Hunt Collection

George Hunt came to the Richmond River with his parents and six siblings in 1906 aged 16. They settled first at Box Ridge and then Tuckurimba where three generations of Hunts have farmed the land. He acquired his first camera, a half plate Thornton Pickard, in 1908 and chronicled town, farm and river life all around the district. He had a tripod and a black cloth lined with scarlet which went over the camera and his head. George learned to develop his own photos with the family bathtub enamel falling victim to the many harsh chemicals.

George’s photos were published in many journals and newspapers and he was even offered a job by the Sydney Mail but his father insisted that he was needed on the farm. He married Ciss Cameron in 1926 and raised a family on the Tuckurimba farm growing gladioli and orchids as well as dairy cattle. He and Ciss were very community minded and served on many committees.

The Richmond River district is grateful for this astonishing collection – without which, so much of the history of the area would have been lost.

The Hunt Collection consists of over 1100 photos – too extensive to display on one webpage so please explore the three galleries:
Maritime – small river boats; large steamers; and US naval warships.
People, Places and Events
Others – planes, trains and automobiles; floods & aerial pictures; landscapes and WWI

George Hunt Galleries

The Hunt Collection book

During 2020, the entire collection of 1100+ photos were rescued from an old cupboard by researcher Jacqui Kennedy. They were delicately peeled out of old sticky albums; digitised; catalogued and then preserved in archival sleeves. The Australian National Maritime Museum provided a grant to help with the conservation of the river boat photos.
Much gratitude goes to George’s son Ray and the entire Hunt family for their support throughout this process. In 2022, Jacqui and her team of Trove researchers set about to produce a book of beautifully restored images with comprehensive information about each boat.

The result is a stunning 54 page hardcover book featuring the boats from the Richmond River from small river boats to large cargo steamers. It also contains an overview of 100 years of maritime history from the district.

The book is available for $40 from the Ballina Naval & Maritime Museum.
Copies can also be obtained online and posted anywhere in Australia.
Visit this link to order a copy now.


Explore …