New Resource

Following on a post from Tim Sherratt on BlueSky I visited his GLAM Workbench that I had not consulted for this CareyBay2283 study. 

Searching his interface to the NSW Post Office Directories for both Cary Bay and Carey Bay was a simple task that painlessly rewarded me with a list of reference to Carey Bay people. From there I was able to follow some link to see the original directory pages that are digitised on Trove. 

Wise's New South Wales post office directory 1938
Listed on Page 788 are several Carey Bay residents

The GLAM Workbench is a most valuable resource for anyone pursuing a One-Place or One-Name study in Australia

Dealing with the Dwellings

While I have been making progress in recording details of Carey Bay People I have not done much research on the places they inhabit.  According to the 2021 Australian Census there are 444 private dwellings in Carey Bay.

As it is important to record all of these dwellings I have set up a page on this blog for each street that has a recorded address in Carey Bay. As there are no long streets in Carey By a page per street should suffice. It is to be noted that while, some of these are not within the official boundaries, I will record all instances nominated as in Cary or Carey Bay. The list of pages can be found on the Places page here. 

From time to time I hope to write stories on remarkable residences and their inhabitants. 

I have haphazardly recorded references to various properties on their appropriate pages as I come across them in newspaper articles etc. I am currently going through real estate listings on the internet and adding details of recent property sales. realestate.com.au has been most useful for this task. When time permits I will search the old rate records from Lake Mac council that are available online.

Over 55s Development at Carey Bay

Modern waterfront apartments in Carey Bay

Autumn Calm in Carey Bay

Carey Bay 19 March 2026 at 6:37pm

Many residents in Carey Bay are afforded this view from waterfront homes and residences on the slopes behind.

Images of Carey Bay

While I continue to organise my research on the people and places in Carey Bay I haven't been blogging so much. As living on the edge of the Bay provides me a 180 degree+ view I regularly grab my phone to run out and grab an image of a current activity or condition.

The purpose of a One Place Study is to record and preserve the past. I just realised that once I take a photo I have captured an image of the past, a moment in time which immediately afterwards becomes recent history.

As I have an archive of Carey Bay photos at my fingertips I am going to start using this blog to share and preserve the visual history of my One Place - Carey Bay. I launched this site in April 2024, however, as Blogger software allows me to predate posts, I will predate some image posts to the date on which they were taken. Sharing these images online they will assist in preserving them for future generations. 

To start the ball rolling I'm sharing three images taken around dusk this evening. I took these pics because I was entranced by the light at that time. The bonus was that two images showed a person on a kayak who was out checking on his/her crab pots. Recreational fishers in Lake Macquarie are currently allowed to have 2 crab pots. Information is available on the Government Fisheries Site.

 

Santa's Visit

Santa, supported by his friends from the Rotary Club Toronto Sunrise NSW,  took their annual cruise around Lake Macquarie on Christmas Eve This year the event supported a local charity  "Got your back sista".

This year the flotilla left Bolton Point at 4:30 pm and travelled to Wangi Wangi via Toronto, Carey Bay, Kilaben Bay and Rathmines reaching its destination at 7:15pm.

Santa is greeted by the many locals who gather, party or picnic at homes, in parks and on jetties around our Western side of the Lake. He is joined on his sailpast by locals in water craft ranging from tiny tinnies and jazzy jet-skis to sleek speedboats and costly cruisers. An addition to the crew this year was one of Santa's reindeer who kept a lookout from the upper deck of Santa's boat. 

The event is popular with Carey Bay residents and visitors who cheer Santa along his way. Thanks to Santa's skipper who navigated the vessel close in to Carey Bay. Following are a few images taken from an Ambrose Street property. 

Seasons Greetings

 

Christmases Past at Carey Bay

 A search for "Carey Bay" and "Christmas " on our wonderful Australian resource Trove shares several stories of Christmassy activities at Carey Bay.  

