Early history of Austral Eden

Austral Eden was established by colonial architect John Verge after he obtained a land grant of 2,400 acres on the Macleay River.

Verge had earlier been successful with a land grant, under the 1827 regulations, on the Williams River and had demonstrated that he had sufficient capital to develop the property. In 1837, an order appeared in the Government Gazette for additional grants. These grants were to be given to settlers who had spent five times the amount of the estimated value on the first grant, having sufficient capital to develop a further grant of land.

Verge lodged an application showing he had spent seven times the original value of his first grant under his son’s management. After a close examination of his claim, he was given four months to select another grant of four square miles. It is not surprising that he took up a selection on the Macleay, as it was seen as choice down-river country at the junction of Darkwater Creek and the Macleay River, which was thickly timbered with valuable cedar.

Austral Eden’s early settlers were immigrants who had rural farming backgrounds. By the end of the 1870s, the location had been transformed into a well-organised rural enterprise of small tenant farmers.

Among the early settlers of Austral Eden were siblings George, Peter and Mary Notley, who in 1859 found themselves in Austral Eden after responding to a newspaper advertisement for tenancies. They were typical single immigrants who married in the colony and responded to advertisements offering them a chance to become small landholders.