Johns River

25 August 1827

Behind the Name: John the Son, and the Stolen Horses!

The Three Johns and the Three Brothers 

In January 1820, the three Johns, agriculturist and sugar expert John Gyles, and CommissionerJohn Thomas Bigge accompanied John Oxley on an expedition to the newly discovered Port Macquarie district, passing by Johns River on their way north.  It is unknown if the Three Johns passing by the Three Brothers called it Johns River at that time or not.

However, seven years later, in 1827, surveyor John Armstrong named the watercourse (now known as the Camden Haven River), as Johns River.

In the journal of the Assistant Surveyor for the Australian Agricultural Company, John Armstrong’s October 8th 1827 entry mentions that:

“Mr. Guilding and I again took the Lime Burner’s boat and rowed up into the Watson Taylor’s Lake, and took the country, the distance from the Huts to the Lake, about 2 miles, observed that there was a large river falling into the lake from between the North and Middle Brothers, which we named Johns River and that a river came down apparently from between the South and Middle Brothers called Stewarts River, and were informed that a river connects this Lake with Harrington’s Inlet; but this we shall particularly ascertain here after…. Walked from the N end of Watson Taylor’s Lake to the sea about 1 ½ miles and ascended a headland called here Diamond Head …”.

In Dr. Bill Birrells 1996 transcription of Oxley’s Journal he notes that “although named by Armstrong as ‘Johns River’, it was later changed to ‘Camden Haven River’, and also that the ‘Stewarts River’ was apparently already known and named before Armstrong’s visit.”

In the ‘Early History of the Camden Haven’ and the family history written by Brian Fletcher, he states that “it appears that the people of the area of the confluence of the two streams and Watson Taylor’s Lake retained the name ‘Johns River’ as a locality name. The confusion in these names is evidenced even as late as 1910 when the railway plan was prepared showing ‘Stewarts or Johns River’.

“When the convict settlement was established at Port Macquarie the northern shore of the then un-named river to the south was declared the limit to settlement by the Commissioner at Port Macquarie. This may have been because it was seen as a haven for escaping convicts. Some of the settlers already on this shore crossed the river and lake and established on the already named ‘Stewarts River’.

“It was after this declaration was made that the then-nameless river was named ‘Johns River’ by John Oxley after the Port Macquarie Commissioner's son John.  This son John, was later to become a Commissioner on the Hunter and evidently was discredited over some government horses.

“Subsequently Johns River was renamed the Camden Haven, as it flowed to the Camden Heads. Stewarts River was already so-named …. And the people coming from the north were called Johns River people and thus the naming of the district followed.   Harry Gibson told me this and his ancestors were among the new settlers.”

As regards to the naming of the Stewarts River and by whom there are still more questions than answers!