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Bangor
When the Mount Remarkable Special Survey was bought in 1846 and subdivided in 1853, plans were drawn up to cut it up into 250 blocks of 80 acre farms and two private townships. Bangor at the southern end was surveyed by Thomas F. Nott. The first land sales at Bangor were held in 1853. One of the buyers was Alexander Campbell who had come to South Australia in 1839 with his 69 year old father Colin Campbell, 55 year old mother and three brothers. Having first taken up land in 1844 at Willowie he now bought several sections near Bangor and built 'Glen Orchy'and was for a number of years the local Pound keeper. In December 1866 John M. Campbell was appointed Auctioneer and Pound keeper at Bangor North. The Campbells were not the only early settlers around Bangor. William Edson and his wife Mary Jane, nee Baker, had opened a dairy and on 2 January 1858 had a daughter who was named Matilda. A son Alfred Charles was born on 18 April 1859 and another, Walter Burton on 18 July 1862. On 31 August 1863 Mary Jane gave birth to Adelaide Amelia. After moving to Wilmington to become a stockholder the Edson family was further expanded with a daughter Alice Ann on 2 October 1866 and a son Frederick William on 8 May 1868. Among some of the other early settlers were the Long, Hobbs and Hughes families. William Long and his wife Ann had three children while at Bangor where William was a stockholder. George Hobbs and his wife and son, born in 1866, were living at Bangor. However George was often away carting supplies to and from the area.
Unfortunately there was no road as yet through the Port Germein Gorge, at the time known as Back Creek Gorge. For this reason it was cheaper to import timber rather than utilise the abundance of native timber from the Wirrabara forest. When finally in 1879 a track of sorts was made numerous teamsters and farmers used it to supply the coastal settlements with timber and wheat. Naturally a hotel was established in due course and when Thomas Turner opened it in 1888 overnight stops by these teamsters, farmers and other travellers often took two or three days. Three years later M.J.R. Wake ran the hotel until 1901. It was closed in 1911.
A school was opened in 1887 but was later relocated in 1905 before closing in 1964. One of its teachers was Eleanor Blanche Coe, daughter of Captain William Coe of Gladstone. She left home early to pursue a teaching career. She would also teach for a time at Wirrabara. The post office, opened in 1887, was operated by G.R. Mackie until 1901. It eventually closed in 1931. At the turn of the century Bangor was part of the Port Germein District Council and several farmers, or blockers, were still in the area. Among them were Peter Terrelly, Alice Gardiner, E.G. Blesing, Mrs C. and Mrs E. Gardiner, R. Hamilton, Cornelius Hancock and William Hanna. Harry Burford and Thomas Davis were listed as gardeners.
By 1913 Bangor had a population of 55 and G.B. Mackie was the postmaster and E.G., Percival and Victor Blesing were listed as farmers.
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