On this page members of the Maitland and District Historical Society are sharing their research into a variety of aspects of the history of our locality. New stories will be added as they become available.
Use search to find stories about the person, place, topic or keyword you are interested in.
James Wallis
James Wallis was the man after whom Wallis Plains, today’s Maitland, was named. He chose the original convict settlers.
Macquarie’s great experiments: Patersons Plains and Wallis Plains
Governor Lachlan Macquarie created the first European settlement in the Hunter Valley outside Newcastle by providing convicts with land on which to develop farms.
The great flood of 1820
The flood of 1820 was the first of Maitland’s great floods but despite the damage caused to the farms of the first settlers there were no known deaths.
Henry Dangar, first surveyor
Henry Dangar undertook formal surveys of the original holdings at Paterson’s Plains and Wallis Plains and paved the way for large-scale European settlement of the rest of the Hunter Valley.
Lachlan Macquarie and Maitland
Governor Lachlan Macquarie made the decisions that initiated European settlement in the Maitland area.