Monkerai is a large rural area in the hills in the land between

Dungog Dungog is a country town on the Williams River in the Hunter region and a small part of the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located in the middle of dairy and timber country, it is the centre of the Dungog Shire Local Go ...

and

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

Mid-Coast Council MidCoast Council is a local government area located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 through a merger of the Gloucester Shire, Great Lakes and City of Greater Taree Councils. The ...

, in the

Hunter Region The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, Newcastle Region, or simply Hunter, spans the region in northern New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River (New Sout ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. Monkerai was traditionally timber and dairy country but in subsequent years has become grazing country. In 1981 the Tanelorn Music Festival was held on the property "Riverwood Downs" at Monkerai hosting 30,000 patrons. Riverwood Downs Mountain Valley Resort is now a major tourist resort and is the largest employer in the area. Monkerai is in the foothills of World Heritage Barrington Tops and is surrounded by state forests and national parks, including the

Black Bulga State Conservation Area The Black Bulga State Conservation Area is a protected conservation area located near the Barrington Tops, in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. The conservation area is situated from Dungog, and used to be part of Trevor State Fo ...

. It boasts the following attractions - a public hall and a historic bridge.

Heritage listings

Monkerai has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * 101 Main Road:

Monkerai Bridge over Karuah River The Karuah River bridge is a Heritage register, heritage-listed road bridge that carries the Weismantels-Dingadee Road across the Karuah River, located at Monkerai, New South Wales, Australia. The bridge is also known as the Monkerai Bridge over ...

Historical records of Monkerai

The Greville's Post Office Directory of 1872 lists the following details for MonkeraiGreville, 1872. Greville's official post office directory of New South Wales, Greville & Co., Sydney: p339 "Distance 142 miles North of Sydney.
Mail closes at General Post Office Monday 5.30 p.m.
Mail arrives at Post Town Wednesday 5 p.m.
Mail leaves for Sydney Wednesday 10.30 a.m
Mail arrives at Sydney Saturday evenings.
Route Steamer to Raymond Terrace, coach Stroud, 15m. Monkerai; or via steamer
Clarence Town, 18m. Monkerai." The list shows 26 individuals or families residing officially in Monkerai in 1872.
There is a Moores Rd and Moores Creek in Monkerai, which may be connected to the Edward, John or William Moore listed.

The James Bugg listed is the father of

Mary Ann Bugg Mary Ann Bugg (7 May 1834 – 22 April 1905) was a Worimi bushranger, one of two well-documented women bushrangers in mid-19th century Australia. She was an expert horse rider and bush navigator who travelled with her bushranging partner and love ...

who lived occasionally in the area and is mostly known for her time spent as a

bushranger Bushrangers were armed robbers and outlaws who resided in The bush#Australia, the Australian bush between the 1780s and the early 20th century. The original use of the term dates back to the early years of the British colonisation of Australia ...

and her relationship with

Captain Thunderbolt Frederick Wordsworth Ward (c. 1835 – 25 May 1870), better known by the Style (manner of address)#Self-styled, self-styled pseudonym of Captain Thunderbolt, was an Australian bushranger renowned for escaping from Cockatoo Island, New South Wal ...

References

{{Suburbs of Mid-Coast Council Suburbs of Mid-Coast Council