marina), a Soap & Candle factory on the site of Wickham PS), coal mines (Caltex & Tighes Hill PS), a tannery (Tighes Hill TAFE), copper smelting (Port Waratah) and unbridled housing development all contributed to the degradation of the once pristine, sandy banks of Throsby and Styx Creeks.


As more people were attracted to this working class area they bought their stories, leaving  their imprint on the suburbs where they lived and then, as their children grew up, they added more stories to the new tapestry that was being woven. One of the fascinating stories is that  in 1885 a young Henry Lawson (18 at the time), came to work at Hudson Bros at Wickham as an apprentice coach painter and spent a lot of evenings and weekends at the the new Wickham School of Arts to continue his studies for matriculation. His time in Newcastle wasn't a happy one due to workplace bullying and perhaps homesickness, so he returned to Sydney after a few months, becoming one of Australia favourite poets . 


But time moves on and the former Wickham Municipality is slowly recovering from almost a century of unbridled industrial carnage, leaving a landscape that has been changed forever from those heady days in the 1820's when area was known as Whytes Paddock. But with that urbanisation came some beautiful 19th century architecture, expansive parks framed by magnificent fig trees, fascinating streetscapes and stories from people who have generations invested in the area.


Yes the area has it blemishes, that you can't deny, but I'd rather choose to live in an area with a past, than in a suburb without a soul.

.

The Ghosts of Post Offices Past - Wickham (2293)

Wickham Post Office- circa 1900 - NLA C4076 

The 27th Febuary 1871 would  have been quite an important day for the proud residents for the small  town of Wickam as on that day they were proclaimed a Municipality, the first in Newcastle. The new Wickham Municipality incorporated the surrounding towns of Maryville, Smedmore (Wickham North), Linwood, Islington and Tighes Hill ... quite a day indeed!

Wickham LPO 

With the industrial expansion of Newcastle in the 1860's more workers were seeking accommodation so residential land  was opened up from Blane Street (Hunter St) to Whytes Paddock on the banks of Throsby Creek with sales commencing in 1868. Due to it's unique siting, with the harbour and railway close by, industries also were also attracted to the area, with a soap and candle factory, abattoirs (Tighes Hill & Wickham), steam sawmill, Hunter River Copper Works (Port Waratah) and the coal mines situated at Bullock Island (Carrington), Tighes Hill (Ferndale Colliery) and the Maryville (located on the current Caltex refinery), all providing a varied working environment for the Wickham Municipality as the area expanded.




The early living conditions were further enhanced by the limitless supply of fresh water from the Islington sand beds, the abundance of fresh fish, eels and estuary prawns that were found in clear waters of Throsby and Styx Creek.

Tighes Hill 1938 - NLA C4076

As more people were attracted to the area the postal needs of the community also grew and one of the first deputations by the newly elected council in 1871 was to ask the Postmaster-General to establish a formal Post Office and so on the 13th September 1872, local store owner Mrs E.Blackie was appointed Wickhams first Postmistress. The Wickham Post Office grew rapidly becoming a Post & Telegraph Office (7/10/1878), a Money Order Office (MOO - 1/1/1880) and a Government Savings Bank agency (GSB -22/5/1884). Then on the 27/8/1892 the new purpose built Post Office on the Cnr Throsby & Hannell St's opened for business. This beautiful two storey building was built in the James Barnet 'country Post Office' Italian Renaissance' style (although it was completed during the time of  James Liberty Vernon tenure as New South Wales Government Architect) and cost £1897 ($1.4 million) to complete. Sadly we only have photo's of this iconic building left as the 1989 Newcastle Earthquake seriously damaged the structural integrity of the building and as a result the building was demolished. Australia Post also decided at this time to convert the Post Office to an LPO (Licenced Post Office) and this happened on the 1st December 1994.Today the current LPO stands on the former site of the Post Office, albeit now combined with a newsagency.

former Tighes Hill PO

It is also interesting to note that Tighes Hill began operations on the 13th September 1872, the same day as the Wickham Post Office with J.Kilgour appointed Postmaster and like Wickham, the Post Office grew as the population expanded. It became a Money Order Office (22/9/1872), Telephone Service (31/1/1890), GSB (15/10/1894) and then eventually became an Official Post Office (3/11/1914). In 1937 the Post Office moved into a new building at 4 Elizabeth St and stayed there until 1997, when Australia Post closed this wonderful example of an Art Deco Post Office for good.
       

