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Morpeth, New South Wales

Coordinates: 32°43′34″S 151°37′54″E / 32.72611°S 151.63167°E / -32.72611; 151.63167
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Morpeth
Closebourne House, Morpeth
Closebourne House, Morpeth
Morpeth is located in New South Wales
Morpeth
Morpeth
Coordinates: 32°43′34″S 151°37′54″E / 32.72611°S 151.63167°E / -32.72611; 151.63167
CountryAustralia
StateNew South Wales
RegionHunter[1]
CityMaitland
LGA
Location
Established1821
Government
 • State electorate
 • Federal division
Area
 • Total
4.8 km2 (1.9 sq mi)
Elevation15 m (49 ft)
Population
 • Total1,403 (2016 census)[5]Note1
 • Density188/km2 (490/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+10 (AEST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+11 (AEDT)
Postcode
2321
CountyNorthumberland[6]
ParishAlnwick[6]
Suburbs around Morpeth
Raworth Phoenix Park Hinton
Raworth Morpeth Berry Park
Tenambit Chisholm Berry Park

Morpeth is a suburb of the city of Maitland in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia.[1] It is on the southern banks of the Hunter River at the border between the City of Maitland and Port Stephens Council LGAs.[7] The major population centre, where almost all residents of the suburb reside, is the historical town of Morpeth which takes its name from Morpeth, Northumberland, near Newcastle upon Tyne, in England.

History

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The traditional owners and custodians of the Maitland area are the Wonnarua people.[8]

The town of Morpeth was initially created through the private actions of Edward Charles Close, who selected a property of 1,000 hectares and developed it as a river port from 1831-1841. The lieutenant built his house, known as Closebourne, on the property. A two-storey Georgian home made of sandstone, the house became an episcopal residence from 1848-1912.

The river port grew steadily throughout the 1830s. St James's Church, located on Tank Street, was built from 1837 to 1840 and was partly designed by John Horbury Hunt is now a Local Government Heritage listing. A major merchant at this time was James Taylor, who built a bond store circa 1850 near the bridge that is now heritage-listed. Morpeth Court House was built circa 1861 in a Greek Revival style and a local police station followed in 1879. The construction of the Great Northern Railway in 1857, bypassing Morpeth, meant that Newcastle developed as the regional port. Morpeth became less significant commercially, but still survived as a township with its own history and heritage.

Today, the town is a popular tourist destination due to its many historical buildings and river bank setting.[9]

Heritage listings

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Morpeth has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

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Notes

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  1. ^ The Australian Bureau of Statistics Census Collection District of Morpeth only includes the township. It excludes persons living on some rural properties close to the township in the remainder of the suburb as well as in newer residential areas of the suburb near the township. This means that the actual population of Morpeth is slightly higher than shown.
  2. ^ Average elevation of the suburb as shown on 1:100000 map 9232 NEWCASTLE.
  3. ^ Area calculation is based on 1:100000 map 9232 NEWCASTLE.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Suburb Search - Local Council Boundaries - Hunter (HT) - Maitland City Council". New South Wales Division of Local Government. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  2. ^ "Maitland". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  3. ^ "Paterson". Australian Electoral Commission. 19 October 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  4. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Morpeth (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  5. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Morpeth (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 14 December 2017. Edit this at Wikidata
  6. ^ a b "Morpeth". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 3 January 2009. Edit this at Wikidata
  7. ^ "Morpeth". Land and Property Management Authority - Spatial Information eXchange. New South Wales Land and Property Information. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  8. ^ "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples". Maitland City Council. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Morpeth - New South Wales - Australia - Travel". The Age. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
    "Morpeth". Australian Explorer. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  10. ^ "Morpeth Bridge over the Hunter River". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01476. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  11. ^ "Morpeth House, Closebourne House, Adjoining Chapels and Diocesan Registry Group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00375. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  12. ^ "St James' Anglican Church Group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01979. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
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  • Media related to Morpeth, New South Wales at Wikimedia Commons