The Biripi were the indigenous people of what is now known as Taree. The Aboriginal population of the Manning River was relatively dense before colonisation by Europeans. In 1826, Assistant Surveyor Henry Dangar was instructed by
John Oxley as Surveyor General (and a shareholder in the
Australian Agricultural Company) to survey the land between
Port Stephens and the
Hastings River. During this expedition, Dangar identified that Harrington Lake was a river with two entrances to the sea. Later in 1826, the river was named the Manning River by
Robert Dawson for the Deputy Governor of the Australian Agricultural Company,
William Manning. In 1829,
Governor Darling proclaimed the division of the settlement of the colony of New South Wales into
Nineteen Counties. The northern limit of the settlement was declared to be the Manning River. Taree was laid out as a private town in 1854 by
Henry Flett, the son-in-law of William Wynter who had originally settled the area in 1831. had been set aside for the private township and 40 lots were initially sold. Taree was declared a municipality on 26 March 1885 and the first municipal council was elected by the residents. In the early 1800s the road from
Newcastle to
Port Macquarie came via
Gloucester and forded the river near
Wingham. Boats could not go further upstream than this due to narrowing of the river and rapids. Hence a town formed at Wingham, about a day's ride from Gloucester. Timber getting, especially cedar, ensured goods were brought to Wingham and then shipped to Newcastle and beyond by boat. Coopernook similarly formed a local shipping hub. In 1844, the government of New South Wales had established Wingham as its administrative centre. When the
North Coast railway line came through in 1913, The river peaked at , inundating properties in Taree South and Glenthorne and falling just short of the historical high of in 1929. In the 24 hours to 9 am on 7 July 2022, a record of rain was recorded in town. Since records began in 1881, this was the wettest day in the history of Taree. On 21 May 2025, the Manning River at Taree surpassed its 1929 record during
a major flood. == Heritage listings ==