Stockton is a suburb of

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle, also commonly referred to as Greater Newcastle ( ; ), is a large Metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the second-most-populous such area of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the cities of City of Newcastle, Newcastle and Ci ...

, Australia, located from Newcastle's

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

. It is the only residential suburb of the City of Newcastle that lies north of the

Hunter River Hunter River may refer to: *Hunter River (New South Wales), Australia *Hunter River (Western Australia) *Hunter River, New Zealand *Hunter River (Prince Edward Island), Canada **Hunter River, Prince Edward Island, community on Hunter River, Canada ...

Geography

Stockton is a peninsula, with the

at the south and south-west and the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

at the east. On the eastern side are sand dunes and

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suita ...

beaches, with numerous shipwrecks at its north, while on the western side there are

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

es, where many

migratory bird Bird migration is a seasonal movement of birds between breeding and wintering grounds that occurs twice a year. It is typically from north to south or from south to north. Migration is inherently risky, due to predation and mortality. Th ...

s can be spotted. There are numerous spots at Stockton suitable for recreational fishing. For many years, Stockton was linked to Newcastle's

at the south by passenger and vehicular ferry services. While there is still a passenger ferry service, vehicular traffic is now connected by the Stockton Bridge that opened in 1971.

History

Aboriginal history

The Aboriginal people, in this area, the

Worimi The Worimi (also spelt Warrimay) people are Aboriginal Australians from the eastern Port Stephens and Great Lakes regions of coastal New South Wales, Australia. Before contact with settlers, their people extended from Port Stephens in the sou ...

, are the first people of this land. The

people call the area Burrabihngarn. This name is acknowledged by the NSW Geographic Names Board in the official dual-naming of Pirate Point / Burrabihngarn. During the year clan groups moved around their traditional land and in the summer months the mullet run drew them to the coast. This time was used to maintain kinship connections. The traditional location for these activities was Burrabihngarn.

European settlement

On 9 September 1797 Lieutenant

John Shortland John Shortland (5 September 1769 – 21 January 1810) was an officer of the Royal Navy, the eldest son of John Shortland.''Norfolk'' which shipwrecked on the peninsula in 1800. The southern tip of the peninsula, near the northern breakwater is still known as "Pirate Point". The first formal land grant was made to Thomas McQueen in 1830 when he was granted 10 acres at Stockton. In 1835,

Alexander Walker Scott Alexander Walker Scott (10 November 1800 – 1 November 1883) was an Australian entomologist mainly interested in butterflies. Scott was the son of Dr Helenus Scott, Helenus and Augusta Maria Scott. He was born in Bombay, India and was educated ...

was granted 50 acres on the eastern side of the peninsula. In the same year, James Mitchell was granted70 acres on the western side. The entire northern section of the peninsula was held under leasehold by S. Samuel.

Industrial development

For much of the 19th century it served as an industrial and mining base. Early industries included timber, lime (which was initially produced by convicts), and salt. In 1896 tragedy struck when a gas leak killed 11 people in the Stockton Colliery Disaster. It has become a working-class dormitory suburb during the 20th century, and remains so today for its 4,200 residents. Stocktonians are particularly proud of

Dave Sands Dave Sands (born David Ritchie; 4 February 1926 – 11 August 1952) was an Australian professional boxer. The man the Americans called the "boxer with the educated left hand" received his due when he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall ...

, a local resident and champion boxer during the years immediately after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Like the Colliery Disaster, the short life of Sands was commemorated by some of the numerous memorials across this seaside village.

Stockton Beach Stockton Beach is located north of the Hunter River (New South Wales), Hunter River in New South Wales, Australia. It is long and stretches from Stockton, New South Wales, Stockton, to Anna Bay. Over many years Stockton Beach has been the site ...

is also known as the location of the 1989 rape and murder of Newcastle High School student and Fern Bay resident Leigh Leigh. A play, ''Blackrock'' (written by Australian playwright

Nick Enright Nicholas Paul Enright AM (22 December 1950 – 30 March 2003) was an Australian dramatist, playwright and theatre director. Early life Enright was born on 22 December 1950 to a prosperous professional Catholic family in East Maitland, New So ...

), and also a film of the

same name ''Same Name'' is an American reality television series in which an average person swaps lives with a celebrity of the same first and last name. It premiered on July 24, 2011 on CBS. The series received low ratings, and CBS pulled it after four-ep ...

, were inspired by this event.

Education

There are two primary level schools, Stockton Public School and the Catholic St Peter's Primary School. Stockton falls under the catchment area for Newcastle High School.

Culture

Despite being technically an inner-city suburb of

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

, Stockton has a country town atmosphere because of its isolation. It has its own shops, churches, two clubhouses, three

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

s, a swimming pool, and a

caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Campervan, a type of vehicle also known as a motor caravan *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Caravan (trail ...

park. Before it was closed it also had a large residential unit for people with

developmental disability Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...

known as the Stockton Centre. Stockton was traditionally a working-class suburb. The Leigh Leigh murder caused "irreparable psychological damage" to the community of Stockton. The crime has been described as a barely healed wound for Stockton, one that is easily punctured. In recent years, however, the town has begun to re-invent itself with a push for young professionals to move in from other centres such as

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. This practice has led to an increase in real estate prices.

