Davistown, New South Wales

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Davistown
Central Coast, New South Wales

Central Wharf, Davistown

Population:

2,287 (2006 census)

Postcode:

2251

Area:

1.6 km² (0.6 sq mi)

Location:

12 km (7 mi) S of Gosford
13 km (8 mi) WSW of Terrigal

LGA:

City of Gosford

Parish:

Kincumber

State District:

Terrigal

Federal Division:

Robertson

Suburbs around Davistown:
Saratoga	Saratoga	Kincumber
Woy Woy	Davistown	Kincumber South
St Huberts Island	Empire Bay	Bensville

Davistown is a south-eastern suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the City of Gosford local government area.

It is named for the Davis family which settled in the area after migrating from Northern Ireland. The sons of the family established a series of successful ship building firms in the second half of the 19th century and the areas name was taken from the nickname of 'Davistown'. The most successful of the shipwrights were the brothers Thomas,Rock and Edward Davis. Rock was born at sea aboard the Mary Catherine. Rock is named after the captain of the ship, Rock Jones.

Between 1869 and 1879, Ben Davis built an estimated 34 vessels at Davistown, and a further 15 at Bensville. Rock Davis built 8 vessels here between 1854 and 1862, and later moved to Blackwall (near Woy Woy), where he built at least 160 vessels between 1863 and 1904. Another local shipbuilder Alfred W.R.M. Settree built 7 vessels at Davistown, including Day Dawn, Edith Keep and Dewdrop, between 1869 and 1879. Giles Jenkins built 10 vessels, mostly ketches, at Davistown between 1876 and 1889.