NSWPort & river
Forster–Tuncurry
Twin towns grew from timber, boats and Wallis Lake.
1869Townsite surveyed · timber-and-lake settlement
WHAT STARTED IT
Forster developed beside Wallis Lake after cedar and pine cutters used the waterways to move logs. Sawmilling, shipbuilding, fishing and a pilot station made the lake entrance a practical place for a town.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
The townsite was surveyed as Minimbah in 1869 and renamed Forster in 1870. Tuncurry grew on the northern shore around John Wright’s sawmill and shipyard. A bridge finally joined the towns in 1959, replacing punts and launches.
TURNING POINTS
1869Forster townsite surveyed.
1875Tuncurry develops around a sawmill and shipyard.
1959First bridge links the twin towns.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A shared coastal service and holiday centre shaped by beaches, boating, fishing and retirement, with the lake still binding the two halves together.