19th Century Convicts

The title says nineteenth century. Transportation to New South Wales is older than that, and it stops in this colony before the century is half done. The First Fleet is 1788. An Order in Council of 22 May 1840 took New South Wales off the list from 1 August; the last convict ships for this colony belong to 1840. After that the system pointed at Van Diemen’s Land and later Western Australia. “Thousands” is safe. A single magic total on an untitled picture is not.

These files have no captions and no catalogue numbers. Do not hang a named convict, a particular gaol or a reformer on a picture you haven’t matched. If a face is later identified, say so; until then the post is a folder, not a biographical dictionary. Hyde Park Barracks, the Rocks, the harbour islands used as prisons, the female factories — those Sydney places have their own pages. This album is not those essays.

Newcastle – New South Wales

Newcastle sits at the mouth of the Hunter River on the NSW coast — Awabakal Country around the harbour, the entrance headland dual-named Nobbys-Whibayganba. Europeans noted coal here from the late 1790s; a secondary convict station ran 1801–04 and was re-established more permanently afterward. Coal extraction and shipment shaped the place from those earliest years, and the port grew into one of the world’s great coal-export harbours as railways and breakwaters improved access.

Macquarie-era works (including Macquarie Pier toward Nobbys) and later nineteenth-century civic building marked the shift from penal outpost to free town. Newcastle was proclaimed a city in 1885. Signal stations, Nobbys Light (1857–58), customs and commercial wharves, and a dense inner-city street grid record that industrial rise; twentieth-century steelmaking (BHP) and successive harbour redevelopments layered on. The working harbour is still central to the city’s identity even as the waterfront has diversified.

Photographs here sketch historic streets, harbour edges and coastal landmarks — read them with the separate Nobbys Head post for the entrance geology and lighthouse.

Newcastle grew around its harbour and coal industry, becoming a major port on the New South Wales coast. The city’s historic streets and buildings reflect its development from a penal settlement into an industrial centre. Coal mining began in the Newcastle area in the early nineteenth century, helping establish the port as a major coal exporter. Newcastle was proclaimed a city in 1885. Its harbour remains an important working port linked to the Hunter River.

Early Settlers To Follow Up

This is a follow-up list, not twelve lives in one paragraph. The bullets are an index of names that keep turning up on this blog: Phillip and Macquarie in the governors’ column; Richard Joness mansion on the south-west of Pitt near Hunter; Samuel Terry and Judge Therry as neighbours in the same street memory; Campbell’s Wharf; John Piper at Point Eliza, which is Point Piper once the nickname stuck; Cadman; Greenway and the buildings he signed; Simeon Lord; Mary Reibey (Haydock); James Underwood’s yard; Isaac Nichols, postmaster from 25 April 1809, office in his George Street house.

Treat “Famous Inns of Sin” as colour, not a licence history. The Hero of Waterloo is a real Millers Point pub; Brown Bear, Cat and Fiddle, Jolly Sailor and the rest need a Trove hit before they become essays. Morris Asher and the Rat Pit are a Rocks blood-sport footnote, not a founding story. Major Ross was appointed lieutenant-governor in October 1786 — of the settlement, not of a later state. Frederick Goulburn is often called the first Colonial Secretary in the modern office; don’t collapse every earlier secretary into him.

If a name already has a page — Campbell’s Wharf, Point Piper, Greenway, Cadman, the Hero — send the reader there. This post is the scrap of paper on the desk, not the book.

The Proclamation Of A Colony - 7th February 1788

The Procalmation Of A Colony - 7th February 1788 - Arthur Phillips Insrtructions - 

“The 7th February 1788 was a memorable day which established a regular form of Government for the coast of New South Wales. For obvious reasons, all possible solemnity was given to the proceedings necessary on the occasion. On a space previously cleared… The whole colony numbering 1030, was assembled. 
The military drawn up, & under arms, the convicts stationed apart….The convicts seated in a half circle, the Maribnes paraded in front of them, and the officers grouped in the centre.

& near the person of the Governor, those who were to hold the principal office under him. 

The Royal Commission from George III was then read by David Collins, the Judge Advocate, & then he read the commission of the other Officers, also the Act establishing the colony, and other formal documents.

By this instrument Arthur Phillip was constituted & appointed

Lieutenant General and Commander in Chief, in & over the territory called New South Wales 

The Marines fired 3 Volleys, & the first Governor of New South Wales, after thanking his officers and soldiers for their behaviour so far, addressed the convicts, promising rewards to those who conducted themselves well;unsparing severity to offenders. 

& the Colony of New South Wales was Consumated. The residence of the Governor, what he quaintly called his "Canvas House", & the tents of the officers were pitched on the east side of the little creek, with the flagstaff reared in front of them, and closeby were planted the various fruit trees procured from Rio De Janeiro & The Cape Of Good Hope. 

It’s such a shame that we, as 6th, 7th & 8th generation Australians don’t appreciate the struggles, trials & tribulations our forefathers went through & sacrificed way before World War 1. It’s now not in living memory 

What sort of Australia are we creating in the 21st Century? 

Australians used to be well respected & had resilience that was related to them. The Constitution in 1901 brought all the Colonies together under a Commonwealth. But over time the party system and the Constitution & other related documents have changed. 

