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| Writers and readers sharing the literature of nature and place Next Muster - 17-20 June 2011 |
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The Camden Haven The Camden Haven is a part of the Port Macquarie-Hastings local government area on the New South Wales mid north coast. The Camden Haven River flows through this spectacular natural region from the rugged Comboyne Plateau through state forests and fertile valleys to the dramatic headlands and uncrowded sandy beaches of the Pacific Coast. It's only a 3½ hour drive from Sydney, 2 hours from Newcastle, 7 hours from Brisbane and 4 hours from Tamworth. There are four coastal towns - Laurieton, North Haven, Dunbogan and Bonny Hills. The Camden Haven Valley is intersected by the Pacific Highway at Kew, while a little further west and upstream is Kendall, named in honour of former resident and poet Henry Kendall. Comboyne is on the plateau at the head of the Camden Haven River. History of the Camden Haven These three coastal mountains are a prominent feature of the Camden Haven Valley. They were observed by Captain James Cook, and named in his log in May 1770 along with Perpendicular Point at the mouth of the Camden Haven River. In 1818 the Camden Haven was explored by John Oxley, named for Lord Camden and settled in the 1820's by lime burners and soldiers employed to prevent convicts escaping south from the Port Macquarie penal settlement. From the 1870s until the mid twentieth century, timber was the main industry. The rivers and lakes were used to transport logs to mills at Laurieton and Heron's Creek and the Longworth Tramway operated from 1914 – 1929, carrying timber from the Swans Crossing forests to a terminus at Kendall. It is now open as a Heritage Walking Track. Historically fishing has also been an important industry for the Camden Haven, however the focus has now shifted to tourism and service industries. Climate |
©Watermark Literary Society May 2003