Seaham, New South Wales

Seaham is a suburb of the Port Stephens Local Government Area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Williams River which flows into the Hunter River 14.6 km downstream from Seaham village at Raymond Terrace.

It is a rural community supporting a small but expanding population. While the actual village of Seaham, which is located in the north-eastern corner of the suburb, is relatively compact and composed of only a handful of streets, the suburb itself covers an area of approximately 46.3 km2. Greater Seaham covers an even larger area and incorporates East Seaham, Brandy Hill, Eagleton and Eskdale Estate.

Aboriginal settlement
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area now known as Seaham was home to the Garewagal clan of the Worimi people.

Beginnings through the 19th century
In 1822, Henry Dangar began surveying the Hunter Valley for settlement. Dangar divided the land into counties and parishes, reserving land for a township where the village of Seaham is now situated. About this time, a military station existed at Seaham in the vicinity of what is now Wighton Street. The village at Seaham was proclaimed in the Government Gazette on 26 July 1838. In the ensuing years, the village became a crossroads between neighbouring centres such as Raymond Terrace and Maitland.

In 1838, Dr. Henry Carmichael established a vineyard at "Porphyry Point", north of the village. In the ensuing decades the vineyard proved prosperous, winning numerous awards in Australia and Europe. The last vintage at Porphyry was in 1915, after which the name and trade mark was sold to Lindemans.

In 1893 homes near the Williams River at Seaham were inundated during a disastrous flood that caused considerable damage and loss of livestock. Another flood in 1913 caused similar damage, destroying crops and drowning livestock. Although the impact of the 1955 Hunter Valley floods on Seaham was not documented, photographs indicate that a flood of that magnitude during the nineteenth-century (when many residents lived and worked near the river), would have been catastrophic.

20th century
Prior to the establishment of the railway line between Maitland and Paterson in 1911, a line through Seaham was one of three alternative routes for the North Coast Railway. The proposed line would have connected Morpeth and Clarence Town, via Seaham. The surveyed line is visible on an 1887 map of Seaham, indicating a railway crossing over the Williams River between the township and Brandon House. At a public meeting in Clarence Town during October 1882 it was argued that the line through Seaham would present "more facilities and less engineering difficulties [than the proposed Maitland to Paterson route]".

21st century
In 2002 celebrations were held in Seaham to commemorate the sesquicentenary of Seaham Public School, the centenary of the Seaham School of Arts and the centenary of the consecration of St. Andrew's Anglican Church. These celebrations were unified as "Seaham Celebrates" and included events that were similar to those held at the 1938 Seaham centenary celebrations.

Bushfires
Since European settlement, there have been a number of reported bushfires in the Seaham district. In June 1888 a bushfire, which did not threaten the town proper, almost engulfed the home of Henrietta Carmichael at "Felspar". On 18 February 1926 Seaham came under direct threat from serious bushfires that almost destroyed the Seaham School of Arts and the Seaham Hotel. Another fire on 9 November 1928 destroyed a house on the "Brandon" estate.

1939 bushfires
Seaham was partially destroyed by bushfires on January 14, 1939, the smoke of which could be seen as far north as Forster The bushfire destroyed two historic homesteads at "Felspar" and "Porphyry" respectively before engulfing the Seaham Presbyterian Church, Seaham Public School and a number of homes around Warren Street. There was also significant damage at "Brandon", on the other side of the town proper, where a number of home were destroyed.

1944 and 1951 bushfires
In 1944, another bushfire swept down on Seaham and nearby Glen Oak. The fire was blocked on Clarence Town Road near the Glen Oak School of Arts. At Seaham, the fire was reported to have jumped the Williams River at "Felspar", the same estate where a house of historical importance was lost in the 1939 bushfires.

The town proper came under threat from bushfires again in 1951 from a fire in the Wallaroo State Forest. This bushfire, which also threatened Karuah, was reported to be "out of control" on the night of 15 November 1951, prompting the residents of Seaham to evacuate.

Brandy Hill
Adjacent to Brandy Hill, a 180 m high hill located approximately 4.7 km to the west of Seaham township is the Brandy Hill Quarry. Travelling between the quarry and Raymond Terrace meant travelling a circuitous route through the Seaham township so Brandy Hill Drive was constructed to provide a shorter and more direct route. In the 1980s the land around Brandy Hill Drive was subdivided and the estate was named "Brandy Hill". On 7 April 2000 the subdivision was formally approved as a locality and became a suburb in its own right. The suburb is almost surrounded by Seaham, while the hill itself remains within the suburb.

Brandon House
"Brandon", established in 1884 on the site of Alexander Warren's "Brandon Hall", is one of the last original homesteads in Seaham. The house has remained in the Fisher family for over 130 years and is the only example of Victorian architecture in the town.

Eskdale House
"Eskdale", built in the 1830s, is one the oldest homesteads in the district and is located on the outskirts of Seaham near Brandy Hill. It was built by Walter Scott, who also built Wallalong House.

Cemetery
Seaham Cemetery, which is located on the outskirts of the Seaham township, has a traditional layout with headstones dating back to the 1850s. The cemetery is still in use and is maintained by Port Stephens Council.

Deadman's Creek
Between Seaham and Brandy Hill Quarry, the Clarence Town Road crosses a small watercourse named Deadman's Creek. The creek gained this sinister name after 1844 when a man from Clarence Town was found brutally murdered on the road, close to the modern-day crossing. Mr. Robert Campbell was found with his throat cut in such a way that his head was almost severed from his body. Closer inspection of the body revealed a gunshot wound on the deadman's jaw. Several hundred metres away, (in the Maitland direction), a large pool of blood was found. Police at the time took this as an indication that the deceased had been dumped near the creek after he was killed.

Edgeworth David quarry
The Edgeworth David quarry is an historic quarry that was gazetted for preservation for scientific purposes in 1925. It is named after the Australian geologist Edgeworth David, who discovered signs of late Palaeozoic glaciation in the Seaham area during 1914. The deposits at the quarry, identified as 'varve shale' in 1919, have been considered by geologists as the 'finest [example] in the world'.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service manage the site, which can be visited by everyone interested in geology and geological history of the Seaham area.

Historic properties
Only a handful of Seaham's historic homes are still standing. These include "Brandon" (established 1884), "Burnbrae", and "Eskdale". Brandon house still has thick, black tape over its internal windows. The tape was used during World War II to prevent the windows shattering in the case of an air raid. Other important homesteads included "Porphyry" (established 1838) and "Felspar" (circa 1878) - both of which were destroyed in the 1939 bushfire.

Seaham Swamp Nature Reserve
Seaham Swamp is recognised as an important habitat for the Cattle Egret and numerous other bird species. In addition to this, the reserve also protects a historic quarry, in which scientifically important sediments from ancient glacial thaw water have been found.