Notable people

* Daniel Ammann – boxer *

Eric Barbour Eric Pitty Barbour (27 January 18917 December 1934) was an Australian cricket player, physician and author. Life and career Barbour was born in Ashfield, New South Wales, Ashfield, Sydney, the son of George Pitty Barbour, a school headmaster. ...

– doctor and cricketer * Vera Deacon – historian, writer and philanthropist * Ray Jackson – footballer * Robert Lynn – politician * Justin Norris – Olympic swimmer * Ray Robinson – cricketer *

– boxer *

Johnny Slade John 'Johnny' Slade (1933–1991) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s. Playing career Originally from the Stockton, New South Wales area, Slade was a fullback for the Parramatta Eels between 1953 NSWRFL season, 19 ...

– rugby league footballer * Percival Stacy Waddy – Anglican priest

Sport

Stockton includes a district cricket team. It also has an active soccer club, the Stockton Sharks Soccer Club. The Stockton Rugby League club participates in the Newcastle & Hunter Rugby League C Grade competition. Surfing is a big part of Stockton life and is based from the Stockton Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC). Activities around the SLSC include paddle boarding, surf swimming, surf ski, as well as surf life saving beach patrols. Port Hunter 16 Foot Sailing Skiff Club sails on Newcastle harbour.

Stockton Beach

is long, stretching from Stockton in the south to

Anna Bay Anna Bay is the name of a suburb, a town and a bay in the Port Stephens local government area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. The suburb and town are immediately adjacent to the north-eastern end of Stockton Beach and provide ...

at its north-eastern end. In some areas it is as much as 1 km wide and has sand dunes over 30 metres high although at the Stockton end it is at its narrowest.

Four-wheel drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pr ...

s are permitted to drive on most areas of Stockton Beach but are excluded from the extreme ends of the beach. Stockton colliery disaster rescuers 1896

Stockton colliery disaster rescuers 1896

Entry to the beach is via Lavis Lane or Anna Bay and a permit needs to be purchased before entering the beach. Drivers must also ensure that they respect the natural habitat of the beach and refrain from driving on the plants and grasses on the dune structures.

Maritime disasters

Over the years Stockton Beach has been the site of a large number of

shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. It results from the event of ''shipwrecking'', which may be intentional or unintentional. There were approximately thre ...

s, ship collisions and groundings. These include but not limited to: * Norfolk (1798 sloop) * SS Cawarra * SS Colonist (1889) * SS Lindus (1881) *

Wendouree (1882) ''Wendouree'' was a steel steamship built as a collier by S & H Morton & Co., Leith, Scotland for Huddart Parker & Co. Pty. Ltd. She was later refitted to carry passengers for the Melbourne to Sydney run. Fate She was wrecked on the Oyster Ba ...

* Adolphe (ship) *

The Bluebell Collision The sinking of the Newcastle harbour ferry ''Bluebell'', after colliding with the coastal freighter ''Waraneen'' in 1934, was one of the worst maritime tragedies in Newcastle, Australia, in the 20th century. Collision Carrying between 40 a ...

* MV Sygna

Transport

Ferry

Prior to the opening of the Stockton Bridge in 1971, the main transport access to Stockton was a system of vehicular and passenger ferries. Today there is the frequent Stockton ferry service to Stockton from Queens Wharf, close to the former

Newcastle railway station Newcastle station (also known as Newcastle Central and locally as Central Station) is a railway station in Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom. It is located on the East Coast Main Line, around north of . It ...

. The ferry journey takes about three minutes. Driving to Stockton from Newcastle requires following the many signs to Port Stephens that can be found on the main roads. These will eventually lead to the Stockton Bridge and a turn-off to the suburb itself.

Road

There is one road into Stockton. This road offers two options for travel, to the east over the Stockton Bridge via Koorgang Island connects travelers to

, while the northern option connects travelers to

Hexham Hexham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at Warden nearby, and close to Hadrian's Wall. Hexham was the administra ...

, Williamtown,

Raymond Terrace Raymond Terrace, locally known as "Raymo” or "The Terrace", is a town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, about by road north of Newcastle, New South Wales, Newcastle on the Pacific Highway, Australia, Pacific Highway. Establi ...

Nelson Bay Nelson Bay may refer to: *Nelson Bay, New South Wales Nelson Bay is a significant township of the Port Stephens local government area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on a bay of the same name on the southern ...

and the Pacific Highway.

Buses

Stockton is served by

Hunter Valley Buses Hunter Valley Buses is an Australian bus operator who operates bus, coach and charter services in the Central Coast and Hunter regions of New South Wales. Previously known as Blue Ribbon, it was one of the first companies to be bought by Comf ...

route 136 to

.Route 136 timetable

Transport for NSW Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is a Government of New South Wales, New South Wales Government transport services and roads List of New South Wales government agencies, agency established on 1 November 2011. The agency is a different entity to the NSW ...

Notes

References

External links

* {{City of Newcastle suburbs, state=collapsed Suburbs of Newcastle, New South Wales Hunter River (New South Wales)