myths and mysteries of the crossing of the blue … and mysteries of the crossing of the blue...

Myths and Mysteries of the

An AustrAliAn History Mystery

Crossing of the Blue Mountains

RobeRt Lewis tim GuRRy

ISBN 978-0-949380-75-3

© 2012 National Museum of Australia and Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd

Written by Robert Lewis, Tim Gurry

Cover art: NH Roughley, Blue Mountains Crossed 1813,191-?, National Library of Australia

National Museum of Australia Education Section GPO Box 1901 Canberra ACT 2601 Phone (02) 6208 5239 Fax (02) 6208 5198 Email [email protected] Website www.nma.gov.au/education

Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd 31 Station Street Malvern Victoria 3144 Phone (03) 9500 2399 Fax (03) 9500 2388 Email [email protected] Website www.ryebuck.com.au Designed by Polar Design, Melbourne, Victoria Printed by Trojan Print, Melbourne, Victoria

All efforts have been made to find copyright ownership of materials used in this publication. Any contraventions are accidental and will be redressed. For any copyright matters please contact Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd.

Teachers are permitted to duplicate any pages in this publication for educational purposes in their classrooms.

For any other purposes contact Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd.

Teacher’s guide to using this resource 4

Student activities 8

Inquiries Activity pages Page

Prepare to explore! 1–3 8

A ‘virtual visit’ to the Blue Mountains 4A–4B 13

Investigations

1 What are the Blue Mountains? 5A–5C 15

2 How were the Blue Mountains formed? 6A–6C 18

3 Why did explorers want to cross the Blue Mountains? 7A–7C 21

4 Who actually crossed the Blue Mountains? 8A–8E 24

5 How did the explorers achieve their crossing in 1813? 9A–9D 29

6 What was their journey like? 10A–10B 33

7 Were Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth really the first to cross the Blue Mountains?

11A–11E 35

8 What impacts did the crossing have? 12A–12C 40

9 How is the crossing of the Blue Mountains represented in the National Museum of Australia?

13A–13C 43

Conclusion and reflection: What does the crossing of the Blue Mountains tell us about Australian history?

14 46

Contents

Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains4

Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains education resourceMyths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains is a multimedia education resource to help middle secondary students explore an aspect of Australia’s early colonial history: the crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813.

It is part of the Australian History Mystery series at www.australianhistorymysteries.info/.

It comprises:

> A 20-minute ‘virtual visit’ film, taking students to key places associated with the event, outlining the key issues associated with the event, and presenting some of the evidence that they need to use to develop their own conclusions

> A 48-page set of practical and evidence-based activity pages, for photocopying, which can be used in the classroom

> A decision-maker interactive activity, Would you be a good explorer?, that presents information and issues about the event through an alternative learning approach.

Background briefing In 1813 New South Wales remained a British penal colony, but competing ideas about its future were developing.

Governor Lachlan Macquarie saw New South Wales as predominantly a place where freed convicts would engage in self-sufficient, small-scale agriculture to feed the growing colony.

Wealthy free immigrants, often enticed by the British Government to settle, saw the colony as a place where they could establish large landholdings on which to run cattle or, increasingly, sheep. They saw convicts as cheap pastoral labour rather than farmers working small plots of land.

Macquarie developed expensive public works but he was under pressure to generate the income to pay for these developments, rather than relying on British Government expenditure.

Continued convict and free immigration, as well as internal population growth, and several poor seasons — of drought, floods and insect infestations — put increasing pressure on the need to expand the colony beyond the encircling ring of the Blue Mountains. At the same time, however, Macquarie did not want to provide a means for convicts to escape the boundaries of the colony’s settlement.

In 1813 he authorised three wealthy immigrants — Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth (who was born on a convict ship on the way to New South Wales) — to organise an expedition to find a way of crossing the Blue Mountains.

Several other explorers had tried to cross the Blue Mountains previously, and some may even have succeeded, though we are not certain about this.

The mountains were difficult to cross because of the rugged bush, many gorges and cliffs — but there was a way, by following a particular ridgeline. Aboriginal people knew at least two ways over the mountains (paths that are, today, followed by two major roads) but they were not involved in the 1813 crossing — Blaxland was dismissive of their knowledge.

The party found this particular ridge line, and succeeded in reaching the end of the Blue Mountains and observing some open land — although they did not complete a crossing of the Great Dividing Range, and did not see the great plains towards Bathurst.

After the party returned to the colony, Macquarie sent a surveyor, George Evans, to check on their findings. Evans followed their route, and then went much further, seeing the Bathurst plains. He returned, and Macquarie commissioned a narrow and rough road to be made — but one that was intended to be restricted for use by authorised travellers.

