Lake Macquarie History

Young Wallsend

Orchards covered the area now known as Edgeworth until the 1860's when miners began arriving from Wallsend. The area was given the name Young Wallsend with the Young Wallsend Colliery Pit opening in the 1880's. People began to settle in the area and by 1914 there was a school, hotel, post office, library, public hall, a billiard room, and the town has continued to grow ever since. A public meeting was held to discuss changing the name of the town from Young Wallsend to Edgeworth. It commemorated the name of Sir Tannatt William Edgeworth David, noted geologist who spent 20 years tracing and mapping Greta coal seams, N.S.Ws' most important source of coal. School Principal, Malcolm Whittaker, suggested this name and it was hoped that the name "Edgeworth" would provide a new identity for the suburb while preserving it's mining heritage. Mr Whittaker was informed on 10th January 1961 that the schools name was officially to be Edgeworth. The Geographical Names Board assigned the name "Edgeworth" for the locality referred to as "Young Wallsend" and this was tabled in the NSW Gov. Gazette 27th Jan.1967. Initially, there was considerable resistance to the name change as many wanted to keep the link with Wallsend and West Wallsend but now the name Edgeworth is very well established.

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