Jump to content

Seaham, New South Wales

Edit links
Coordinates: 32°39′54″S 151°43′04″E / 32.66500°S 151.71778°E / -32.66500; 151.71778
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 129.78.64.101 (talk) at 05:41, 7 July 2010. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Seaham
New South Wales
St. Andrew's Anglican Church, dedicated 1860.
Seaham is located in New South Wales
Seaham
Seaham
Coordinates32°39′54″S 151°43′04″E / 32.66500°S 151.71778°E / -32.66500; 151.71778
Population372[2] (Seaham village only) Note1
 • Density8.052/km2 (20.85/sq mi)
Established1822
Postcode(s)2324
Area46.2 km2 (17.8 sq mi)Note2
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10)
 • Summer (DST)AEDT (UTC+11)
Location
LGA(s)Port Stephens Council[1]
RegionHunter[1]
CountyDurham[3]
ParishSeaham[3]
State electorate(s)Maitland[4]
Federal division(s)Paterson[5]
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
29.6 °C
85 °F		 6.1 °C
43 °F		 925.2 mm
36.4 in
Suburbs around Seaham:
Duns Creek Glen Oak East Seaham
Butterwick, Woodville, Wallalong Seaham East Seaham, Eagleton
Wallalong, Hinton Brandy Hill, Hinton, Osterley, Nelsons Plains Raymond Terrace
Seaham Hotel, at the intersection of Vine & Dixon Streets. Circa 1910.

Seaham is a suburb of the Port Stephens Local Government Area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia.[1][6] It is located on the Williams River which flows into the Hunter River 14.6 kilometres (9.1 mi) downstream from Seaham village at Raymond Terrace.

It is a rural community supporting a small but expanding population. While the actual village of Seaham, which is located in the north-eastern corner of the suburb, is relatively compact and composed of only a handful of streets, the suburb itself covers an area of approximately 46.3 square kilometres (17.9 sq mi).[6] Greater Seaham covers an even larger area and incorporates East Seaham, Brandy Hill, Eagleton and Eskdale Estate.

History

Aboriginal settlement

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area now known as Seaham was home to the Garewagal clan of the Worimi people.[7]

Beginnings through the 19th century

In 1822, Henry Dangar began surveying the Hunter Valley for settlement. Dangar divided the land into counties and parishes, reserving land for a township where the village of Seaham is now situated. About this time a military station existed at Seaham in the vicinity of what is now Wighton Street. The village at Seaham was proclaimed in the Government Gazette on 26 July 1838. In the ensuing years, the village became a crossroads between neighbouring centres such as Raymond Terrace and Maitland.

In 1838, Dr. Henry Carmichael established a vineyard at "Porphyry Point", north of the village. In the ensuing decades the vineyard proved prosperous, winning numerous awards in Australia and Europe. The last vintage at Porphyry was in 1915, after which the name and trade mark was sold to Lindemans.[8]

20th century

Prior to the establishment of the railway line between Maitland and Paterson in 1911, a line through Seaham was one of three alternative routes for the North Coast Railway. The proposed line would have connected Morpeth and Clarence Town, via Seaham. The surveyed line is visible on an 1887 map of Seaham, indicating a railway crossing over the Williams River between the township and Brandon House. At a public meeting in Clarence Town during October 1882 it was argued that the line through Seaham would present "more facilities and less engineering difficulties [than the proposed Maitland to Paterson route]".[9]

Brandy Hill

Adjacent to Brandy Hill, a 180-metre (591 ft) high hill located approximately 4.7 km (2.9 mi) to the west of Seaham township is the Brandy Hill Quarry.[10][11] Travelling between the quarry and Raymond Terrace meant travelling a circuitous route through the Seaham township so Brandy Hill Drive was constructed to provide a shorter and more direct route. In the 1980s the land around Brandy Hill Drive was subdivided and the estate was named "Brandy Hill". On 7 April 2000 the subdivision was formally approved as a locality and became a suburb in its own right.[12] The suburb is almost surrounded by Seaham, while the hill itself remains within the suburb.[11]

Bushfires

The first documented bushfire in Seaham after European settlement occurred in June 1888[13]. This particular bushfire, which did not threaten the town proper, almost engulfed the home of Henrietta Carmichael at "Felspar". On 18 February 1926, the Seaham Hotel was almost destroyed by a bushfire that also threatened the Seaham School of Arts on Warren Street[14]. Another fire on 9 November 1928 destroyed a house on the "Brandon" estate, which is located to the south of the village[15].

1939 bushfires

Seaham was partially destroyed by bushfires on January 14, 1939[16], the smoke of which could be seen as far north as Forster[17]. The bushfire destroyed two historic homesteads at "Felspar" and "Porphyry" respectively before engulfing the Seaham Presbyterian Church, Seaham Public School and a number of homes around Warren Street[18]. There was also significant damage at "Brandon", on the other side of the town proper, where a number of home were destroyed.

1944 and 1951 bushfires

In 1944, another bushfire swept down on Seaham and nearby Glen Oak. The fire was blocked on Clarence Town Road near the Glen Oak School of Arts. At Seaham, the fire was reported to have jumped the Williams River at "Felspar". The town proper came under threat from bushfires again in 1951 from a fire in the Wallaroo State Forest[19]. This bushfire, which also threatened Karuah, was reported to be "out of control" on the night of 15 November, 1951, prompting the residents of Seaham to evacuate[20].

