NSWPort & river
Toukley
Fish curing on the lake shore came before the holiday shops.
1860sChinese fishermen settle at Canton Beach
WHAT STARTED IT
Toukley sits on a strip of land between Tuggerah Lake, Budgewoi Lake and the ocean. In the 1860s Chinese fishermen settled at what is now Canton Beach and built a large trade in dried, smoked and pickled fish from the lakes.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Edward Hargraves, the gold discoverer, bought land here in the 1850s. A bridge over the Toukley channel in 1939 and the road from The Entrance in 1965 opened the area up, and Toukley’s shops came to serve the fast-growing northern lakes townships.
TURNING POINTS
1860sChinese fishermen set up at Canton Beach to cure fish from the lakes.
1891Toukley Public School opens.
1939A bridge is built over the Toukley channel at Wallarah Point.
1965The road between The Entrance and Toukley opens.
1969The name Toukley Oukley is officially shortened to Toukley.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A town centre for the northern lakes, with shops, holiday parks and lake foreshores. The present Toukley bridge, built in 1983–85, links it with Gorokan.