The Macleay River at Frederickton

Frederickton
Tiny and historic township on the Macleay River.
Small township which now seems like a northern suburb of Kempsey

Located 436 km north of Sydney on the Macleay River, Frederickton is one of those places where it is so easy to pass through the town barely noticing the attractive and historic hotel and certainly not stopping to walk down to the banks of the Macleay River.

The area around Frederickton was first settled by Europeans, as was common through most of the New South Wales north coast, when cedar cutters moved into the district in the late 1820s. The first recorded European settler was Captain A.C. Innes, who at the time was the commandant at Port Macquarie. He sent a cedar cutting party to the Macleay River in 1827.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans the valley had been inhabited by the Ngamba-ngagu Aborigines. Their peaceful existence was briefly disturbed in 1817 when John Oxley passed through the area but he found the Macleay River swampy and inaccessible and did nothing to encourage settlement.

From the 1820s until the early 1840s, the primary European interest was in cedar (at one point there were 200 cutters in the Macleay valley) and once this was exhausted (by about 1842) the land returned to the pastoralists. At various times beef, sugar cane (it failed), maize and dairy cattle have formed the basis of the district's economy.

In 1841 Frederickton's first European resident, a man named Gillies, set up a shipbuilding business on the banks of the river. By 1843 the business had been purchased by Christopher Lawson whose sons built the local public school (see below).

Another notable citizen around this time was William Henry Chapman who was engaged in both the cedar and the dairy industry on his runs at Euroka and Yarrabandinni. He was responsible for subdividing part of Yarrabandinni which eventually became the township of Frederickton.

The valley was ideal dairy country and Frederickton was sustained by the dairy industry until the 1970s.

The railway reached Kempsey in 1917 but, like so many towns along the New South Wales coast, the Macleay River was still being served by coastal ferries until 1960.

Things to see:  

Macleay River Hotel

Public School and Headmasters Residence
Designed by the noted architect John Horbury Hunt these simple Gothic-style buildings were constructed in 1880. They are notable for the bell tower, the stained glass windows depicting wildflowers and birds, and the wind vane (in the shape of a quill) as well as the excellent location of the complex on a hill surrounded by mature trees. It is an excellent example of a Victorian school complex and was originally built from sandstock bricks which have unfortunately been cement rendered.

Post Office
The Frederickton Post Office in Macleay Street dates from 1886 and is a good example of a Victorian-era rural post office.

Tamban Forest Drive
Entering Frederickton from the south there is a sign to the left to Tamban Forest Drive along the Collombatti Road. This is a 90 km loop road which goes up into the hills and provides excellent views over the coast. Particularly impressive is the Collombatti Lookout which provides a 360° view which includes both the mountains and the entire lower Macleay Valley. More information can be obtained at the Kempsey Visitors Centre. The journey basically involves travelling 10 km on the Collombatti Road and then following the blue and white route markers through the State Forest.

Fishing
There is a riverboat ramp at Frederickton for those who want to try their luck with some river fishing. This area of the Macleay is noted for its Australian bass which can be caught in the summer months between October and April. The river is also good for blackfish, bream, whiting, tailor, mullet, flathead and jewfish.

	Hotels
	Macleay River Hotel 10 Macleay St Frederickton NSW 2440 Telephone: (02) 6566 8266