Camping at Clarence Town, NSW Australia

01 Apr Camping at Clarence Town, NSW Australia

Clarence Town is a small town located 55km north northeast of Newcastle, 27km north of Raymond Terrace and 23km south of Dungog, on the banks of the Williams River. It is part of the Dungog Shire, in the Hunter region of NSW, Australia. Now you should know exactly where it is with pinpoint accuracy ???

The area was originally inhabited by the Wanaruah Aboriginal people, who called it Erringhi.^[3] (“place of little black duck” or “place of wild ducks”).

The district was first inhabited by white settlers following the 1801 visit of Lieutenant Colonel Paterson, who travelled up the river, now known as the Williams River, from its junction with the Hunter at Raymond Terrace to just north of the present site of Clarence Town. In 1826 the original name, “Erringhi” was changed to Clarence Town, after the Duke of Clarence, who in 1830 became King William IV, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, from 1830 until his death in 1837, succeeding his brother George IV. However the current Clarence Town Pub uses the name, Erringi Hotel.

The township is most famous for building and launching the William IV ocean going paddle steamer in 1831, Below is a photo of the 1980s replica.

“The William the Fourth replica was constructed as a community 1988 Bi-Centenary Project at Raymond Terrace, at a cost of $1.5 million and was launched on 26 September 1987 by Mrs Hazel Hawke.” Photo and text courtesy of William the Fourth Cruises https://williamthefourth.org

Why was this ship so significant in 1831?

“When convict settlement was established at Newcastle from 1801, ships were the only form of transport. Within 30 years the settlement of fertile lands along the Hunter River and a growing coal trade – Australia’s first significant export industry, enabled the era of steam ships. In 1831 – when the Australian Agricultural Company began to have a profound impact on Newcastle, a shipyard was established at Clarencetown, taking advantage of the excellent timbers, to construct Australia’s first steam-powered ocean-going ship – William the Fourth, to operate between Sydney and the growing settlement inland from the ‘Green Hills’, now known as Morpeth.” (William The Fourth Cruises).

While the township and the steamer are linked to King William IV, the Williams River took it’s name from another person, but the conjecture as to whom that was will take too long to discuss here. The Williams River runs into the Hunter river at Raymond Terrace, which in turn flows to the sea at Newcastle.

Here are some photos of our camp with friends, near the Williams River at Clarence Town on our first evening there, around 7pm.

The next morning we strolled through the town as a group, with our first task to find coffee and cake.

In Clarence Town the streets are wide and the blocks of land are large. It’s a nice place with friendly residents.

According to the 2021 Census, Clarence Town has a population of 2265 people.

Back at the camping area.

We made visits to several towns in the vicinity. – Morpeth, East Gresford, Paterson and Dungog, the latter being the major town in the area.

Views of the paddock behind our camp at dawn follow.

The last 5 photos may convey the feeling of a cold temperature, however it was pleasantly cool that morning, as were all of the mornings during our stay there.

Thanks for visiting Clarence Town with us. I hope you enjoyed the experience and look forward to our next time together.

Stay safe and well.