Where in the world is Coffin Rock ?

Parish maps are a great way to find out who owned what, and when, across New South Wales during particular time periods. Some of the maps have basic geographical features drawn on, and all the notes, keys and other features of these maps make for interesting viewing.

Wagga Wagga City Library’s local studies collection has some local area parish maps available to look at. If you want to find out what parish maps are in the collection, go to the library’s homepage, and you can search the catalogue through the simple search :

Write down the call number – ( the shelf location number) and when you come into the library you can ask at the Information desk to see the map you are looking for.

Detail from the Sandy Creek Parish map, showing the beginnings of Coffin Rock

I’ve chosen the Parish of Coffin Rock to look at, which has a very intriguing name and it is not well known though comparatively close in to Wagga Wagga. A quick search through the Daily Advertiser newspapers online in Trove shows that Coffin Rock, though “sparsely populated” was a thriving little community with sports days, picnic meetings and more in the last century.

This excerpt is from the Daily Advertiser, Friday 26th of January, 1923.

If you would like to look at the Daily Advertiser newspapers available through Trove : 

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/title/687

There are a number of websites that are useful if you are doing historical research and particularly wanting to use maps and similar type records. Here is a link to the Land and Property Information NSW website, where you can search for Parish Maps : 

http://www.lpi.nsw.gov.au/mapping_and_imagery/parish_maps 

To read or download a series of five guides to searching maps and other historical records online : 

http://www.lpi.nsw.gov.au/publications/search_guides

Happy researching  !