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Dunster

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NameDunsterDescriptionJoseph (snr) Mary Ann Dunster (nee Randall) came to Australia in 1838, aboard ‘Lady Nugent’, with their six children, Mary, Sophia, Joseph (jnr), Charlotte, Walter and Humphrey. A daughter Caroline, had died in 1825.

Mary bn.1819 Kent, died 1873 Shellharbour N.S.W. Married Stephen Lynch at Dapto.

Caroline bn.1822 Kent, died 1825 Kent England.

Sophia bn.1824 Kent ,died 1876 Albion Park N.S.W. Married William Fryer at Dapto with the consent of the governor. William was a convict sentenced in 1836 and arrived on the ship Bengal Merchant. He was born in Kent, England.

Joseph (jnr) bn.1826 Kent, died 1877 Shellharbour. Married Jane Elizabeth Stratford (b.1835) in 1856, the daughter of William Stratford and Sarah Thornbury. Her father was transported to N.S.W. in 1837 aboard the 'Mangles'. William died in 1846, and his wife Sarah married Robert Wilson (also a convict - storekeeper and miller at Shellharbour). Joseph and Jane had 8 children. Joseph and Jane settled at Tullimbar where they operated a store before moving to higher ground at 'The Hill' in 1865, to improve Joseph’s health. The cottage they moved in to dates to about the 1840's and still exists today.

Charlotte bn.1828 Kent, died 1882 Shellharbour. Married Walter Allen.

Walter bn.1883 Kent, died 1899 Singleton N.S.W. Unmarried.

Humphrey bn.1835 Kent, died 1916 Wyong N.S.W. Married in 1871 Mary Ann King.

In the mid-19th century, families in Shellharbour relied on the shipping trade to make their living and survive. From as early as 1856, steamers called in at the harbour. In the years before the telegraph, when communication across Shellharbour was greatly restricted and the population widespread, a means of communicating with the outlying settlements was needed.

Joseph Dunster Jnr’s farm, 'The Hill', is the highest point in Shellharbour and is visible over almost all of the city, even to this day. High atop this hill the Dunster family kept watch for coastal ships calling at the harbour. When ships did arrive, a huge ball was raised into one of the large fig trees on the hill. Settlers in the low-lying areas of the Macquarie Valley would then set off to the harbour with their produce to take to the Sydney markets.

Joseph died in 1877 aged 51 years, and just five years later, Jane died aged 45. They left a family of four sons and four daughters. Descendants of the Dunster family still farm 'The Hill' today, where dairy cows can be seen grazing on the green hills.

Sources:
Tongarra Heritage Files.
N.S.W. Births Deaths and Marriages.
Illawarra Pioneer's pre-1900.
Shipping Records.
Baptism and Marriage Records England.
Shellharbour's Forgotten Cemetery and Selected Pioneers-W & T Nunan.

External LinkWilliam Charles Dunster ObituaryWalter Dunster ObituaryJoseph Allen Dunster ObituaryCharles Rene DunsterThe Late Charles Rene DunsterKarl Ritchie Dunster Last edited by: June Hockey

Person

Dunster, William Charles

Dunster, Humphrey

Wilson, Robert

Ziems, Charles Vivian

Allen, Joseph Dunster

Allen, Keith Wickham

Place

Kurrawong

Darcy Dunster Reserve

The Hill

Dunster Farm, Yellow Rock

Bellmont

Family

Tritton

Fryer

Fraser

Allen (Shellharbour)

Map or Plan

Bassett-Darley Estate Map A

Charlotte Allen Estate Shellharbour

Jigsaws

The Dunster Family at Lake Illawarra c.1910

Document

Shellharbour Steam Navigation Company Report and Balance Sheet

Locality

Croom

Event

Formation of the Municipality of Shellharbour

The Dunster family and friends at Lake Illawarra, c.1910.

CONNECTIONS

CollectionFamiliesFamilyWilson (Robert)Allen (Shellharbour)LocalityCroomPersonAllen, Joseph DunsterWilson, RobertDunster, William CharlesDunster, HumphreyPlaceThe HillBellmontDarcy Dunster ReserveRelated ItemAgnes Dunster feeding poultry at 'The Hill'The Dunster family at 'The Hill', ShellharbourThe Dunster boys and workers at 'The Hill', ShellharbourThe Dunster boys and workers at 'The Hill', ShellharbourThe Dunster and McDonald girls with Ray Carmody in the early 1920sThe Ball Tree and children at Dunsters Hill Joseph Dunster 2nd, son of Joseph and Mary DunsterJane Elizabeth Dunster 1835-1881Dunster's homestead 'The Hill'Draw-tube telescope used at Dunsters Hill, Shellharbour to observe coastal shipping in the 1870sWedding of Hilda Dunster and Hector FraserWilliam and Sophia Fryer (nee: Dunster) c.1860William Charles Dunster 1860-1919William Charles Dunster and family on a picnicDunster's homestead 'The Hill'Dunster Family picnicA World War II Observation Post below Dunster's homestead

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Dunster