On this day 249 years ago, Captain James Cook sailed the ship HMS Endeavour past Newcastle.
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His diary shows he took note of "a small round rock or island" that we now call Nobbys and Whibaygamba.
Which made us wonder, how exactly did Nobbys get its name?
One version suggests Lieutenant John Shortland, who discovered coal in the area, called the island "nob", which led to the name Nobbys.
It's also been speculated that the iconic rock was named after a fellow called Joseph Nobby, who apparently lived in the area in the early days of white settlement.
Kurri Kurri's Col Maybury has a different theory. Col notes that Charles Clerke [pronounced Clark] was a senior midshipman in Captain Cook's crew on the Endeavour from 1768 to 1771.
The ship passed Newcastle on May 10, 1770. As we said, Captain Cook noted the impressive rock in his diary.
Col wonders whether Nobbys was actually named after Charles Clerke.
People named Clark, Clarke or Clerke have historically been given the nickname "Nobby Clark".
Some say the nickname originated because clerks in London used to wear Nobby hats, a type of bowler hat.
Another theory suggests 16th century monks were referred to as "clerks". They did so much writing that calluses or "nobs" formed on their fingers. As such, they were nicknamed "Nobby Clerks".
The term "nob" was also used to refer to posh people and members of the aristocracy. Clerks also ended up with this name because they dressed well and were considered a bit posh.
We also have a wild theory, from out of left field. In the days of Captain Cook, before Nobbys was partially demolished, the rocky outcrop resembled a giant shark's fin.
Nobby Clark is cockney rhyming slang for a shark. And Charles Clerke was from Essex, the heart of cockney slang.
We can picture the scene now.
Captain Cook: "Look at that big rock, Charles".
Charles Clerke: "Cor blimey guvna, that looks like a Nobby Clark's fin".
Captain Cook: "So it does. From this day forth, that rock shall be known as Nobbys".
Grammar Nazis
Speaking of slang, we wrote last week about the tendency for people to drop their aitches.
Ian King, of Warners Bay, said the other side of the coin was that some people "pronounce the letter 'h' as 'haitch'."
The correct pronunciation is "aitch", Ian said.
On the subject of grammar Nazism, Ian asks: "Why is it that people say 'the honest truth' and 'in actual fact'.
"Last time I looked, all truth is honest and all facts are actual."
Yep, and it's a fact of life that the truth can be elusive.