The first inhabitants of the area that became known as Gosford were the Aborigines. European settlers did not reach its shores until the 1820s, when they arrived via the Brisbane Water and Mangrove Creek waterways.
James Webb is regarded as the first of the white settlers to make their home in this area, the former solider having been allowed in 1823 to occupy around 300 acres in Brisbane Water for a cattle run.
The area’s timber resources were its strength, although development was slow. However this began to change when plans for a township were mapped in the 1830s, initially called the ‘Township at Point Frederick’ after Frederick Hely who owned land.
This name would later change to Gosford after the Earl of Gosford on the instruction of Governor Gipps, the man charged with giving the Government seal of approval to the new settlement.
Gosford enjoyed a period of redevelopment and migration over the next decade with one important new arrival being William Davis and his family. Davis later formed a dynasty that accounted for most of the ships built in the area.
The prevailing growth and development was aided by the introduction of rail travel in the late 19th Century and by the completion of the Pacific Highway to Gosford in 1930, both of which made the township easier to reach and laid the foundations for the tourism industry so evident today.
The natural beauty of Gosford and the surrounding area, together with its close proximity to Sydney, has made it a popular tourist destination and one boosted by the opening of the Australian Reptile Park in 1958.
Gosford, which today occupies an area of just over 1,000 square kilometres, was awarded city status in 1980 with Don Leggett appointed as its first Mayor.