Many of the books below were produced by family historians interested in recording their own family stories. The were mostly self-published in short runs under 100 and distributed locally amongst friends and family. These stories are invaluable! They record to folklore passed down through the generations and often contain details (and gossip) not encompassed by official documents.
Most of the books below are out of print and copies can only be located in libraries or by searching second-hand bookshops.
If your family has a publication about early life on the Richmond River please get in contact with us to have it listed below or reproduced online.
Immigration, Liaisons and Effervescence
by Geoffrey Kinkead
A history of Aerated Water & Cordial Manufacturers of the Richmond
Shipwrecked
by Geoff Hutchinson
Comprehensive research of all the shipwrecks on the Richmond River bar.
The Hunt Collection
by Jacqui Kennedy
Beautifully restored photographs of George Hunt and the river boats on the Richmond River
Available at the Ballina Naval and Maritime Museum or order online
My Blood’s Country
by Neil Creighton
A book of poems about the relationship between the new settlers and the Bundjalung people.
Sweet Beginnings
by Graham Smith
The history of the sugar industry and the Broadwater sugar mill.
Available at RVC Library
and RTR Library
Red Earth, Red Blood 1
by Graham Smith
The story follows early pioneering families—the O’Reillys, the Riordans, and the Baillies—as they settle and work in the Big Scrub
Red Earth, Red Blood 2
by Graham Smith
The story follows early pioneering families—the O’Reillys, the Riordans, and the Baillies—as they settle and work in the Big Scrub
William Yabsley
Master of Coraki
by Claire Schofield
A biography about one of the early settlers
Reference copies available at RVC Library and RTR Library
The Battle of the Bar
by Susan Alley
The story of Captain Lachlan McKinnon and the tugboats wars at the Richmond River Heads
Reference copy available at RTR Library
The Webster Weavings
by Joan Newman and Mary Battis
The life of William Webster and his wife Anne Toner, the family tree and stories of their descendants
Reference copy available at Mid-Richmond Historical Society and NLA
Looking Back at Bungy
by Margaret Jennison
A brief history of the Bungawalbyn district.
Available at Mid-Richmond Historical Society
Men and a River
by Louise Tiffany Daley
A history of the Richmond River district 1828-1895
Available at RVC Library
and RTR Library
North Coast Run
by Mike Richards
The Men and ships of the NSW North Coast
Available at RVC Library
and RTR Library
Battlers’ Boomtown
by Pauline Curby
Coraki in the early 1890s
Reference copies available at RVC Library and RTR Library
Clarence to Coraki
by Dorothy Kinny & Yvonne McBurney
The story of Magdalen and William Yabsley – founders of Coraki
Reference copies available at RVC Library and RTR Library
Big River Cedar
by Dorothy Kinny & Yvonne McBurney
The story of Magdalen and William Yabsley – founders of Coraki
Reference copies available at RVC Library and RTR Library
Paff’s Hill
by Jill Pigott
The story of the Paff family
Reference copy available at Mid-Richmond Historical Society
Pages of the Past Lismore
by Bonnie Paff
A collection of sketches accompanied by a brief description of buildings from Lismore
Reference copy available at RVC Library
William and Caroline Sullivan
A history of the Sullivan family
Reference copy available at Mid-Richmond Historical Society
Squatters on the Richmond
by William J Olley
Runs, owners and boundaries from settlement to dissolution 1840 to 1909
Reference copy available at NLA
The McCormacks from
Nengh Tipperary
A history of the McCormack family
Reference copy available at Mid-Richmond Historical Society
A Living Tree
The family of Denis and Elizabeth McLean
Reference copy available at Mid-Richmond Historical Society
Loaders and Woodburn
A history of the Loader family
Reference copy available at Mid-Richmond Historical Society
How It Seamed
by Graham Smith
The history of cricket around the Richmond River district
Available at Mid-Richmond Historical Society
A Journey of a Convict
The story of James Gilkison
Reference copy available at Mid-Richmond Historical Society
The Glascott Diaries
by Marlene Lester
The diaries and account books of Richard Donovan Glascott a timber-getter on the Richmond river in the 1860s and 1870s
Reference copies available at NLA and RTR Library
From Farnyharpy Stock
by Terry Boland
The Boland families, County Sligo to Richmond River
Reference copy available at RTR Library
Forfarshire Ploughman
by Terry Boland
The story of Thomas Flett
Reference copy available at Mid-Richmond Historical Society
Fording the Generations
by Mignon Tamsitt
Ford family in Australia since their arrival in 1839.
Reference copy available at Mid-Richmond Historical Society
Eastment Lane
The story of the Eastment family of East Coraki
Reference copy available at Mid-Richmond Historical Society
Dagg Family
by Kelvin Dagg
Boris-O-Kane to Kilgin
Reference copy available at Mid-Richmond Historical Society and NLA
From Cane Fields
to Battlefields
by Carolyn Cameron
Commemorating the involvement of the Lower Clarence in World War One
Reference copy available at Mid-Richmond Historical Society
Battistuzzi Family
by Robyn Nesbitt
A history of the Battistuzzi family c. 1800 – 2012
Reference copy available at Mid-Richmond Historical Society and Evans Head Living Museum
John Baker
The Pioneer Gardener
by Norman Baker and Evelyn Smith
1796-1874 and his Australian descendants
Reference copy available at
Mid-Richmond Historical Society and NLA
Big Trees and Big Rivers
by David Cornelius
A history of early settlement on the Far North Coast of New South Wales
Reference copy available at Ballina Historical Society and NLA.
Centenarians of the North Coast
by Bill Kerr and Ken Blyth
Compiled by Casino and District Family History Group
Reference copy available at Ballina Historical Society and NLA.
For more than 20 years Alstonville Plateau Historical Society have been publishing booklets on a large range of topics.
For their full catalogue please visit their website.
Helen Trustum has written 10 local history books:
1981: The Trustum Family Story
1985: In and Around Bentley
1988: Casino Show One Hundred Years
1990: My Mother’s Memories
1995: On The Cream Run
1998: Old Time Country Halls
2001: Sale-O Sale-O
2004: It’s Showtime
2005: Nelson Remembers
2009: 100 Years of Kyogle Show
For a copy phone Helen 0407431725
