In the 1850s, a small cedar getter settlement, 10 miles [17kms] upriver from Ballina was known as Blackwall and consisted of four small huts. The banks of the river were covered with hardwood, pine and cedar. The team were working in the rich forests at the base of the mountain and being in close proximity to Ballina, could float their logs on a raft down to the cedar depot. The village quickly grew as more settlers were attracted to the district. In the cities the demand for “dressed” timber grew and it was easier to load onto the ships than round logs. In 1868, Thomas Carter, who operated a sawmill on the Clarence River, built a sawmill at Blackwall for his son Ernest and began operations under the name Richmond River Sawmill & Trading co. He also opened a general store and cottages were erected for the mill hands. Blackwall became a great shipping centre and it was not unusual to see seven schooners anchored in the stream and thirteen schooners every month took loads of timber to outside ports.
The residents of the area had to pick up their mail in Ballina and so a petition was put forward in the 1860’s to have their own Post Office – Mr James Kennedy became the first Postmaster in 1870 in a small store on the east bank about a mile upstream from the township. He also built a small ball room and opened the first hotel. Mr H. Tyler opened a second public house on the east bank and Spencer Cottee built a third on the west bank near Carter’s mill. As families arrived and more children were added to the population, a school for educating the youngsters was desperately needed. The mill hands and settlers had a meeting and decided to put up a small building and engage a teacher.
In 1870 the district, in common with the rest of the Richmond River, suffered severely from floods. The settlers’ crops were destroyed, Kennedy closed his hotel, and the Post Office was transferred to Mr. Owen McDonough. The settlers turned their attention to cutting timber.
The King brothers selected land further inland and were very successful with their timber venture. Mr C.T. Bagot bought out their lease and erected another timber mill which was called Bagotville. Some years later, after the mill had burnt down, they moved into Ballina and the thriving business of Bagot Bros Timber Mill was born.
In 1872, Mr James James, otherwise called “Jimmy Jimmy,” who had been managing a mill for Breckenridge, of Wyrallah, erected a second sawmill on the east bank along with a house, store and wine shop. Mr James owned both bullock and horse teams for hauling the timber from the hills. A number of workmen’s cottages were erected, for fully 300 – 400 men were employed in some capacity, either in the mill or getting timber.
A fourth hotel, The Star, was erected in 1875 and a Constable was appointed to the town although the Police station and Courthouse were not built for a few more years. Rowdy patrons were chained to a tree stump until they sobered up.
In 1876 Blackwall changed its name to Wardell when Mr S. Sohn bought the Carter store which contained the post office that was moved from the east bank to the township. In 1880, Carter built a proper Telegraph Station and Post Office beside the river. Many more businesses came to town along with a bank, a doctor and timber depot. Samuel Smith built the Royal Hotel at East Wardell – that made four hotels and a wine shop, with a “Temperance Hall” as an antidote.
Despite the fact that the town was built on both sides of the river, there was no ferry. Flat bottomed punts were principally in use by the people. The school teacher had his own boat for bringing the children across the river. Horses and cattle had to be driven in and then swam the river.
Douglas McDermott in 1876 and John Mclnerny in 1879 were drowned while crossing the river in this manner. Continued agitation from the residents was successful and in 1882 the first ferry to operate at Wardell was a hand-winched ferry.
The early eighties saw the Carter Mill burn down and rebuilt with more modern machinery. The mid eighties saw the James Mill burn down and rebuilt by Mr C. Bond. In 1892 the Carter Mill burned down a second time and this time it was not rebuilt – most of the employees left the district. As the timber had largely been stripped out, the settlers turned to farming and the opportunity arose for the planting of sugar cane.
Sugar cane thrived throughout the whole district. Many farmers had erected small crushing mills on their farms and brought the bags of sugar by pack horse to load onto the ships. With the opening of the CSR Broadwater Mill in 1880 it changed the approach to growing, transporting and crushing the cane and the river was alive with extra traffic.
A comprehensive history of Wardell was published by the Northern Star in 1935 and included many pioneer names and detailed descriptions of events and growth of the area.
