The first ever Australian Census recorded in 1828 will be on display in Port Macquarie next week (April 11) as part of a regional tour.
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Across the six volumes, the Census covers some 36, 500 inhabitants and captures a social and economic picture of the Colony of NSW in November 1828, 40 years after its establishment.
President of the Port Macquarie Historical Society Clive Smith said it was the first time the government had tried legally to attain the names and occupations of everybody in the colony.
"They had done musters before but it turned out the government didn't have power to require civilians to come to the muster places," Mr Smith said.
"In 1828 they passed an act to do a Census of NSW, they sent out instructions to all the local magistrates to collect the information."
Mr Smith said not all the information is in the Census.
"Unfortunately for Port Macquarie it seems the household returns that would have shown the details of the civilians like Reverend John Cross, Overseer William Branch and Superintendent of Convicts Steven Partridge and their families... those returns don't seem to have survived.
All we seem to have in the Census for Port Macquarie is the convicts.
- Clive Smith
Included in the Census is an entry for Michael McGrath who is listed as being in Port Macquarie in 1828.
Mr McGrath arrived on the ship Boyd in 1809 with a life sentence to serve.
The entry of Mr McGrath has particular significance for Clive Smith.
"When Michael McGrath was sent to Port Macquarie, a couple of years after my great-great-great grandfather called James Ward was sentenced up here too, and his sentence expired in 1825 and it seems he hotfooted it back to Sydney to shack up with Michael McGrath's wife and indeed gave her five more children and from them I am a descendant."
The Census will be on display at Port Macquarie Hastings Library on Thursday 11th April from 10.30am-2.00pm.
There will also be a talk from 10.30am -11.30am highlighting locally relevant recordings to historians and the wider community.