On this page members of the Maitland and District Historical Society are sharing their research into a variety of aspects of the history of our locality. New stories will be added as they become available.
Use search to find stories about the person, place, topic or keyword you are interested in.
The shortening of the lower Hunter River
The Hunter River was much shortened after Europeans arrived, an indirect result of vegetation removal and the draining of wetlands. River behaviour changed, especially during floods, loops were cut off, the river became wider and shallower and huge amounts of good soil was lost.
The great flood of 1820
The flood of 1820 was the first of Maitland’s great floods but despite the damage caused to the farms of the first settlers there were no known deaths.
Changes to vegetation and wetlands
During the nineteenth century, European settlement brought great changes to the environment of the Maitland area, especially on the floodplains, and the river was changed as a result .
A deep-water river port
The deep river-port at Morpeth and two steamships that played vital roles in transporting farm produce from the Hunter and bringing manufactured and other needed items from Sydney.