Taree - History

History

Taree was laid out as a private town in 1854 by Henry Flett, the son-in-law of William Wynter who had originally settled the area in 1831. 100 acres (0.40 km2) had been set aside for the private township and 40 lots were initially sold. Taree was declared a municipality on 26 March 1885 and the first municipal council was elected by the residents. In 1844, the government of New South Wales had established Wingham at the head of navigation of the Manning River as its administrative centre which hindered Taree becoming the major centre of the region.

This changed, however, when the North Coast railway line was connected to Taree but not Wingham in 1913. Although connected to the railway, sea transport continued to dominate along the North Coast until the 1930s and this acted as a brake on Taree's growth. This changed when the Martin Bridge replaced the ferry across the Manning River in 1940.

The oldest surviving building in Taree is the old St Paul's Presbyterian Church, built in 1869 in the Victorian Gothic Revival style, next door to the current building, in Albert Street.

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