The Elusive Captain William Cromarty

The name Cromarty has been associated with the Port Stephens and Newcastle areas of New South Wales fot almost two hundred years...

Said to be the first white settler in Port Stephens, William Cromarty hailed from the distant islands of Orkney. Arriving in Sydney as first mate on the brig Fame in 1822, he was soon involved in transporting cedar from Sydney to Port Stephens and Newcastle. Cromarty's wife and two children joined him in 1824.

So, who was Captain Cromarty? And what do we know about him..?

After a long academic career, Dr Leslie Kilmartin is now a writer living in Melbourne. This is his first venture into biographical writing. William Cromarty is his three times great grandfather.

For a fictional account of the life of the Cromarty's, see his book The Cromartys of Port Stephens.