2018 RAHS Conference
Surveying the Past, Mapping the Present
The Westport Club, Port Macquarie 20 – 21 October 2018
In 1818, Surveyor-General John Oxley led an expedition from Bathurst to explore the inland rivers of New South Wales. Travelling great distances, Oxley found the Hastings River and followed it to the coast, naming its entrance to the sea ‘Port Macquarie’ (after Governor Lachlan Macquarie). Two centuries later, our annual conference will be held at Port Macquarie, where we will explore how historians survey the past by searching through records as part of a continuous journey to map the context of events that have shaped our shared history.
The 2018 RAHS Conference is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Port Macquarie, with local historians speaking about the experiences of the Birpai, life on the early estates in the Hastings, and Port Macquarie’s last convicts. Our keynote speaker is Dr Mathew Trinca, Director of the National Museum of Australia, who will discuss the very pertinent theme of ‘History from the ground up.’
Nobbys Beach, Port Macquarie, ca. 1920s [Port Macquarie Historical Society Collection]