Despite attempts to limit expansion of the colony, it gradually happened, and the plains were opened up to settlers who then took up the land, displacing the Aboriginal inhabitants in a series of bloody conflicts.

As Australians began to look to heroes in their history to obscure the convict ‘stain’ of the nation’s past, Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth and their crossing of the Blue Mountains was seized upon as one of the great nation-forming achievements.

Today, with our awareness of the harm as well as the good that resulted from the opening up of the area, we are more inclined to ‘commemorate’ the crossing, rather than ‘celebrate’ it, and to place greater weight on the

Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Teacher’s guide

5Teacher’s guide

dispossession of Aboriginal people and the destruction of their society and culture than previous generations did, with their greater emphasis on the advantages of national development.

These ideas and values are explored in the unit through a Year 9-level, inquiry-based approach to the topic.

Curriculum connectionThe resource is relevant to these areas of the Australian Curriculum: History at Year 9:

The Industrial Revolution (1750–1914):The technological innovations that led to the Industrial Revolution, and other conditions that influenced the industrialisation of Britain (the agricultural revolution, access to raw materials, a wealthy middle class, cheap labour, the transport system, and an expanding empire) and of Australia.

And

Making a nation: The extension of settlement, including the effects of contact (intended and unintended) between European settlers in Australia and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The resource enables students to gain knowledge and understanding of aspects of early Australian colonial history through a specific case study.

It is inquiry-based to develop students’ analytical skills, including the development of an empathetic appreciation of the people involved in the event.

It includes multiple perspectives on the event, including those of the local Indigenous people who, while not involved in the exploration of the Blue Mountains, had their lives and culture profoundly affected by developments that arose as a consequence of the crossing of the mountains.

an inquiry methodologyThe resource follows an inquiry methodology. The film or ‘virtual visit’ raises a number of questions (or mysteries) about the crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813. Students then use a variety of evidence and learning approaches to develop their own answers to these mysteries.

The inquiry process involves key elements whereby students:

Engage They reach a point where they are interested and engaged, and want to find out what has happened in this case.

‘Tune in’ Students see the key concepts involved in the study in a way with which they can identify — the study has meaning for them.

Hypothesise They draw on existing knowledge and ideas, and state what they expect to find, or what they anticipate the outcome might be. Their hypotheses then become the things that they are testing by evidence.

Structure an inquiry To carry out their inquiry, students have to follow a logical and coherent structure. They determine what they need to know to answer the questions they are exploring.

Critically examine evidence Students now go through the process of gathering, sorting, comprehending, classifying, interpreting, testing, accepting, rejecting, qualifying, contextualising and synthesising this evidence.

Reach a conclusion Students are now ready to reach an informed conclusion that they can defend and justify. The conclusion is theirs, and they will be aware of the degree of certainty with which they can hold that conclusion. They are able to complete a summative task that demonstrates their knowledge and understanding, and that reflects the processes they have gone through to arrive at their conclusion.

Reflect and apply Students are able, finally, to go beyond the particular case studied, and think in terms of the broader concepts involved. They can apply their new knowledge and understanding to other periods, places and peoples.


This is done in ways that suit Year 9-level students. Some of the tasks set are more challenging than others, and teachers will decide for themselves which tasks are most suitable for their own students.

‘Mythbusting’Included at certain points are challenges for students to consider various ‘myths’, or commonly believed aspects of the story of the crossing of the Blue Mountains. In doing so students use evidence to decide if the myths are confirmed or ‘busted’!

Classroom approachesThe resource is ready to be used in the classroom as is, or teachers can adapt elements of it to suit their own needs.

using the filmThe 20-minute ‘virtual visit’ film has been specifically made to provide an effective classroom resource by taking students to the key sites to be investigated.

Students can look at the film first, using Activity pages 4A-4B to gain an overall picture of the event, and an understanding of the key questions about the 1813 crossing of the Blue Mountains that are being investigated.

Alternatively, teachers could show sections of the film as they start the different investigations. The activity pages clearly show which segments of the film are appropriate for the various investigations.

using the activity pages in the classroomThe activity pages are all cleared for use, without permission, in classrooms by the teacher or school once the resource has been purchased.

All activity pages can be used by individual students, but many are suitable for group work — with groups having to analyse an activity page, and report their findings to the whole class. In this way the overall reading workload can be shared and reduced.

ACTIvITy PAgES 1–3 (Prepare to explore!)The three simple pieces of evidence provided set up the main inquiry by asking the simple question: What does a memorial tell us? The question that then automatically follows is: What is it not telling us? Students are provided with a way of pursuing an inquiry, and of collating and summarising the information, evidence and ideas that follow. They are also provided with a template on which they can create their own ‘textbook’ version of the crossing, either in print or as a comic strip, based on their investigations.

