The Tocal land and its people before and after 1822

In 1822 a young James Webber, recently arrived in the Colony, took up his land grant on the Paterson River. In that one act of possession, the landscape, managed and maintained by Aboriginal people for many centuries, was changed forever.

James and his convict crew carved out a European-style agricultural enterprise by exploiting the rich diversity of the land. In a nod to the earlier custodians, he named his estate ‘Tocal’, an aboriginal word for ‘plenty’.

Through toil and enterprise, successive owners grew rich on the Tocal lands, until, in 1965, private ownership ceased, and a new agricultural college was born on the site. That college, now retaining the name given to the land by its original custodians, grew into a thriving educational centre, with tentacles of training reaching throughout the nation.

2022 marks a significant milestone in the history of the land. This brief overview of its story—including the millennia before dispossession—has been compiled by four authors with over 170 years of combined memories associated with Tocal College and recording its agriculture and its history.

Over its history, Tocal has touched many families and many lives, and it continues to expand its reach, including to the descendants of its original peoples who cared for and respected its resources. This book in a small way pays homage to all of those lives.