Carrington, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Carrington is a suburb of Newcastle
, New South Wales
, Australia
and is named after Lord Carrington
, governor of N.S.W. in 1887 when the area was proclaimed a municipality.
people as the place of the mud crab
"wuna-r tee". Early land use by Aboriginals was for fishing and gathering oyster
s and mud crabs. During the settlement of 1804, it was referred to as Chapman's Island and considered as a site for a gaol.
Carrington is a testament to the white settlers' need to reshape the environment. Originally, the island was underwater at high tide and was slowly built up by ships dumping ballast
and other reclamation work, which eventually saw the island grow out of the mud.
Carrington emerged as a residential suburb in the 1860s when many people moved to the island to escape the dirt and noise of the city or were forced off Honeysuckle Point as a result of land reclamation for port purposes. Early access to the island was by rowboat or punt
across Throsby creek or on the Onebygamba express, a two-horse coach. There was also a footbridge from Honeysuckle at one point. Carrington was rich and progressive despite its relatively small size and was one of the few areas of Crown land
close to Newcastle, the rest of the land in the area was owned by large companies or private individuals. Carrington was systematically sold off as it became more valuable.
In 1887 Carrington was constituted as a Municipality
and the first council meeting was held on 1 June 1888. By 1900, the population was 2200, and Carrington had developed as a working class suburb and had a fearsome reputation. In the 1920s, steelworkers moved into the area, taking advantage of the proximity to the fledgling BHP
works.
The Hydraulic Power Station, pictured, supplied power to a series of cranes which operated along 'The Dyke' loading ships with coal and other freight. This is probably the most significant surviving building from Newcastle's nineteenth century industrial past. These cranes were of the latest technology, built by Sir William Armstrong in Newcastle upon Tyne
.
The Great Depression
hit Carrington with a vengeance. In 1933 Carrington had up to 58% of wage earners either unemployed or in part time employ. A shanty town
called "Texas" sprung up during the depression and provided shelter for many homeless and unemployed.
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and is named after Lord Carrington
Robert Wynn Carrington, 1st Marquess of Lincolnshire
Charles Robert Wynn-Carrington, 1st Marquess of Lincolnshire KG, GCMG, PC, DL, JP , known as the Lord Carrington from 1868 to 1895 and as the Earl Carrington from 1895 to 1912, was a British Liberal politician and aristocrat.-Background and education:Born at Whitehall, London, Lincolnshire was the...
, governor of N.S.W. in 1887 when the area was proclaimed a municipality.
Origins
Carrington was known by AboriginalIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
people as the place of the mud crab
Scylla serrata
Scylla serrata is an economically important crab species found in the estuaries and mangroves of Africa, Australia and Asia. In their most common form, the shell colour varies from a deep, mottled green to very dark brown...
"wuna-r tee". Early land use by Aboriginals was for fishing and gathering oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
s and mud crabs. During the settlement of 1804, it was referred to as Chapman's Island and considered as a site for a gaol.
Carrington is a testament to the white settlers' need to reshape the environment. Originally, the island was underwater at high tide and was slowly built up by ships dumping ballast
Sailing ballast
Ballast is used in sailboats to provide moment to resist the lateral forces on the sail. Insufficiently ballasted boats will tend to tip, or heel, excessively in high winds. Too much heel may result in the boat capsizing. If a sailing vessel should need to voyage without cargo then ballast of...
and other reclamation work, which eventually saw the island grow out of the mud.
Carrington emerged as a residential suburb in the 1860s when many people moved to the island to escape the dirt and noise of the city or were forced off Honeysuckle Point as a result of land reclamation for port purposes. Early access to the island was by rowboat or punt
Punt (boat)
A punt is a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, designed for use in small rivers or other shallow water. Punting refers to boating in a punt. The punter generally propels the punt by pushing against the river bed with a pole...
across Throsby creek or on the Onebygamba express, a two-horse coach. There was also a footbridge from Honeysuckle at one point. Carrington was rich and progressive despite its relatively small size and was one of the few areas of Crown land
Crown land
In Commonwealth realms, Crown land is an area belonging to the monarch , the equivalent of an entailed estate that passed with the monarchy and could not be alienated from it....
close to Newcastle, the rest of the land in the area was owned by large companies or private individuals. Carrington was systematically sold off as it became more valuable.
In 1887 Carrington was constituted as a Municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and the first council meeting was held on 1 June 1888. By 1900, the population was 2200, and Carrington had developed as a working class suburb and had a fearsome reputation. In the 1920s, steelworkers moved into the area, taking advantage of the proximity to the fledgling BHP
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
works.
The Hydraulic Power Station, pictured, supplied power to a series of cranes which operated along 'The Dyke' loading ships with coal and other freight. This is probably the most significant surviving building from Newcastle's nineteenth century industrial past. These cranes were of the latest technology, built by Sir William Armstrong in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
.
The Great Depression
Great Depression in Australia
Australia suffered badly during the period of the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October, 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. As in other nations, Australia suffered years of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging incomes, and...
hit Carrington with a vengeance. In 1933 Carrington had up to 58% of wage earners either unemployed or in part time employ. A shanty town
Shanty town
A shanty town is a slum settlement of impoverished people who live in improvised dwellings made from scrap materials: often plywood, corrugated metal and sheets of plastic...
called "Texas" sprung up during the depression and provided shelter for many homeless and unemployed.
