1820

15 March 1820: Howe's second expedition reaches the Hunter River by a shorter route. He travels down-river to Wallis Plains (Maitland).

1820: The first commercial vineyard planted at Camden by brothers John and William Macarthur - the son of John of Merino sheep fame.

1820: 21 farms are now established around the river banks: Hunter, Williams & Paterson Rivers.

1822: The Society for Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerces in London presents a Silver Medal to Gregory Blaxland for encouragement for a sample of wine submitted.

1822: John McDonald selects a property on Black Creek Pokolbin, essentially for cattle and horses: called Glenmore.

Free settlers were now encouraged by the Governor of NSW to take up land in the Hunter Valley, with an influx of relatively wealthy settlers taking up the alluvial land in the river valleys. This influx started along the banks of the rivers and was promoted calls for an overland round route to link Sydney and the Hunter Valley.

1822: The establishment of the town of Maitland with Morpeth as a port.

1823: The establishment of a rough blazed trail along Howe's Track via Putty and Bulga to Maitland used mainly use to drive cattle. A permit is required to use the road. Today's Putty Road, originally known as the Bulga Road.

1823: The village of Bulga is established.

1824: William Kelman granted 2000 acres between Singleton & Branxton – named it Kirkton.

1824: The village of Broke is established.

1824: The Australian Agricultural Company is formed.

1824: George Bowman takes up a property on the Hunter River near Jerrys Plains to breed horses.

1824: James Busby first arrives in NSW, teaches viticulture at Liverpool having studied in France.

January 4th 1825: John Blaxland declares he has found a shorter route that Howe's Track via Wollombi.

1825: Heneage Finch surveys an alternate route to Howe's from Sydney to the Hunter Valley.

1825: James Busby publishes "A Treatise on the Culture of the Vine and the Art of Making Wine". It is not well received by reviewers or farmers.

1825: John Blaxland snr takes up 4280 acres of land on the Wollombi Brook and names the property 'Fordwich'. In 1831 he adds an adjacent 2560 acres. The property is managed by John Marquett Blaxland.

1826: Work started on the construction of the Great North Road through Baulkham Hills / Wisemans Ferry / Laguna / Wollombi / Cessnock / Sawyers Gully / Wallis Plains (Maitland) to Newcastle.

1827: Sir Thomas (Major) Mitchell – appointed NSW Surveyor General.

1826 Andrew Murray took up land in Wollombi Valley at Murrays Run called Vinedale (he had brought Grapes vines to Australia for MacArthur's).

1827: James King arrives, receives a grant of 1920 acres near Raymond Terrace on the Williams River and farms wheat & cattle although he lives in Sydney and conducts business there.

1827: Thomas Shepherd establishes the Darling Nursery in Chippendale – cultivates fruit trees for the colony and later grape vines from Busby's collection.

1827: George Wyndham establishes a property at Dalwood and extends it in 1828.

1828: Gregory Blaxland receives a Gold Medal from the Society for two further samples submitted.

1829: the Hunter Valley has become a highly sought after location to farm: 191 properties established in total. Cattle was the main economic force behind settlement.

1829: The British colony of Western Australia established.