Surveyor and pastoralist, Henry Dangar, completes a map

Surveyor and pastoralist, Henry Dangar completes his map of Newcastle. His use of Aboriginal reference names reveal the area is still a shared landscape (surveyed in 1822). Tahibiln is marked near today’s Fort Scratchley, Burrabihngarn is near today’s Stockton and Corrumbah (now Carrington) is shown as a large island in the mouth of the Hunter (Coquun) River. Toorrnbing Creek is today’s Iron-Bark Creek and Burraghihnbihng refers to Hexham Swamp, which was the territory of the Pambalong people or “Big Swamp Tribe” (Lucas 43). Ash Island is one of a number of islands surrounded with mangrove mudflats with a long history of Aboriginal occupation. (Lucas 43)