NSWPort & river
Cooranbong
Lake Macquarie’s first town shipped timber by ketch, lost out to the railway, and was revived by the Adventists.
1861Village lots sold beside the Simpson grant
WHAT STARTED IT
Lieutenant Percy Simpson took up 2,000 acres here in 1826, and the village grew on lots sold in 1861 beside his grant, on Dora Creek. Timber cut in the Watagan foothills went out by ketch along the creek and across the lake.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Sawmills, boatbuilding and Cobb and Co coaches brought the population to about 700 by 1884, but the railway passed to the east and the 1890s depression cut it to 206 by 1891. The Seventh-day Adventists bought about 1,500 acres in the 1890s and opened the Avondale school in 1897, followed by a Sanitarium health food factory.
TURNING POINTS
1861Seven lots are sold on 1 August, forming the village centre, and Lake Macquarie’s first school opens in November.
1874Robert King’s sawmill ships its first cargo of timber.
1891After the railway bypasses the town and the timber trade slumps, the census counts 206 people.
1896Ellen G. White reports laying the foundation stone of the Adventist college on land bought at Cooranbong.
1897The Avondale School for Christian Workers opens.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A fast-growing Lake Macquarie town of about 7,000 people at the foot of the Watagans. Avondale University and its Adventist community still shape the town.