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Shellharbour City LGA

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Shellharbour Village

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NameShellharbour VillageAlternative NamePeterboroughYerrowah Last edited by: Will Chittick

Wonwin

TypeSuburbDescriptionShellharbour Village was part of a grant of over 13,000 acres to D’Arcy Wentworth, named Peterborough. The grant included all the land from the Minnamurra River in the south to Lake Illawarra in the north.

Five of Wentworth’s children, Martha, Sophia, MaryAnn, Catherine, and Robert inherited the estate in 1827. Captains Towns, Addison and Darley married three of Wentworth’s daughters, and the main streets in Peterborough (now Shellharbour Village) are named after them

In 1843, Caroline Chisholm brought 23 families to settle at Peterborough on clearing leases. Captain Robert Towns allowed settlers to live on his part of the estate, rent-free for six to seven years, on the condition they clear the land of all trees and scrub. Each family was given a lease to clear the land, and set up a self-sufficient farm. The families were dropped off at the beach in the afternoon and spent the night under the roots of a large fig tree near the harbour. The next morning, they were picked up by bullock and dray, and transported to the site of their farm.

On 22 September 1851, the private town of Peterborough was laid out and registered. It was predicted that the town would become an important shipping port on the coast. In 1856, the Illawarra Mercury reported that Shellharbour was beginning to assume the appearance of a ‘hamlet or little town’. Eleven families lived in eleven houses and farmers came and went with drays, horseback or on foot, carrying the produce of the Peterborough Estate, Macquarie River and Stoney Creek to be shipped to Sydney. By 1857, many of the families had secured or leased homes and properties. They turned mainly to dairying.

Officially assigned 26th September, 2008-NSW GNB

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Shellharbour Village