Appendix C - Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment - Peabody Energy

Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment
North Wambo Underground Mine Modification
5.0 Historic Heritage Context
5.1 Historical overview
Initial contact between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in the Upper Hunter Valley was in 1797.
Permanent settlement of the Hunter Valley was established in 1804 with a penal colony for the convicts who
had been deemed unsuitable to remain in Sydney (generally, re-offenders). While the lower Hunter was
developed on a foundation of industrial production the Upper Hunter maintained a predominantly agrarian
purpose. An important figure in the early exploration of the Upper Hunter was John Howe, who first
commented on the suitability of the land for agricultural use. The narrow floodplain between Aberdeen and
Patrick’s Plains was declared to be “...The finest sheep land I have seen since I left England...The grass on
the low ground is equal to a meadow in England (Wood 1972)”.
The town of Singleton was named after Benjamin Singleton, who had taken part in the navigation of an
overland route between the Hawkesbury and Hunter Rivers. He was granted land on the site of what is
presently the town of Singleton by Governor Brisbane in 1823 (Wood 1972). Singleton settled on this land
and established a residence. In 1827 Singleton set up the first inn in the area, called The Barley Mow, which
was followed by the establishment of a flour mill in 1829 and a post office. The railway arrived in Singleton in
1863 and assisted in the further development and economic prosperity of the town (Appleton 1963).
5.2 Local history
5.2.1 Warkworth
The Cockfighter Creek was the first name given to the Warkworth area in 1820. By 1840 there were three
hotels and it was the stopping place for the coaches from Sydney. In general, land in the Warkworth area
was leased by crown grants and used as grazing land. There was little significant construction undertaken
on this land (Weir and Phillips 2007:4).
In January 1863, the Real Property Act 1862 was introduced and many larger leases were divided into
smaller lots. This was the beginning of the dairy industry of the Hunter Valley, which was subsequently
strengthened by the completion of the Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge in 1888 (Weir and Phillips 2007:4).
Until World War II, dairy farming, timber felling and grazing remained the most dominant industries in the
Upper Hunter.
5.2.2 Jerrys Plains
In November 1819, John Howe reached Jerrys Plains via Windsor (Brayshaw 1987:9) along a route which
later became known as the “Bulga Tack” and is the present day Putty Road. The name Jerrys Plains was
taken from the name of one of Howe’s men, a convict named Jerry Butler, who died in the area during the
course of their exploration. The first printed use of the name Jerrys Plains appears in the newspaper The
Australian on the 4th February 1827 and subsequently in the 1828 census.
Throughout the 1820s, Jerrys Plains was populated sparsely, with approximately 500 people living in the
Paterson Plain and Patrick Plain districts. This small population may have been a result of a drought, which
was observed by Reverend J. D. Lang upon his arrival in the Hunter in 1828. Once the Putty Track and the
Great North Road were established during the late 1820s to early 1830s, growth in rural commerce and local
industries saw an associated increase in the population of the area.
Constable J. Needham became the first Police Officer in Jerrys Plains in 1827. By 1831 government officials
had decided to establish a mounted police station in the town due to the increased number of burglaries in
108453-2; October 2012 Page 28