1818 - 11th October
The inlet of Port Macquarie was discovered and named by Lt. John Oxley after the governor of NSW, Governor Lachlan Macquarie. The Hastings River was named in honour of India's Governor General, Sir Warren Hastings.

1821 - 21st March.
Three ships, "Lady Nelson", The Mermaid" & "The Prince Regent" set sail from Sydney under the command of Captain Francis Allman. On board were the expedition leaders, 2 officers' wives & 4 children, 38 soldiers & the first group of about 60 selected convicts.

1821 - 17th April
After a rough sea voyage, they landed at Port Macquarie. Settlement here was considered suitable for: the isolation of prisoners (sent mainly from England); as a source of timber supply; for cultivation of tropical fruits & plants; & to provide a road/sea link from the New England area. Temporary bark huts surrounded by a sturdy stockade were the first buildings.

1823
The first sugar cane to be cultivated in Australia was planted here.

1824
Gangs of male convicts were working on public buildings including barracks & storehouses, whilst women were making nails.

1826
By this time the town had already started progressing well. Major Archibald Innes arrived that year & introduced more huts & a school house. Public Schooling began in Port Macquarie.

1828
Construction of St. Thomas' Church.

1830
Free settlement came to Port Macquarie, which had previously been open only to Government shipping.

1834
Stephen Partridge was granted land of Port Macquarie 10km west of the settlement. The area was called 'Thrumster'. Stephen died in 1878.

1836
In 1836 there were 1300 people living in Port Macquarie, 360 of them free settlers of England.

1840
General transportation of convicts was abolished, & the colony hit by a depression.

1843
Port Macquarie became a depot for invalid convicts, & chain gangs worked on a dam & a road to New England for bullock teams to bring wool across for shipping to Sydney.

1847
Convicts were no longer sent to Port Macquarie.

1848
Due to the effects of the gold rush, the towns' population was only 819.

Bibliography
The Australian Encyclopaedia. Grolier Society of Australia, Sydney NSW, 1977, V5.
Port Macquarie: in the beginning. Hastings District Library, (1988)
Port Macquarie: a penal settlement. Hastings District Library, (1988)
Port Macquarie: the early settlers. Hastings District Library, (1988)
Portfolio. Port Macquarie, 1988, p.8
A town called Port: a Port Macquarie-Hastings Valley Walkabout. Moyes, John, Moyman Book, Rev. Ed., Taree NSW, 1993.