Pre-1788  Evidence of Aboriginal occupation in Oatley Park as well as the presence of a permanent spring and water supply at Neverfail Bay (the reason why it was called thus) along with as Cook’s observations in 1770 would imply some Aboriginal presence.
3&4/4/1770  Lieut. Cook travels some way up Georges River where he sees numerous “natives” fishing.
1788  Phillip Gidley King travels five miles up the Georges River.
14/12/1790  Watkin Tench leads a punitive expedition against Aborigines in the St George area. He hopes to hit the Georges River around the Oatley area but becomes lost eventually ending up in the Monterey area.
Feb 1795  Flinders, Bass and Martin explore and name the Georges River.
Late 1790s   Farming further up the Georges River – Georges Hall, Bankstown and Liverpool – sees regular boat traffic on the River.
1830s  First industries in the area – timber getting and lime burning.
31/8/1833  James Oatley granted 300 acres with an annual rent of £2.10/-. He called it Needwood Forest. He apparently never visited the area although he lived at present-day Beverly Hills.
13/6/1835   The Sydney Hunt ends up at Oatley’s grant.
Dec 1835  Oatley has a further 40 ac added. When the grant is later surveyed it was actually 600 ac.
8/10/1839  James Oatley dies leaving Needwood Forest to his adopted son Frederick Stokes who later changed his name to Oatley.
Late 1840s  People starting to take trips to the Georges River area for picnics.
Late 1870s The oyster industry in production near the Oatley area
March 1881 Oatley Jnr sells Needwood to Charles Cecil Griffith for £10,000. Griffith plans to subdivide.
1883  Oatley’s Estate with 1,400 building blocks. The streets are named after either Australian plants or members of Griffith’s family.
1884  Judd’s Hurstville Brick works established at Mortdale – many Oatley people end up employed at the works. Now the location of the Georges River College.
1885  First settler in the area. Joseph Fletcher – a railway worker – builds near the present day Oatley Hotel. He was quickly followed by George Orange, the caretaker for the Oatley Estate. Nearest homes are at Mortdale in Morts Rd.
22/12/1885  Municipality of Kogarah declared.
26/12/1885  Railway line to Sutherland opened with a small platform at Oatley. The platform first called “Oatley’s Grant” (up to 1886) and then “Oatley’s Platform” (by 1889) but land sales are slow.
1886  Population of Oatley is nine living in two houses.