Toronto is a lakeside suburb within the city of Lake Macquarie, Greater Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia, approximately 28 kilometres (17 mi) from Newcastle's central business district and is a commercial hub for the sprawling suburbs on the western shore of the lake.
Toronto is a lakeside suburb within the city of Lake Macquarie, Greater Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia, approximately 28 kilometres (17 mi) from Newcastle's central business district and is a commercial hub for the sprawling suburbs on the western shore of the lake. It is one of the major centres in the City of Lake Macquarie LGA.
History
The Aboriginal people, in this area, the Awabakal, were the first people of this land.The area was originally the site of an Aboriginal mission called Ebenezer, established in 1829 by Reverend Threlkeld. Threlkeld is reported to have begun construction of his chimney with a local black stone which he later realised was coal. Coal Point, just to the south, is named after this discovery. The development of several coal mines in the region, proximity to the nearby city of Newcastle, and its position by the lake led to gradual development and population increases. The mission closed in 1841.
In 1885, the Excelsior Land, Investment and Building Co. and Bank Ltd acquired a portion of Threlkelds' original 1,280 acre grant from McMahon and Whiting plus the 100 ft waterfront reserve from the Crown for £13,722 and subdivided it in 1887.
Ebenezer was then renamed after Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in honour of Edward Hanlan, a Canadian world-champion sculler who visited Australia in 1884. The area's subdividers, the Excelsior Company, named the land in honour of Hanlan's visit, which coincided with the opening of the subdivision. The Canadian city's name is said to have come from the Mohawk language tkaronto, meaning “where there are trees standing in the water".This subdivision also coincided with the opening of the Great Northern Railway and became the basis of the future town of Toronto. The Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, visited Toronto by train on the Toronto railway line on 24 June 1920.
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