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Our History

The Milton-Ulladulla district is a unique part of the heritage of both New South Wales and Australia.

Settled by colonists from 1828, the district’s towns reflect the early expansion of the timber industry and later dairying, followed by silica mining and then tourism.

Understanding the history of the place in which you live creates a greater understanding of why so many things are as they are today – how towns and streets got their names, why the industries in which people work developed, how the natural landscape was shaped by settlement, and why houses and buildings look the way they do. Local history combined with a place’s geography can tell you everything.

But preserving local history is not an easy task, as towns expand, new roads are built and industries wax and wane. Since 1968, Milton-Ulladulla Historical Society Inc has been dedicated to preserving our district’s past, for the future.

The 150th commemoration of the sinking of the Walter Hood

Our Places

Learn about the history of our thriving towns, charming villages and picturesque landscapes.

  • Towns

    Towns

    Find out more about the history of the main towns of the Milton-Ulladulla area.

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  • Villages

    Villages

    The Milton-Ulladulla district has many villages, each with its own distinct character and history.

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  • Landscapes

    Landscapes

    The landscapes of Milton-Ulladulla have been shaped by the interaction of natural and human geography.

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  • Historic Homesteads

    Historic Homesteads

    The Milton-Ulladulla district has many fine homesteads dating from the late 19th century that have been carefully maintained and sympathetically restored.

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New in 'Our Stories'

  • Disaster, despair, rescue and revelry – the shipwreck of the Walter Hood, 26 April 1870

    Disaster, despair, rescue and revelry – the shipwreck of the Walter Hood, 26 April 1870

    If you love a good horror story, did you know that Milton-Ulladulla has one its very own? Here are your clues – a man’s heart-stopping dream predicting nearby disaster, widespread floods, desperate cries for help, the killing and eating of a small dog, the grisly discovery of a severed arm, and maybe even a mutinous […]

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  • Walter Hood – the man, his shipyard, and the ship

    Walter Hood is three things – the man, his Aberdeen shipyard and the elegant clipper he built there in 1852.

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  • Fateful Last Voyage of Walter Hood – 22 January to 26 April 1870

    By 1870, at 18 years old, the Walter Hood was a bit of an ‘old girl’ but still considered sound and seaworthy. After her 1869 voyage she’d spent some time in London being repaired and having her copper replaced, giving her another 6 year rating from Lloyd’s. Her captain, Andrew Latto had already sailed her […]

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  • Disaster! – how did the Walter Hood come to grief in Wreck Bay?

    For the Aboriginal people and Warden in Ulladulla to see the Walter Hood in a wild storm and driving rain, she must have been very close to the coast. And this is curious too, as not one of those on board later tells of seeing Warden Head that afternoon.

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  • Despair! – crew cling desperately to life and the wrecked Walter Hood

    Exactly what did happen after the Walter Hood struck the reef in Wreck Bay on the night of 26 April 1870?

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  • Rescue! – how were men rescued from the shipwrecked Walter Hood?

    According to third mate William Tickler’s account, those aboard the Walter Hood first see other men on the beach on the morning of Friday 29 April. Who they are, and how they came to be there is a matter of dispute among locals who were living in the area at the time.

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