Maitland

History

The Awabakal and the Wonnarua people were the first known people of this land. The Awabakal called the area where Maitland is now situated by the name Bo-un after a species of bird. From around 1816, cedar logging parties from the convict settlement of Newcastle were the first Europeans to stay on the site. Governor Lachlan Macquarie visited the area in 1818, naming it Wallis Plains after Captain James Wallis who was commandant of the Newcastle penal colony at the time. In 1819, convict farmers were allowed to select land at Wallis Plains, the most notable of which was Molly Morgan. Tom White Melville Winder was one of the largest proprietors on the Hunter. Winder held 7400 The oldest house (commenced 1821) in the greater Maitland LGA was called “Windermere” and also referred to the adjacent farmlands which were for agriculture and later a “boiling-down works”. Windermere estate was established before East Maitland and West Maitland were established as suburbs and so is of historical significance. By 1821 the first British government buildings, consisting of a cottage and barracks, were constructed, and in 1823 James Mudie financed the construction of a wharf. Two years later William Powditch opened the first general store at Wallis Plains. In 1829, assistant surveyor George Boyle White, officially laid out a township on the site of Wallis Plains. The village was called Maitland possibly in honour of Frederick Lewis Maitland. The nearby town of Morpeth developed at the same time from the Green Hills land grant given to Lieutenant Edward Charles Close, a Peninsular War veteran. Morpeth served as the head of navigation for larger ships (later, steamships), and goods were transhipped upriver to West Maitland on barges and smaller vessels. Originally the river route…

Most-observed species

• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  11,872
• Rainbow Lorikeet

  Trichoglossus haematodus (Linnaeus, 1771) · Aves
  9,583
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  8,964
• Noisy Miner

  Manorina melanocephala (Latham, 1801) · Aves
  8,794
• Spotted dove

  Spilopelia chinensis (Scopoli, 1786) · Aves
  7,262
• Crested Pigeon

  Ocyphaps lophotes (Temminck, 1822) · Aves
  6,452
• Common Myna

  Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  6,360
• Superb Fairywren

  Malurus cyaneus (Ellis, 1782) · Aves
  6,295

Most recent

• M 5.1 — 2025-04-22
  18 km SW of Singleton, Australia
• M 3.3 — 2025-03-01
  12 km N of Denman, Australia
• M 2.7 — 2025-01-14
  13 km ESE of Denman, Australia
• M 4.2 — 2024-11-12
  10 km NNE of Denman, Australia
• M 4.4 — 2024-09-06
  New South Wales, Australia
• M 2.7 — 2024-08-26
  12 km SSW of Muswellbrook, Australia