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.
‘The Cut’ that severed the Horseshoe Bend meander in 1893
‘The Cut’ to sever the Horseshoe Bend meander in 1893 began as a man-made project but a flood completed the job. The project was welcomed in West Maitland but not by everybody downstream.
Alexander (Sandy) McDonald
Alexander McDonald was involved in local government and business in Maitland from the early 1920s to the mid-1950s and was much interested in the development of the Barrington Tops.
Origin and evolution of Maitland SES
What is today known as the Maitland City SES Unit was established in 1956. It focuses on flood and storm damage management but plays roles in many other types of emergency as well.
The Bolwarra Embankment Committee
In the rural areas of the lower Hunter, embankment committees were the front line of flood mitigation for nearly a hundred years.
The origins of flood mitigation in the Maitland area
From the 1850s, substantial efforts were made in and around Maitland to reduce the costs and inconvenience caused by floods.