21st century

In 2002 celebrations were held in Seaham to commemorate the sesquicentenary of Seaham Public School, the centenary of the Seaham School of Arts and the centenary of the consecration of St. Andrew's Anglican Church. These celebrations were unified as "Seaham Celebrates" and included events that were similar to those held at the 1938 Seaham centenary celebrations .

Places of significance

Brandon House

"Brandon", established in 1884 on the site of Alexander Warren's "Brandon Hall", is one of the last original homesteads in Seaham. The house has remained in the Fisher family for over 130 years and is the only example of Victorian architecture in the town.

Eskdale House

"Eskdale", built in the 1830s, is one the oldest homesteads in the district and is located on the outskirts of Seaham near Brandy Hill. It was built by Walter Scott, who also built Wallalong House.

Cemetery

Seaham Cemetery, which is located on the outskirts of the Seaham township, has a traditional layout with headstones dating back to the 1850s. The cemetery is still in use and is maintained by Port Stephens Council.

Deadman's Creek

Between Seaham and Brandy Hill Quarry, the Clarence Town Road crosses a small watercourse named Deadman's Creek. The creek gained this sinister name after 1844 when a man from Clarence Town was found brutally murdered on the road, close to the modern-day crossing. Mr. Robert Campbell was found with his throat cut in such a way that his head was almost severed from his body. Closer inspection of the body revealed a gunshot wound on the deadman's jaw. Several hundred metres away, (in the Maitland direction), a large pool of blood was found. Police at the time took this as an indication that the deceased had been dumped near the creek after he was killed.[21]

Edgeworth David quarry

The Edgeworth David quarry is an historic quarry that was gazetted for preservation for scientific purposes in 1925.[22] It is named after the Australian geologist Edgeworth David, who discovered signs of late Palaeozoic glaciation in the Seaham area during 1914. The deposits at the quarry, identified as 'varve shale' in 1919, have been considered by geologists as the 'finest [example] in the world'.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service manage the site, which can be visited by everyone interested in geology and geological history of the Seaham area.

Seaham Swamp Nature Reserve

Seaham Swamp is recognised as an important habitat for the Cattle Egret and numerous other bird species. In addition to this, the reserve also protects a historic quarry, in which scientifically important sediments from ancient glacial thaw water have been found[23].

Notes

  1. ^ This population figure is only for the actual village of Seaham. ABS QuickStats for the rest of the suburb is included in the population data for Nelsons Plains and Duns Creek

as shown on 1:100000 map 9232 NEWCASTLE.

  1. ^ Area calculation is based on 1:100000 map 9232 NEWCASTLE.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Suburb Search - Local Council Boundaries - Hunter (HT) - Port Stephens". New South Wales Department of Local Government. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  2. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Seaham (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2008-06-10. Map
  3. ^ a b "Geographical Names Register Extract: Seaham". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  4. ^ "Maitland". New South Wales Electoral Commission. 24 March 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  5. ^ "Paterson". Australian Electoral Commission. 19 October 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  6. ^ a b "Seaham". Land and Property Management Authority - Spatial Information eXchange. New South Wales Land and Property Information. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  7. ^ "The History of the Worimi People". Tobwabba Art. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
  8. ^ "The Wine Industry of Australia 1788 1979". Wine Talk. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
  9. ^ "Proposed Northern Coast Railway, Public Meeting at Clarence Town". The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser. Australian Newspapers. 7 October 1882. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  10. ^ "Geographical Names Register Extract: Brandy Hill (hill)". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 2009-02-10.; 1:100000 map 9232 NEWCASTLE
  11. ^ a b "Brandy Hill". Land and Property Management Authority - Spatial Information eXchange. New South Wales Land and Property Information. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
  12. ^ "Geographical Names Register Extract: Brandy Hill (locality)". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
  13. ^ http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/18957611?searchTerm=felspar%20fire
  14. ^ http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/3735521?searchTerm=Seaham%20+%20bushfire
  15. ^ "Bushfires raging in many districts". The Canberra Times. 10 November 1928. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
  16. ^ "186 Victims of Fire and Heat". The Canberra Times. 16 January 1939. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
  17. ^ http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/news/general/historic-flashback-the-day-seaham-died/1406310.aspx
  18. ^ http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/news/general/historic-flashback-the-day-seaham-died/1406310.aspx
  19. ^ http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/18500055?searchTerm=Seaham%20+%20bushfire
  20. ^ http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/18239611?searchTerm=Seaham%20+%20bushfire
  21. ^ "Wilful Murder". Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  22. ^ Juanita McCarthy (December 2006). "Seaham Swamp Nature Reserve Draft Plan of Management" (PDF). Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW). Retrieved 2008-06-29. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); line feed character in |coauthors= at position 10 (help) (p.4)
  23. ^ "Seaham Swamp Nature Reserve". NSW Government Department of Environment and Climate Change. Retrieved 2008-12-27.


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seaham,_New_South_Wales&oldid=372162716"