1842 - Dr James Mitchell received a 913 acre land grant from Captain James Ranclaud. He already owned 560 acres south of Marmong Point. The grant extended his holdings to include Bolton Point to Barnsley, including Teralba.
1869 - Dr James Mitchell died and the property was passed to his wife Augusta Maria Frederick Scott.
1870 - Margaret Mitchell 1840-1886 (daughter of Dr and Mrs Mitchell) married William Quigley.
1871 - Augusta Maria died. Margaret and William inherited the 1,500 acres which became known as ‘The Quigley Estate’. They prospered with their fortune based on timber.
1870s - The Quigleys built the first Awaba House, (‘Awaba’ being an Aboriginal word meaning flat surface and refers to Lake Macquarie). Built just a few metres to the south-west of the present house, this became home for the Quigleys and their four children.
1879 - William’s life was tragically cut short when he died after a fall from his horse. He was buried in the grounds of Awaba House.
1886 - Margaret died from severe burns sustained in a fire, which destroyed the house. It is believed she ran from the burning house into the lake (perhaps the source of the stories of a woman’s ghostly figure sighted on the foreshore at night). Margaret’s body was buried a short distance away on the hilltop behind the house. William and Margaret have since been reunited at the end of Primrose Street, Booragul, marked by a small monument.
1887 - Daniel Quigley (uncle and guardian to the four Quigley children) built the second Awaba House.