It's a little known fact that is helping to drive the volunteers of the Tomaree Museum Association in their quest to discover and acknowledge the story behind Port Stephens.

Newly elected chairman of the association, Doug Cross, said it was the committee's hope that the museum would reflect the area's true history, including the involvement and contribution of the Worimi Aboriginal people as well as the efforts and achievements of pioneering families.

"Emerging from the restrictions of COVID, we are committed to focusing on the first people, the discovery of the region, the industries that moulded our character and significant events that have occurred over time," Mr Cross said.

"Questions such as 'who are we as a community, what are our most notable features and what makes us different from other coastal regions' will be foremost in our forward thinking.

"Cooma has the Snowy River scheme, Gundagai has the Dog on the Tucker Box, Eden is all about whales and Coffs Harbour has the Big Banana."

What is it in Port Stephens - could it be the area's proud oyster growing traditions?

Port Stephens has a unique identity dating back to the area's first inhabitants, the Worimi people, who have lived here for tens of thousands of years.

One of the most significant arrivals after settlement was the Australian Agricultural Company (AACo), which established its original headquarters at Tahlee in 1826, and while the company has moved on, the historic Tahlee Homestead, its convict-built harbour and elegant gardens remain for visitors to enjoy.

According to local historians, from the early 1800s the Port developed from seafaring pioneers, fishermen and farmers to shipping and lighthouse keepers, involving a range of pioneering families.

The Port's first major industry was oyster farming which evolved from chiselling naturally growing oysters off rocks, raking the shellfish off the shoreline and gathering wild-growing oysters from the mangroves.

"Initially, the oysters were not harvested for food but their shells, lime derived from the shells being essential for building in the growing colony. Shell was burnt in kilns at Stockton, Limekilns, Fame Cove and Carrington for making cement," historians say.

"From those early days, small communities were scattered around the fringes of the port, each eking out a basic existence while growing in numbers.

"Oyster farming in Port Stephens started to develop at a rapid rate following the involvement of Fred Phillips, an incredibly progressive man based in Pindimar who, as well as pioneering the oyster industry, introduced bee keeping, cattle farming and was a major influence in drawing up grand plans for Pindimar City, once favoured as a potential capital for the newly established Commonwealth of Australia.

"The Phillips family continued to drive the oyster industry through Fred's son Stan. With the efforts of Worimi workers and many oyster farmers around the Port from Swan Bay to Carrington, Karuah to Corrie Island, North Arm Cove and Cromarty Bay, Stan and his cousin Charles established the Melbourne Oyster Supply Company, which supplied trucks loaded with quality oysters to an outlet in Flinders Street

"At that time, Port Stephens was described as 'The Biggest Oyster Farm in the World'."

Chinese fishermen were also active throughout those early years, dispatching preserved fish and lobsters to their countrymen in the goldfields as far back as the 1850s.

"A commercial fishing industry developed in the early 1880s, but the unavailability of ice proved a major drawback to distribution outside the local area. It was Captain John Dalton who initially expanded the industry by carrying the fishermen's catch to southern markets aboard the SS Kingsley.

"Farming, fishing, oyster growing, timber, the AACo, sea product processing, boat building, mining and tourism have all contributed significantly to the growth of Port Stephens.

"Although the Great War and the Depression years of the 1930s are notable in local history, events of WWII changed our area forever when Port Stephens became a crucial link in the defence of Australia's east coast.

"The US Army established an Amphibious Training Centre at Gan Gan, guns and radar positions were placed at Fort Tomaree plus associated camps at Tomaree Head and HMAS Assault was established on St Nazaire's Road.

"During its operation, more than 20,000 US and Australian service personnel passed through this Joint Overseas Operational Training School. Many remnants of the fortifications, buildings and equipment can still be seen.

"Locals have played a significant role in the momentous events throughout local history, most notably the major world conflicts, with distinction."

Tomaree Museum Association is inviting the Port Stephens community to help establish a museum by providing artefacts and/or memorabilia. Contact Doug Cross at tomareemuseum@gmail.com.