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| History of the Manning Valley Region | |  History of the Manning Valley Region
It was in 1819 when explorer John Oxley first visited the Manning. Later in 1827, John Guilding planted sugar cane on the Manning at what is now Ghinni Ghinni. There was also a ship building yard there.
By 1833 the Australian Agricultural Company had established a land grant on the Manning. In 1829 private individuals began a settlement of the Valley.
William Wynter arrived on the Manning in 1829 and established Taree estate in 1846.
The first township settlement was "Bungay" at Wingham as a farm settlement in the 1840s. Wingham and Tinonee were established in the 1850s as government towns, their function being river ports for the cedar trade.
The river was at that time the main transport artery. There was also a link road to Port Macquarie in the early days, crossing the Dawson River at what is now Kate Kelly's Crossing in Yarrat State Forest.
Chatham was the first private town, the nucleus of what is now Taree. The railway first reached Taree in 1913, heralding a long period of strong commercial expansion.
Until 1940 the Pacific Highway passed through Gloucester and Tinonee on the way to Taree, with a ferry crossing at Tinonee to reach Taree Estate.
In 1940 the Martin Bridge was built, allowing easy passage to Taree from the south. With easier access, the Manning Valley saw consistently strong growth to the present day.
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| Manning Valley Historical Museum and Archives | | 
Located at 12 Farquhar Street Wingham, Manning Valley Historical Society Museum and Archives is located in an historic building once used as a grocery and produce store, circa 1880, and overlooks the imposing town square park of Wingham. This Park is the result of far thinking pioneers and sets Wingham apart from other towns of the era. It is surrounded on four sides by historic buildings and has a magnificent view of the Comboyne Plateau.
The Museum is open 10am-4pm daily, 7 days per week. It occupies approximately 465 square metres of floor space and is the only collection of its kind in the Greater Taree area.
Tucked away in the rear of the Museum is Wingham's 19th century police cell which housed Jimmy Governor (Blacksmith) following his capture and prior to his transportation to Sydney for trial and execution.
Wander across the solid timber floorboards of a building classified by the National Trust where such diverse items as clothing, fabrics, hats, boots, ironmongery, crockery, glassware, patent medicines, wire netting, rope and saddlery were once sold to weary travellers. The whole museum exudes the spell of yesteryear, with treasures around every corner, each one lovingly cared for by volunteer staff.
Four room settings have been displayed in period - each incorporating unique features of the past to help visitors imagine how life used to be.
The Museum houses a collection of photographs, furniture, fashions, phonographs and folk craft from the past. See the utensils that made Grandma question the claim that she lived in the 'good old days'.
Try and understand how our forefathers used the tools of trade in an era before electricity. Be enchanted by the glass, ceramic and silverware that gave gracious living a meaning difficult to imagine in today's plastic throwaway society.
The Museum has a range of books and souvenirs for sale to help keep alive the memories of your visit to Wingham. Coach tours and school groups are welcome by appointment. Enquiries phone 02 6553 5823.
If you are interested in the local history of the Manning Valley or perhaps you have family connections from the early pioneeer days you might like to contact the Museum's Archives volunteers who will do their utmost to provide you with information on your family or item of special interest from the vast collection of archival material, e.g a local building, business, transport, employment or sport.
The Manning Valley Historical Museum is also affiliated with Museums Australia Inc (NSW) and the Royal Australian Historical Society.
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| Historical Museum Archives |
 | The Manning Valley Historical Museum is a Centre for local and family history research. Resources include: | | SCHOOLS - in the Manning district and beyond | | FAMILY HISTORIES | | Alphabetical information | | Newspaper clippings | | Deposited family information | | Alphabetical obituaries | | Family bibles, directories | | LOCAL HISTORY | | Alphabetical information on local business, industry, council, locations, recreations, lodges and friendly societies, local post office histories | | CHURCH RECORDS | | Parish records - births, deaths, marriages | | Church histories | | Deposited historical information | | SHIPPING AND IMMIGRATION | | Local shipbuilding industry | | Scottish immigration - listed by ship | | Some German immigration information | | Shipping along the North Coast | | PHOTOGRAPHS - of local content | | MAPS of the Manning district, including survey maps, district maps, parish maps | | CEMETERY RECORDS & headstone transcriptions | | NEWSPAPERS - indexes from 1865, newspapers on film 1865-1950 | | LIBRARY | | Royal Australian Historical Society | | Journals - other historical societies | | Journals - Museum journals | | Australiana, research library | | FACILITIES | | Microfiche reader | | Microfilm reader
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| Melvie Chick Historical Centre | | Those seeking to explore their family history can do so at the Melvie Chick Historical Centre located on the corner of High and Victoria Streets in Cundletown. The Melvie Chick Centre offers curatorial and education services and group bookings. The Centre is open Thursday 10am to 3pm and Saturdays 1pm to 4pm or other times by appointment.For those wanting to explore Cundletown's heritage buildings and points of interest then call into the Manning Valley Visitors Centre to pick up a heritage walk map. Cundletown features a number of markers to identify historical places of interest.
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| Tinonee Museum | |  A visit to Tinonee is not complete until you call into the Tinonee Museum located in Manchester Street, where you will find the town's original slab gaol on display.
The Museum is open Tuesday to Friday 10am to 2pm and on Saturdays from 12.30pm to 3.30pm.Thanks to a Federal Water Grant in 2007 the Museum is completely self sufficient for water and is establishing a heritage garden.
Tinonee is situated on the banks of the Manning River. During the 1900s it was an important shipping trade destination and today it is one of the most historic villages in the Manning Valley.
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