Morpeth, New South Wales

Morpeth is a suburb of the city of Maitland in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia.[2] It is on the southern banks of the Hunter River at the border between the City of Maitland and Port Stephens Council LGAs.[6] 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.

Morpeth Maitland, New South Wales
Closebourne (formerly St John's Theological College)
Morpeth
Coordinates	32°43′34″S 151°37′54″E
Population	1,403 (2016 census)[1]^Note1
• Density	188/km^2 (490/sq mi)
Established	1821
Postcode(s)	2321
Elevation	15 m (49 ft)^Note2
Area	4.8 km^2 (1.9 sq mi)^Note3
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT (UTC+11)
Location	165 km (103 mi) N of Sydney 35.2 km (22 mi) NNW of Newcastle 7.9 km (5 mi) ENE of Maitland
LGA(s)	City of Maitland[2]
Region	Hunter[2]
County	Northumberland[3]
Parish	Alnwick[3]
State electorate(s)	Maitland[4]
Federal Division(s)	Paterson[5]
Suburbs around Morpeth: Raworth Phoenix Park Hinton Raworth Morpeth Berry Park Tenambit Chisholm Berry Park

History

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, which eventually became the nucleus of St John's Theological College on Morpeth Road.

The river port grew steadily throughout the 1830s; St James's Church, Tank Street, was built from 1837 to 1840. It was partly designed by John Horbury Hunt and now has a Local Government Heritage listing. A major merchant at this time was James Taylor, who built a bond store circa 1850, located near the bridge and now heritage-listed. The town continued to expand. Morpeth Court House was built circa 1861 in a Greek Revival style; the 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.

The town today is a tourist destination due to its many historical buildings and river bank setting.[7]

Heritage listings

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

• 102 Main Road: Morpeth Bridge[8]
• Morpeth Road: Morpeth House and Closebourne House[9]
• 19 Tank Street: St James' Anglican Church[10]

Gallery

• 
  Morpeth Station, 1954
• 
  Morpeth Post Office, Swan Street
• 
  Old Court House, Swan Street
• 
  Morpeth Bond Stores, Swan Street
• 
  Arnott Bakehouse, Swan Street
• 
  Arnott Bakehouse Plaque
• 
  St James's Church (1840), Tank Street

Notes

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

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Morpeth (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
2. "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.
3. "Morpeth". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
4. "Maitland". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
5. "Paterson". Australian Electoral Commission. 19 October 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
6. "Morpeth". Land and Property Management Authority - Spatial Information eXchange. New South Wales Land and Property Information. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
7. "Morpeth - New South Wales - Australia - Travel". The Age. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
   "Morpeth". Australian Explorer. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
8. "Morpeth Bridge over the Hunter River". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01476. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
9. "Morpeth House, Closebourne House, Adjoining Chapels and Diocesan Registry Group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00375. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
10. "St James' Anglican Church Group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01979. Retrieved 18 May 2018.