Islington PO - 1951 - NLA C4076

Islington Post Office was promised to the residents by the Postmaster-General for many years prior to its opening on the 1st January 1893 with S.Proctor appointed the Postmaster. Again it quickly grew with a Telephone Service (18/11/1899), MOO & GSB (9/6/1900) and then finally a Official Post Office in 1941. A new Post Office was built in 1974 for $101,520 and housed the postmen for the Wickham/Islington area, as the then PMG began to restructure mail delivery. This building was then eventually sold in the 1990's and the delivery operations were moved to new larger premises in Hudson St  Hamilton (now itself closed and the operations haved now moved to Warabrook). The retail side of the Islington Post Office itself was closed and the licence sold off. As a result Islington became a Licenced Post Office, another LPO located within a newsagency and with that, the town lost some of its rich postal history.

1974 Islington PO site

Islington LPO 

The last of the area's Post Offices was the Wickham North Post Office located in Downie Street Maryville. It was called Wickham North because there was already a Maryville in Victoria and the authorities didn't want any confusion! When the name was proposed a few old time locals preferred the name Smedmore to reflect the original name for the area, however the PMG stuck to their guns and it remained known as Wickham North Post Office. This little Non Official Post Office (NONO) first opened in 1951 with J.G. Power appointed licensee and it closed in 1971. It reopened in 1972, however by 1978 it had once again closed, never to reopen, although the street posting box (SPB) remained in place until it too was relocated to Hannell Street.

Downie St Wickham 

So one day if you are walking through the streets of the former Wickham Municipality and you feel the hair on the back of your neck rise up, don't be afraid, it is probably just the ghost of a Post Office past looking for some proper closure.


I'd like the thank the invaluable assistance given to me by the NCC Library, Newcastle Family History & Historical Society, the National Library of Australia & Doreen Cummins of the Honeysuckle News & Post (Wickham LPO) in putting together this blog. 


As a footnote it should be understood the name Wickham is actually a corruption of the original spelling of the town of  Whickham, which is located a few miles from Newcastle upon Tyne in north east England   

Living the steam dream

The first signs are quite evident in the cool autumn morning, it starts with the unmistakable sound of 'choof, choof, choof', then in the distance the first clouds of steam and smoke gather over the Main Northern Line, which can only mean one thing .... the Hunter Valley Steamfest is upon us once again.

Sooty

Although not generally known, the Hunter Valley region was virtually built on the ribbons of steel, which finally reached Maitland in 1880 (or West Maitland as it was known until 1949). This enabled local produce to be taken directly to the important Sydney markets without having to rely on the vagaries of river transport and the cost associated with the multiple handling of goods. For over 100 years steam trains were a familiar sight on the tracks around the Hunter Valley, with the last steam engine ceasing operations on the South Maitland Railway (SMR) in 1983, which makes the SMR the 2nd last railway to use steam haulage in Australia.

36 Class locomotive

The Hunter Valley Steamfest just isn't about trains, a significant focus is also on the various steam engines that played a huge part economic development of the area. The bigger traction engine were used extensively in the farming, forestry and road construction industries, but also there were multiple uses for smaller steam engines to power generators, water pumps, shearing rigs and almost anything else that required a stable power source.

