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The
following historical information was supplied with the kind permission of the Macleay
River Historical Society Inc. Kundabung was originally part of the
Hastings Municipal Council before being rezoned to become part of the Kempsey
Shire and was known as Smiths Creek
until
1920. Kundabung is the
Aboriginal term for Black Apple. The fruit of the Black Apple
trees (Pouteria australis - formerly Planchonella)
is a bushfood and was eaten by Aborigines. It can be made
into a jelly and is also eaten by small native mammals. Lime Station In 1824 Pipers Creek and Maria River were mapped by a survey party led by Captain Allman. Lime was extracted from a place known as Lime Station, west of Kundabung. Convict labour was used to cart the lime to the loading ramps (which are still visible) on Pipers Creek using wagons with wooden wheels. The road used to get the lime to the loading ramps is believed to have passed through the old school grounds with the school building being just to the south of the road. The old school building has since been converted into a residence and is still visible on Rodeo Drive.The lime was then shipped to Port Macquarie using barges, rowed by convicts, for use in building applications. The land was held by Military Officers (including Cooperbung Station which was held by the Pountney family) until 1830 when Governor Darling freed up the country. The first settler was an F Chapman who arrived around the year 1839. Over time dairy farms eventually gave way to cattle raising properties and this activity is still alive and well today. TimberBullock and horse teams were used to cart logs back to the timber mill which was owned by J Hibbard at Hamilton (Hibbard). Many of the timber workers lived three miles west of Kundabung at a place known as Allan's Flat which is thought to have been located in the area between the corner Upper Smiths Creek and Smiths Creek Roads (where the crayfish farm is) and Silo Road. This settlement included houses, stables and a smithy's shop operated by a C. Clark. This area was later owned by A. Rosenbaum before being purchased by B. O'Leary. Saw mills have operated in Kundabung in later years and there is one still in operation on Kundabung Road. The piers for the Darwin wharf were sourced from Kundabung and the trees cut for this purpose did not have a limb on them until 90 feet up.If you are interested in learning more about the early timber days in Kundabung and the Macleay, the Macleay River Historical Society has a booklet called Timber Tales available for $2.00. The Kundabung SchoolThe Kundabung School was built in 1909 at Allan's Flat on Crown Land and the building included a fireplace and an outside water tank. W. J . O'Leary was instrumental in establishing the school and the first pupils enrolled in July of the same year. From 1918 until 1936 school students travelled to school from the village in a horse van driven by Chas. Lee. In later years another teacher, C. Hunt conveyed the students to school by truck and then by car.During the summer holidays of 1929/30 the school was relocated approximately three miles east by bullock dray to its current location. This was carried out by R. J. Farrawell who also enlarged the building. The Kundabung School held a celebration 14 November, 1959, to commemorate its 50th anniversary. Despite the weather and flood conditions the celebration was attended by 120 people which included ex-pupils. The same evening the electricity was switched on at the school although the first place to use electricity was the Post Office in 1955. Mail, Rail, CoachA guest house/coach station and wine shop was established near the dip in the Ravenswood Road and horses/horse drawn carriages were still common in the early 1900s. Mail originally arrived by boat at Boat Harbour, then by coach and finally by rail when the railway line was connected (before our current day methods).Mick O'Leary ran the Kundabung post office near the railway station and it was later run by William Edward and Mary Emily O'Leary. It was eventually closed and relinquished until it was set up at the Kundabung Service Station on Ravenswood Road where it still operates today. |
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