NSWPort & river
Spencer
A river village where Mangrove Creek meets the Hawkesbury.
1850sFernleigh is taken up
WHAT STARTED IT
Spencer sits on the north bank of the Hawkesbury River beside the mouth of Mangrove Creek, where the creek valley opens onto the river. James Crosland, a free settler, took up land here in the 1850s at a place called Fernleigh.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
A provisional school opened at Fernleigh in 1900 and moved to its present site in 1922; the village later took the parish name Spencer, believed to honour the 2nd Earl Spencer. The school closed in 2014, and a new public wharf opened in 2019.
TURNING POINTS
1850sJames Crosland takes up land at Fernleigh.
1900A provisional school opens at Fernleigh.
1922The school moves to its present site.
2014Spencer Public School closes.
2019Central Coast Council opens a new public wharf.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A small riverside village with a general store, cafe and caravan park, living on farming, fishing and visitors. A boat across Mangrove Creek is still a shortcut to the motorway.