Early history of Kempsey

Kempsey was given its name in 1836 by Enoch William Rudder, a Birmingham manufacturer who had migrated to the colony of New South Wales in 1834. Like many newly arrived entrepreneurs, he hunted for cedar to export.

In 1835, his explorations led him to the Macleay River. He saw his future as a resident cedar merchant with ready access to the ‘red gold’ and to the world’s markets via the quick-flowing Macleay - its union with the sea at Trial Bay and waiting timber schooners.

Rudder also planned a private town of which he would be squire. In 1835, after much wrangling, he achieved his objective by acquiring Samuel Onions’ grant of 812 acres (328 hectares). Rudder paid five shillings per acre for his parcel of land. He called this ‘Kempsey’ after a town in the Severn Valley in Worcestershire in England.

Rudder is believed to have commented:

‘Rising above the Severn, like Kempsey over the Macleay, it overlooks the rich vale through which that river passes till the Malvern Hills meet the eye and bound the view. Rich as the soil bordering the Severn is, that of the Macleay is richer.’

In 1836, he subdivided the parcel of land and this area is now known as East Kempsey.

Central Kempsey became a town in 1850.

West Kempsey was proclaimed in 1856 and was to become the 'civic centre' of Kempsey.

South Kempsey was gazetted in 1926 as a town area after being included within the boundary of West Kempsey from 1859.

River crossings were one of the problems of early Kempsey. A punt was brought into service in 1842 to cross the river from East Kempsey to Central Kempsey as the town grew on both sides of the river.

The Macleay Valley Historical Society publishes information on self-guided historical walks in the region, including three walks in Kempsey:

Walks in History - Central Kempsey(PDF, 352KB)

Walks in History - East Kempsey(PDF, 120KB)

Walks in History - West Kempsey(PDF, 91KB)