The local indigenous peoples in the Tea Gardens /Hawks Nest area are of the WORIMI tribe. They have inhabited the lands here for thousands of years.
In 1826 the Australian Agricultural Company was granted 500,000 acres to try and grow Tea. It is from this unsuccessful enterprise that many agree was how the town came to be named. However, there are others who speculate the name came from the abundance of tea tree that naturally grows in the region.
Tea Gardens is 16m above sea level, with a temperate climate and annual rainfall of 1330mm.
In the 1800’s the Myall River Forests consisted mainly of Red Cedar. Timbers were loaded onto ships and sent to Newcastle and Sydney.
Punts were typically used in the early days to navigate the crossing from Hawks Nest to Tea Gardens. The ferry to Nelsons Bay was established in 1928. Construction on the Singing bridge began in 1968 and took 10 years to complete. The slipway that sits near Mumms on The Myall, was originally much larger. It was moved to it’s current position from Birdwood Mill near Winda Woppa and shortened so it could still be used.
In the early years there were many shipwrecks off the coast until the lighthouse was built at Port Stephens, opening in 1862.
The convict ship Salamander landed in 1791. The first ambulance service was started in 1968.
To the east of Hawks Nest, out to sea lies Cabbage Tree Island and John Gould Nature Reserve, the only known colony of Goulds Petrel.
The headland known as Yacaaba Head, is an eroded volcanic peak formed of lava. The path to Yacaaba Lookout opened in 1959. There is a pebbly beach on the southern side of the headland called Dolphin hole.
Today, Tea Gardens population is one of the oldest populations in Australia. The median age is 69.
As such you will find everything required for an aging population available right here. But there is also plenty for the younger generations.
Services include-
Activities
Eateries
We cover Stroud, Bulahdelah, Allworth, Booral, Clarence Town, Dungog, Krambach, Minimbah, Wang Wauk, Dyers Crossing, Coolongolook, Gloucester, Karuah, Medowie, Nabiac, Pacific Palms, Raymond Terrace, Seaham, Forster, Tuncurry, Taree, Newcastle & Tea Gardens/Hawks Nest and everywhere in between.
