Cross the delightful Cowper Street Bridge and you are into the Carrington Precinct. As you pass over the story-book bridge, it’s easy to be lulled by the gentle bobbing of the fishing boats as they rest, waiting for their next journey out through the harbour mouth and into the open sea searching for the catch of the day. Carrington is the epitome of the inner-city suburb enjoying the inner-city revival. It’s here the four-kilometre stretch to Nobbys begins with a meander through Throsby Creek’s famous mangroves.

Back in Time

Before the formation of Carrington council in 1887, Carrington was known as Bullock Island and before that Onebygamba (aboriginal for “large mound”). During the settlement of 1804, it was then referred to as Chapmans Island and considered as a site for a gaol.

Carrington is a testament to the white settlers’ need to reshape the environment. Originally, the island was under water at high tide but was slowly built up by ships dumping ballast and other reclamation work that eventually saw the island grow out of the mud.

Early land use by aboriginals was for fishing and gathering oysters and mud crabs. At low tide it was possible to walk across to the island and as it was built up and vegetation took root, cattle would be grazed on the island, hence the second name, Bullock Island.

Carrington emerged as a residential suburb in the 1860s when many people moved to the island to escape the dirt and noise of the city or were forced off Honeysuckle Point as a result of land reclamation for port purposes. For some time, Carrington was an idyllic island which changed dramatically as the importance of the port as a coal shipping centre took precedence over residential quality of life. This attitude was to remain firmly in place until the 1980s when the Honeysuckle project was conceived.

Early industries in the area included Howden's Foundry and a number of limeburners.

Dougall McAlpine and Sons built the iron steamer, The Hunter, on the site of what was to become Morrision and Bearby.

Early access to the island was by rowboat or punt across Throsby Creek or on the Onebygamba express, a two-horse coach. There was also a footbridge from Honeysuckle at one point. In 1874 the dyke was constructed which permitted greater coal loading and other industrial activity on the island.

Two mines began operations on Carrington in Hetton Colliery in 1885, while the Wickham and Bullock Island Coal Mining Company sank the first shaft in 1879. They employed about 700 men and the increased industrial activity began to make Carrington unpleasant for the residents.

But it was thriving as an industrial area and in 1887 Carrington was constituted as a Municipality, named after Lord Carrington, then Governor of NSW.

Source: Newcastle City Council website