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MY HOMETOWN

In 1670 the name Toronto made its first appearance in history in the form Plac de Taranteau' on a map of southern Ontario Canada, drawn by the French priest Father Rene de Brenhant de Galinee.

The most popular interpretation originated with the nineteenth-century historian Henry Scadding, who claimed that it derived from a Huron word meaning to be plenty,' so that Toronto means 'plenty of people' or, as Scadding put it, 'meeting place.

Captain William Reid is credited with the lake’s discovery in 1800. Twenty five years later, Lieutenant Percy Simpson received a

2000 acre grant here.

With the assistance of some convicts, he was able to clear land and graze cattle. At about the same time, a missionary, the Reverend Lancelot Threlkeld, arrived to establish a 1000-acre reserve for an Aboriginal mission.

Prior to 1870 the Chapman family settled in Blackalls.  (more information here)

Toronto is a beautiful town situated on the western side of Lake Macquarie. The area was established in 1829 by Reverend Threlkeld..

Four times the size of Sydney Harbour, Lake Macquarie is linked to the ocean by a narrow channel and has many towns and villages on its shoreline.

Lake Macquarie is Australia's largest coastal saltwater lake, covering an area of 110 square kilometres (42.5 sq mi) in the Hunter Region of New South Wales with most of the City of Lake Macquarie's residents living near its shores. It is connected to the Tasman Sea by a short channel. Lake Macquarie is the largest salt water lake in the southern hemisphere.

Newcastle city is 28kms (17m) NE of Toronto, and is the 2nd most populated city in NSW. Sydney lies 183kms South via the F3 Freeway. Nearby is the beautiful Hunter Valley wine area and the equally beautiful  Watagan Mountains. Wonderful tourist attractions for day trips.