Journal #57 December 2017

Urbanization of Manning Valley:

Part 1- Taree 1854- 1891

With the Manning River as the main highway of the Manning Valley in the 19th century, villages grew along its riverbanks. By the 1880’s, the town of Taree, privately established by Henry Flett in 1854, was recognised as the Valley’s leading town. This article examines how the township grew, and gives glimpses of how its residents lived.
by Katherine M Bell

Urbanization of Manning Valley:

Part 2- The incorporation of Taree and Wingham

Following the recent forced amalgamation of the Greater Taree Council with the Great Lakes Council and the Gloucester Shire to form the MidCoast Council, it is a relevant time to look back at the beginning of municipal councils in the Manning Valley – Taree and Wingham
By Maurie Garland

Taree and Wingham at the Time the Councils were Established

Both the Australian Town and Country Journal and the Sydney Mail, weekly newspapers published in Sydney, sent reporters to the Manning River District following the incorporation of the two towns. Here we present their published reports, slightly abridged.

Taree 1899: The First Schools’  District Athletics Carnival

In 1899, for the first time, many of the schools in the Manning Valley travelled to Taree to compete in inter school sports. Some the small one-teacher schools did not attend, particularly in the Upper Manning Valley, where transporting the pupils to Taree was a major operation.

The Great White Train of 1926:

The Great White Train, consisting of 16 carriages of Australian mad products, visited the Manning Valley in September 1926 and was welcomed and inspected by large crowds.
By Maurie Garland

Thomas Florance, Surveying the Manning 1827- Part 2

In Part 1, we left the enigmatic Thomas Florance, the first surveyor to map the full length of the Manning River, Descending the Gloucester Tops towards the Barnard River and then to the Manning River. This expedition was without doubt the high point of Florance’s surveying career and it was all down hill from there.
By Bill Beach

Cost: $10.00  36 pages A4: 21cm x 29cm