Taree, New South Wales

Name

The name Taree is derived from "tareebit" the local native Biripi word meaning tree by the river, or more specifically, the Sandpaper Fig (Ficus coronata).

History

Taree was laid out as a private town in 1854 by Henry Flett, the son-in-law of William Wynter who had originally settled the area in 1831. 100 acres (40 ha) had been set aside for the private township and 40 lots were initially sold. Taree was declared a municipality on 26 March 1885 and the first municipal council was elected by the residents. In 1844, the government of New South Wales had established Wingham at the head of navigation of the Manning River as its administrative centre which hindered Taree becoming the major centre of the region.

This changed, however, when the North Coast railway line was connected to Taree in 1913. Although connected to the railway, sea transport continued to dominate along the North Coast until the 1930s. This changed when the Martin Bridge replaced the ferry across the Manning River in 1940.

The oldest surviving building in Taree is the old St Paul's Presbyterian Church, built in 1869 in the Victorian Gothic Revival style, next door to the current building, in Albert Street.

Climate

Taree experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Climate Classification: Cfa). Taree gets around 102.5 sunny days annually.

Education

There are several public schools in the Taree area including Taree Public School, Taree High School, Taree West Public School, Manning Gardens Public School, Chatham Public School, Chatham High School, and Cundletown Public School.

Private schools in and around Taree include Manning District Adventist School, Tinonee, Manning Valley Anglican College, Cundletown, Taree Christian College, Kolodong, St Joseph's Primary School, and St Clare's High School.

Several post-secondary education and training facilities have a presence in Taree: the North Coast Institute of TAFE, Taree Community College, the Australian Technical College - Manning Valley Campus.

Newspapers

The Manning River Times is based in Taree.

Television

All major digital-only television channels are available in Taree. The networks and the channels they broadcast are listed as follows:

NBN Television and Channel Seven broadcast local news bulletins at 6.00pm. Prime Television, NBN Television and Southern Cross Ten all maintain offices in the city.

Radio

There are four local radio stations, commercial stations 2RE and Max FM and community stations 2BOB and 2TLP.

The ABC broadcasts Triple J, ABC Classic FM, Radio National and ABC Mid North Coast into Taree.

Rhema FM Manning Great Lakes broadcasts from studios in nearby Wingham and Racing Radio is also broadcast to Taree.

Tourism

Nearby towns include historic Wingham, Tinonee, and the beachside town of Old Bar.

A local tourist attraction is a building called "The World's Largest Oyster", also called "The Big Oyster". Big Things are a common form of tourist attraction in Australia. Like the Big Merino and Big Banana, the 'Oyster' is an artifact based on local produce; the Manning River produced 1,752,000 oysters during 2013. The Big Oyster was an unsuccessful business venture, known to the locals as a 'Big Mistake', and is now home to a motor dealership.

The Manning Entertainment Centre was built in the 1980s as the cultural centre of the district. It seats 505 people and has previously presented artists such as the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Ballet and Dame Joan Sutherland. Local performers, including the district eisteddfod and local amateur dramatic societies, utilise it to provide cultural opportunities for the local community.

Located next to the Entertainment Centre and the Visitor Information Centre at the northern entrance to Taree is the Manning Aquatic and Leisure Centre. This facility includes a 25-metre indoor heated pool with slippery dip and a 50-metre outdoor pool and soon after the time of opening had the second most expensive pool entrance fee in Australia, the most expensive being a pool in Perth, Western Australia. The Aquatic Centre was built in the late 1990s – early 2000s to replace the Taree Pool, which has been redeveloped into a public park with outdoor stage.

The Manning Regional Art Gallery is located in a cottage style building next to Taree Public School. The art gallery hosts a changing selection of works by local artists and visiting exhibitions.

January

Events in the NSW Rowing Association Annual Pointscore Rowing Regatta are held at Endeavour Place in Taree during the third week of January. This Regatta runs over three days (Friday to Sunday) and consists of over 200 races with more than 500 competitors travelling from many parts of New South Wales to compete.
The Manning River Summer Festival runs throughout the month of January, incorporating the town's New Year's celebrations, a "Family Fun Day" in Queen Elizabeth Park on Australia Day, and also vide variety of cultural events.

March

The Easter Powerboat Classic is held on the Manning River near Queen Elizabeth Park during the Easter Long Weekend. Events start on Friday morning and feature the Stuart Doyle Cup on Saturday and the Ken Warby time trials midday Saturday and Sunday.

August

The Taree Gold Cup is a prestigious horse racing event held at the Bushland Drive Racecourse.

October

The Taree Annual Show is held the second weekend in October. It consists of a sideshow, precision driving team, rodeo events, and cattle and livestock judging.

Taree railway station is on the North Coast line of the NSW TrainLink network. It is serviced by six NSW TrainLink trains daily. Three heading to Sydney, another three heading North to Grafton, Casino or Brisbane.

Notable residents

Notable residents that were born in or have a connection with Taree include: