THE EARLY HISTORY OF CAMBERWELL
- ORIGINALLY CALLED FALBROOK

Written by Lillian May Noble and quoted with kind permission of her family.

The history of Falbrook or Camberwell as it is now known, is closely associated
with the settlement of Singleton. Prospective settlers who looked north for
suitable sites for agriculture and pasture for their flocks and herds found
fertile land on two permanently watered creeks, Falbrook the present day
Glennie's Creek and Bowman's Creek.

Large grants of land were made between 1821 to 1824: To Dr. George
Bowman and Micheal Nowland on the Lower Falbrook;To Dr. James Bowman
at Ravensworth; To Henry Glennie at Dulwich; To Captain Brabyn for J.
Gaggin at Sydenham; To Thomas Clark at Bridgeman Park, later transferred
to J. & R. Lethbridge; To Richard Carter at Gooranqoola and later transferred
to Robert Dawson. These grants were within the District of Falbrook in the
Parish of Camberwell as listed in the Post Office Gazette 1862 - (see
appendix A).

Big homesteads were built on these grants of prime land for the landholders'
families. With them came large numbers of servants, workmen, shepherds and
convicts; some' households having over 100 staff. Free irnmiqrants and
squatters took up the remaining selections on the poorer and less fertile land.

One of the first villages to the north of Singleton was the Village of Falbrook,
the present day Camberwell situated 9 miles from Singleton: leaving Singleton
the highway continued on to an inn at Rix's Creek then along ~lie flat at
Granbalang to another inn and on up to Red Post Hill, the .present day
Deadman's Hill. From there another 3 miles to Falbrook. It was rough bush
track through timber. On reaching the top at Red Post Hill one early traveller
described it as - a fine view of valleys and hills and endless undulations
clothed universally in forests and as we came down to the village the view was
more open and the grass more abundant.

The Village of Falbrook, which was quite important in the early settlement,
consisted of 3 inns, the largest being the Queen Victoria, a wine shop, general'
stores, blacksmiths, schools and a Post Office. There was also a large town
common for use by the people. When the coaches unloaded the mail there
were contractors waiting with their pack horses ready to deliver the mail to
outer districts. One delivery was to Goorangoola where there was a Police
Station and Post Office. This was not always an easy journey especially in
wet seasons when the contractor was not allowed to cross the creeks if the
water was above the saddle girth. There was also the risk of "hold ups" by
bushrangers yet it was unpardonable for mail to run late irrespective of
misadventure.

It was' a common sight to see long lines of traffic on either side of the village
- horse teams, bullock wagons, drays, horsemen, coaches and pedestrians
toiling up the steep grades on both sides of the village. They brought wool
and farm products south to Maitland to be shipped-to Newcastle and returned
with goods for the northern settlements. Many of the travellers were enroute
to the gold diggings at Uralla, amongst them were many Chinese complete
with coolie hats, pigtails and bundles. Other travellers had hooded wagons in
which their wives and families travelled north to settle.

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