Trial Bay
Encyclopedia
Trial Bay is a broad bay on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales
, Australia
. The bay faces northwards and extends from Laggers Point
in the east around to Grassy Head to the west, past the town of South West Rocks
and the Macleay River
mouth.
The bay is named after the brig
Trial
which was shipwrecked there in 1816.
In 1820 John Oxley
explored the area. He reported Port Macquarie
as more favourable for settlement than Trial Bay, though Trial Bay might offer an anchorage while waiting for favourable winds to cross the bar at Port Macquarie.
Trial Bay has a northerly facing and is sheltered from the predominant southerly swells. There have been various plans over the years to make it a full harbour, protected in all conditions. Its location in between other sheltered waters of Moreton Bay
and Port Stephens
recommended such a project. In the 1880s through to 1900s an attempt at a breakwater was made off Laggers Point
. In the 1960s an oil terminal established near South West Rocks
reignited interest in a harbour, but the Department of Public Works concluded the cost would not be warranted.
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...
. The bay faces northwards and extends from Laggers Point
Laggers Point
Laggers Point is a headland on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is the end of the north pointing peninsula which is the eastern side of Trial Bay....
in the east around to Grassy Head to the west, past the town of South West Rocks
South West Rocks, New South Wales
South West Rocks is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, near the mouth of the Macleay River. It is approximately 40 km from Kempsey. Jerseyville is located nearby....
and the Macleay River
Macleay River
The Macleay River is a major river on the Mid North Coast , Australia.The headwaters of the Macleay River rise as the Gara River on the eastern side of the Northern Tablelands near Armidale and Walcha, New South Wales. From here the Chandler River, Styx River and Apsley Rivers are important...
mouth.
The bay is named after the brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
Trial
Trial (ship)
The Trial was a ship that was seized by convicts and eventually wrecked on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia in 1816.The Trial was a brig owned by the merchant Simeon Lord. While waiting near the Sow and Pigs Reef in Port Jackson for good winds to take it to Port Dalrymple it was...
which was shipwrecked there in 1816.
In 1820 John Oxley
John Oxley
John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley was an explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of English colonisation.October 1802 he was engaged in coastal survey work including an expedition to Western Port in 1804-05...
explored the area. He reported Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie, New South Wales
Port Macquarie is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, located about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The city is located on the coast, at the mouth of the Hastings River, and has an estimated population of 44,313....
as more favourable for settlement than Trial Bay, though Trial Bay might offer an anchorage while waiting for favourable winds to cross the bar at Port Macquarie.
Trial Bay has a northerly facing and is sheltered from the predominant southerly swells. There have been various plans over the years to make it a full harbour, protected in all conditions. Its location in between other sheltered waters of Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay is a bay on the eastern coast of Australia 45 km from Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources...
and Port Stephens
Port Stephens
Port Stephens is a large natural harbour located about north-east of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. It lies wholly within the Port Stephens Local Government Area although its northern shoreline forms the boundary between the Port Stephens and Great Lakes LGAs...
recommended such a project. In the 1880s through to 1900s an attempt at a breakwater was made off Laggers Point
Laggers Point
Laggers Point is a headland on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is the end of the north pointing peninsula which is the eastern side of Trial Bay....
. In the 1960s an oil terminal established near South West Rocks
South West Rocks, New South Wales
South West Rocks is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, near the mouth of the Macleay River. It is approximately 40 km from Kempsey. Jerseyville is located nearby....
reignited interest in a harbour, but the Department of Public Works concluded the cost would not be warranted.
External links
- Zivil Lager (Internment Camp): World War One Prisoners Of War At Trial Bay (online exhibition)