So this year I decided that I would attend this wonderful Hunter Valley festival for the first time and so arming myself with Canon 400D, I headed off to Warabrook railway to catch the local train to Maitland. Now the Steamfest is unique in that steam trains operate continually throughout the weekend and so even as I waited for my local train, one of the historic steam trains passed through, the beautifully restored 1902 built C-32 class 'Hunter'  No. 3265 locomotive. The 3265 still holds a special place in the hearts of Hunter train buffs, as it is last of the 32 class locomotives still operational and still carries the Hunter nameplate.




Once at the rally grounds there were so many excellent examples of steam propulsion it is nearly impossible to know where to begin to describe the displays. However, what I'll do is give a very short overview of just some of the examples of a technology that once dominated the landscape of 20th century Australia.

McLaren No . 1170

The J & H. McLaren No.1170 - This Traction Engine or 'road locomotive' as they were commonly known), is a great example of the type of equipment that would have been found working around the Hunter region around the start of the 1900's. Typically they were single cylinder of around 7 - 8 horse power capacity and would have been in great demand around harvest and  shearing time.

Christina

Christina - Unlike the McLaren, this John Fowler & Sons model, plate No. 16770 appears to had a life in the road construction industry as a road roller. Although very similar to the J & H. McLaren Traction Engine models the road rollers had a wider front track and  smooth rear wheels for compacting the road surface. Both factories were located in the English town of Leeds and the two competing factories even shared a common boundary. At the height of their manufacturing heyday the John Fowler Steam Plough Works occupied a 15 acre site and employed over 2,500 workers.


Sooty - Another John Fowler & Sons road locomotive, built in Traction Engine configuration, plate designation No. 16605 . 

Aveling & Porter Type D

The Aveling & Porter Type D Road Roller - This is great example of the road rollers that were imported into Australia in their 1,000's during the 1920's as road construction became a priority as more and more vehicles began using the roads after World War One and demand was high for better construction techniques. A lot of these 8 ton, 6 horse power road rollers were imported by Noyce Brothers in Sydney and were sent throughout the state. The cost of one of these machines was apparently around £1321, or around $360,000 today! 

Hazel

Hazel - This is a very rare example of a Traction Engine built by Wm. Allchin of Northhampton in England. The Allchin plant was very small when compared to others of the period and they only produced around 220 machines by the time they stopped building in 1925. Out of the 220 machines produced today it is believed that there are only 20 left in existence and of these 17 are in England, with three believed to be in Australia ... Hazel being one of them.

Marshall Traction Engine

1905 6 horse power Marshall, Sons & Co Traction Engine - Marshall, Sons & Co, located in Gainsborough, England   was one of Englands largest agricultural machinery manufacturer and were one of the early adopters of the internal combustion engines for tractors, which ironically sounded the death knell for steam operated tractors.

1920's Super Sentinel

1920's Super Sentinel Steam Waggon -  At least 100 Sentinel Steam Waggons were imported into Australia between 1921 to 1927 from the Shrewsbury factory in England and there is believed to be only 15 examples of these unique vehicles still surviving today. These odd looking trucks found a niche in our early motoring history, being able to haul over 6 tons and had an achievable top speed of around 20kph from their two cylinder engines, making them more powerful than the horse drawn drays of the time. However, by the 1930's they had all but disappeared off our roads as the petrol engine began to be more readily available to the transport industry. The slow, cumbersome Sentinels were no match for the newer technology and 'choof, choofed' into automotive history.

Vernier Tractor

While it is nostalgic to look back on the age of steam as representative of a gentler era, it must be remembered that this form of propulsion was dirty, high maintenance and very inefficient. An example of this were the early steam wagons that used around 200 kilos of coke, 150 litres of water and had an operational time of around 3 hours which made them very energy inefficient. Also, the steam trains were filthy, smelly and had a bad habit of setting fire to the Australian bush from their embers.


So well it may have been a bit of fun to have a tactile engagement with the past, but I think the age of steam has past and is best left to the industrial romantics.