1920  

1920 'TORONTO.', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954), 17 December, p. 6. , viewed 19 Dec 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140082972

1921 

1921 'Y.W.C.A. HOLIDAY CAMP.', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954), 17 December, p. 4. , viewed 19 Dec 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article139916615

1938 

1938 'Of Interest to Women', The Maitland Daily Mercury (NSW : 1894 - 1939), 22 December, p. 4. , viewed 19 Dec 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article125704855

1948

1948 'about newcastle people', The Newcastle Sun (NSW : 1918 - 1954), 23 December, p. 6. , viewed 19 Dec 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article158234533

1953  

1953 'Party For 80 Pensioners', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954), 8 December, p. 6. , viewed 19 Dec 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140301579

1954

1954 '500 EXPECTED AT BARBECUE', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954), 9 December, p. 5. , viewed 19 Dec 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article134089538

The Mayor of Carey Bay

Thanks to Trove we can read about the early history of Carey Bay from a 1951 interview with Thomas William Wrightson who was known as William Wrightson.

The article can be read in full here http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article134396159.

1950 'IAN HEALY'S Suburbia, This Week', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954), 2 September, p. 5. , viewed 12 Sept 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article134396159

100 Profiles

Slowly, very slowly, I am adding profiles of people with a connection to Carey Bay to the Wikitree site. 

This morning I added the 100th profile for Harriet Webb nee Wheatley. Harriet's profile can be accessed here: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Wheatley-3526.

A list of all the Carey People added so far to Wikitree can be accessed via the Carey Bay Category on Wikitree. Follow the link and scroll down the page to see the list of local profiles.

I'd love to hear from you if you can supply any further information on or photos of  the People and Places of Carey Bay.

Carey Bay 13 May 2025

Plugging Away

Recently I came across and joined a local photography group, Lake Macquarie Area in Photos on Facebook, that issues a weekly challenge or two to its members. I love a challenge so I very quickly entered some photos as it is an opportunity to share some of my better snaps. As I am mostly sharing photos of Carey Bay the focus of my One Place Study it may help me to connect with people from the local area. 

I have received lots of positive reinforcement from members of the group and even received an honourable mention for my first entry. Since then I've had a few honourable mentions. 

One of last week's themes was "Shimmer", I was overjoyed when my image of the moon's reflection in our Backyard (Lake Macquarie) was chosen as photo of the week. As well as gallons of personal satisfaction I was rewarded with my image being posted as the header image for the week on the Facebook Group.

My winning Image "Shimmer at Carey Bay"

Meanwhile I am plugging away building biographies of Carey Bay People in RootsMagic and adding data about Carey Bay Places to the Place Page on this blog.

I have started adding profiles of Carey Bay People to the online WikiTree. You can see the Beginnings of this activity here: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Carey_Bay%2C_New_South_Wales.

Christmas at Carey Bay

 Christmas 1949

1949 'No title', The Newcastle Sun (NSW : 1918 - 1954), 17 December, p. 2. , viewed 09 Dec 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article158357861

1949 'about newcastle People', The Newcastle Sun (NSW : 1918 - 1954), 19 December, p. 8. , viewed 09 Dec 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article158357080

Carey Bay Snap - a Winner

In our local area of Lake Macquarie there are several active Facebook Groups. After lurking on Lake Macquarie Area in photos for several months I submitted a photo from Carey Bay to one of their weekly challenges. The theme for the week was #BirdShadows, the images must be from an area in Lake Macquarie. 

I was delighted to find my photo on the list of weekly winners. Here is the image I shared of a local pelican having a rest on our jetty. 

Pelican resting on a jetty in Carey Bay

I was so thrilled that I submitted a photo for this weeks challenge, @mornings.

I am hoping that this activity will help me connect with more locals.

Carey Bay Zoo

This post first appeared on my GeniAus blog in 2017. I am repurposing it here as it is relevant to my One Place Study.

Trove Tuesday - Local Zoo

It appears that there was once a zoo very close to our new home. Since doing some investigating I have discovered that the old zoo site now houses a caravan park. Naturally I turned to Trove to learn more about this site.

CAREY BAY MAN PLANS
TO DEVELOP ZOO
ON the waterfront at Carey Bay, "Bimbimbie"--a place of many birds--is being developed into a miniature zoo by its owner, Mr. Brown. 

