Yamba was originally known as the Clarence River Heads, but was officially renamed one hundred and twenty five years ago in the Government Gazette on March 20th, 1885.
John McNamara, together with the Port of Yamba Historical Society, has prepared a limited edition book titled, “From Clarence River Heads to Yamba” to chronicle the people and events that led up to the formation of the township.
According to Mr McNamara, Yamba in the early days of European settlement would have been more like a ‘tent city’, but the construction of the breakwater in 1862 greatly accelerated its growth, virtually ‘from five to 200 residents overnight’.
Many essential services and more permanent establishments soon followed, including a school, boarding houses, hotels, and a post office.
The book will feature photos and images of some of Yamba’s earliest plans, buildings, surveyors and settlers and is a fascinating account of the community in days gone by.
Information was sourced from early newspaper articles, the National Library of Australia and museum files.
“The book fell together pretty easily,” said John, who is a research officer with the Port of Yamba Historical Society.
It will be published in September.
Article Source – The Daily Examiner