A generation of New Puritans has arisen through the wealth of this country, which will ultimately be our undoing. Freedom doesn't come for nothing. We know nothing of the things our forebears fought 

George III, 

By the Grace of God, 

King of Great Britain, France & Ireland, 

Defender of The Faith;

To our Trusty & well beloved Arthur Phillip Esq

We, reposing Special trust & Confidence in the prudence, courage & loyalty of you; 

the said Arthur Phillip, of our Special Grace;

Have thought fit to Constitute & Appoint you 

to be our Governor General  & Governor In Chief,

In, & over our territory called New South Wales,

Extending from the northern cape, 

or extremity of the coast called Cape York, 

in Latitude 10 degrees 37 minutes; 

to the southern extremity 

in Latitude 43 degrees 39 minutes South

& all the country westward, 

to the 135th degree of East Longitude, 

including all the islands adjacent in the Pacific Ocean, within the Latitude name. 

Our will and pleasure is that you take the oath

 for the due execution of the Office & Trust 

of our Governor General & Governor In Chief, 

for the due & impartial administration of justice. 

& we do hereby authorize & empower you 

to keep & use the Public Seal, 

for sealing all things whatsoever; 

that shall pass the Great Seal 

of our said Territory & its dependencies. 

We further give & grant unto you 

Full Power & Authority to administer & give Oaths 

To any such person or persons, as you shall see fit.

To Constitute & Appoint Justices Of The Peace, 

Coroners, Constables, & other such necessary officers 

For the better administration of justice. 

To pardon offenses & remit fines & forfeitures. 

To levy, arm, muster & command; 

& employ all persons whatsoever 

Residing within the said Territory And its dependencies;

For the resisting of all enemies

Pirates & Rebels; Both at sea & land. 

To execute Martial Law in time of invasion, 

& at other times when by law, it may be executed. 

To erect, raise & build as many forts & platforms, 

Castles & cities, burrow, towns 

& fortifications as you shall judge necessary.

To Constitute & Appoint Captains, Lieutenants, 

Master Of Ships, & other commanders and officers. 

To Punish convicts, & execute Offenders at sea,

or during their time of  abode at Ports Harbors And Bays

We likewise give & grant you 

full power and authority to grant land & control commerce, to Appoint fair Marts and Markets. 

And we require & command all officers & members, 

civil & military, & all other inhabitants 

to be obedient, aiding & assisting to you, 

the said Arthur Phillip, 

in the execution of this our Commission, 

& in case of your death or absence out of the said Territory, to be obedient, aiding and assisting to such person Appointed by us 

to be Lieutenant Governor or Commander In Chief. 

Witnessed ourselves at Westminster, 

on the 2nd Day Of April 

in the 27th Year of Our Reign, 

By Writ of Privy Seal. 

And for so doing, 

this shall be your Warrant

Given At our Court of St James 

On the 26th Day Of March 1787 

In the 27th Years Our Reign 

GOD SAVE THE KING

Tank Stream Bridge & Head of Sydney Cove

Bridge Street, Northern Side, Between George And Pitt Steeets

In October 1788, A Timber Bridge Was Built To Span The Tank Stream, Which Was Then The Head Of Sydney Cove. 

When Governor Phillip Inspected Port Jackson In January 1788 He Was Unduced To Start Settlement There Because Of A Rivulet At The Head Of Sydney Cove Where WiLd Celery, Paraley and Aponach Flourished - Healthy Vegetablesn For Scurvy Patients. A Swampy Spring, one Mile Away In Today's Hyde Park, Was The Birthplace Of This Rivulet, Which Fell One Hundred Feet As It Wandered Eastward Over Sandstone Rocks To King Street. Thence Nourished By Two Springs, One At King Street And Another At Spring Street, It Glowed To Bridge Street, The Head Of The  Estuary. 

To Save The Lifestream, Governor Phillip InMarch 1788 Wisely Decreed That "The Run Of Water Which Supplies The SettlementQas Observed To Be Only. A Drain Grom The Swamp. To Protect It From The Sun, The Governor Forbids The Cutting DownOf Any Tree Within Fifty Feet Of The Run, then Which There Has Not Been A Finer Found In Any One Kf The Coves In The Harbour. 

In October 1788 A Timber bridge was built to span the tank stream at this spot, which was then The Head Of Sydney Cove. in 1803 -1804 the structure was replaced by Stonebridge. 

When Governor Philip inspected Port Jackson in January 1788 he was induced to start a settlement there because Of A Rivulet At The Head Of Sydney Cove Where Wild celery parsley & spinach flourished - healthy vegetables for scurvy patients. A Swampy Spring 1 mile away, in the centre of Today's Hyde Park, Was The Birthplace Of This a Rivulet,which fell 100 feet as it wandered Eastward Over sandstone Rocks To King Street.  Then nourished by two springs, one at  King Street and another at Spring Street It Flowed to Bridge Street The Head Of The tidal estuary.

To save the live stream, Governor Philip in March 1788 wisely decreed that 

"the run of water which supplies the settlement was observed to be only a drain from the swamp. To protect it from the sun, the governor forbids the cutting down of any tree within 50 feet of the run, than which there has not been a finer found in any one of the coves of the harbour."

in February 1791 surveyor Alt deepened the stream Near Bridge Street and in April 1792 the governor had ditches dug flanking the rivulet. A paling fence was erected to keep out stock and cherish the shrubs growing on its Bank.

The Rivulet was christened the tank stream in May 1792 after his Excellency had convicts Hew a tank from sandstone which held 8000 gallons of water.

Bridge Street where the 10th stream turned into the tidal waters Of Sydney Cove became the main link between East and West Sydney Collins in October 1788 stated that again Of convicts were employed enrolling timber together to form a bridge over the stream at the head of the Cove soon footbridge spans the rushing mortars followed later By Of E he Curcular Bridge alas and overloaded Bullock wagon broke through the decking and put the breach out of action