"Two years ago my doctor told me that unless I gave up heavy work I wouldn't live 12 months. I came out here, and plan within 10 years to develop a zoo that the district will be proud of," said Mr. Brown.
He has many birds in modern cages, constructed so that people can move among them. Water sprays
keep the birds cool in hot weather. A large duck pond enables the public to view the swans and ducks
at close range.

Natural conditions of birds have been studied by Mr. Brown. He is developing his zoo along these lines,
and has had remarkable results in breeding birds and animals which normally do not breed in captivity.
Most of the big birds and animals have been named after children who frequent the zoo. There is "Joey"
the emu, "James" and "Sheila" the kangaroos, and "Percy" the duck. "Percy" is a popular identity. re-
ferred to as the "talking duck." He can quack "hullo," and when re-quested bows courteously. "Percy"
has no objection to children nursing him.

A variety of pheasants have been bred by Mr. Brown, who has also been successful in breeding scrub tur-keys. A peculiar feature about the male scrub turkey is that, after allow-ing the female bird to build the large mound of earth, 5ft. high, in which she lays the eggs he keeps her off the mound. If the mound is dis-turbed, he promptly scratches the dirt and sticks back into original positions.

One of Mr. Brown's peacocks can display a 6ft. span of bright colours. Authorities have said it is one of
the finest peacocks they have seen Some of the birds and animals were given to Mr. Brown by people who appreciated his hobby and desire to establish a zoo.

Snake Got Away. A friend ill the country recently sent him a 12ft. carpet snake. but it escaped when children left the cage door open.

"Bimbimbie" is visited by people from Newcastle district and travel-lers. At holiday times nearly a hun-
dred people have been on the prop-erty at the same time. "I plan to build a jetty and a picnic shelter, surrounded by lawns and shrubs, on the 95ft. frontage to the Lake, with the cages and animal enclosures sheltered by trees, and sur-rounded by gardens," said Mr. Brown.

A large aquarium, with a "harbour" bridge across it, will be built on a space already allocated. Material has arrived for a monkey carge, and steps have been taken to secure a strip of timbered country for use as a koala enclosure. "Many people have offered to assist by providing birds and animals. and I hope to import some. If I can set the foundation for a zoo in this dis-trict. and give pleasure to the people,
I will be happy," said Mr. Brown.

1946 'LAKE SANCTUARY FOR BIRDS, ANIMALS', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954) , 19 January, p. 5. , viewed 02 May 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140607009



1948 'CAREY BAY ZOO', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954) , 23 March, p. 4. , viewed 02 May 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article134324732


1951 'OBITUARY', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954) , 20 February, p. 4. , viewed 02 May 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article139502446


1953 'Social Calendar', The Newcastle Sun (NSW : 1918 - 1954), 27 May, p. 10. , viewed 02 May 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article160488623




1953 'MONKEY BITES BOY'S FINGER', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954) , 25 August, p. 2. , viewed 02 May 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article134278936




1954 'To-day's Topics', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954) , 20 December, p. 2. , viewed 02 May 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article134086324

Following the passing of Thomas Brown the zoo was taken over by Mr Reg Ward. 


1954 'To-day's Topics', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954) , 16 January, p. 2. , viewed 02 May 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article134908561

Checking in

Over the past few weeks I have been focusing my attention on the people of Carey Bay. Using the resources at hand I have been using birth, burial, death, electoral, marriage, newspaper and probate records for the people I believe had a Carey Bay connection. 

While I have made minor additions to this site my focus had been on research.

I thought it would be fun to share a post from my personal blog here on Carey Bay 2283. One of the blessings from living in this location is our lake which provides us with many stunning vistas.

Following is a copy of that post

24 August 2021

On the anniversary of our move to Carey Bay I can report that the only clouds over our decision to leave the Big Smoke for our spot on the Lake are the amazing assortment of clouds we view from our new living room and deck.

I hadn't previously thought much about clouds but, with our unrestricted view of the lake and sky, I have become a keen observer. It doesn't matter whether it is rain, hail or shine there is beauty in every cloud that comes into view.