ACTIvITy PAgES 4A–4B (virtual visit)These provide a way of using the ‘virtual visit’ film component as a whole to introduce students to the range of issues explored in the unit.

Alternatively, teachers might prefer to use segments of the film at different stages, focusing on one issue at a time rather than introducing them all at once. Methods for using the film in this way are provided on the appropriate activity pages.

ACTIvITy PAgES 5A–5C & 6A–6C (Features and formation of the Blue Mountains)Students are in the present. They may know that it is easy to cross the Blue Mountains — we know what the mountains are like, what is there, and what lies beyond them. So it is important to help students develop empathy with the people of the past by having them look at the difficulties that the place would create for those who did not have the knowledge that we have today. The sequence of images on Activity B is: 3A, 3B, 6, 4, 2, 5, 1.

ACTIvITy PAgES 7A –7C (Why were the mountains explored?)These activities are about causation in history. Students will speculate on possible causes, and consider some of those that existed at the time. Most will decide that there was multiple causation.

This activity is suitable for group work.

ACTIvITy PAgES 8A–8E (Who were the explorers?)The initial evidence that students looked at named Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth, but one item showed that there were others in the party. The party was larger than three members, but most commemoration does not stress this. Students come to understand how this ‘myth’ of the three explorers can be exposed.

7Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

There has also been some assertion that the achievement of the crossing was possible because of an Aboriginal guide with local knowledge. Indeed, it was only very recently that the National Museum of Australia changed the text of its exhibition on the Blue Mountains to delete reference to an ‘Aboriginal guide’. Students will see that there seems to be no credible evidence of direct Aboriginal involvement.

This activity is suitable for group work. Pairs of students can focus on one paragraph, and report back on this for the whole class to copy into their own summary table.

ACTIvITy PAgES 9A–9D (How did they do it?)This evidence will clarify for students that the key factor in the explorers’ success lay in keeping to a particular, continuous ridgeline.


ACTIvITy PAgES 10A–10B (What was the journey like?)Students should do the interactive component ‘Would you be a good explorer?’ here. This puts them in the position of being decision-makers, and will increase their empathetic understanding of the nature of the journey. They will then better appreciate the implications of the Blaxland journal extracts in these pages.

Examining the diary entries is suitable for group work.

ACTIvITy PAgES 11A–11D (Were they the first to do it?)Historians today are undecided about whether other explorers preceded Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth over the Blue Mountains. Of course, Aboriginal people did, and students will decide that. This is where a discussion of the other meanings of ‘crossing’ and ‘discover’ may be the main focus. If Aboriginal people knew about the crossing, why do we focus on a European crossing of the same range? And, of course, the answer is that profound impacts followed from the European crossing — as discussed in the next set of activity pages.


ACTIvITy PAgES 12A – 12C (Impacts of the crossing)Students understand the impacts, but distinguish between beneficial and harmful ones, and short-term and long-term ones.


ACTIvITy PAgES 13A–13C (A museum display)Students constantly see representations of history. This activity allows them to bring a knowledgeable and informed attitude to the way the National Museum of Australia presents the story of the 1813 crossing to visitors. Students can evaluate and appreciate the display. They can also critically examine the way in which other writers do this through history textbooks that are created specifically for this student audience.

This is suitable as an assessment activity.

ACTIvITy PAgE 14 (Conclusion and reflection)This provides a way that students can use this relatively brief but detailed case study to reflect on the range of knowledge and understandings about early colonial history that are set out in the Australian Curriculum: History. Students, having been historians themselves in this unit, will be able to express sophisticated and mature reflections on these important aspects of Australian history listed.

This is suitable as an assessment activity.

further informationThe most comprehensive resource is Chris Cunningham, The Blue Mountains Discovered. Beyond the Myths of Early Australian Exploration, Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst NSW, 1996.

acknowledgementsMitchell Preston, Senior Education Officer, National Museum of Australia

Daniel Oakman, Senior Curator, National Museum of Australia

Jan Koperberg

Patsy Moppett

Graham and Susan Warmbath, Blue Mountains Historical Society


Activity pAge 1

Prepare to explore!

You have been driving through the magnificent Blue Mountains, to the west of Sydney, in New South Wales.

You have gone up Mount York, and you see this memorial at the top:

You read the main plaque.

You say, ‘Hey, I’ve seen something about this before, in my history book!’

You just happen to have your history textbook with you (yeah, right, as if …) and you flip it open to the two images below.

So, you have three pieces of evidence about the crossing of the Blue Mountains.

But do they all agree? Or are there differences between them?

SouRCE A

SouRCE C

Detail from The Blue Mountains Pioneers, Sydney Mail, Christmas Supplement 1880, Dixson Library, State Library of New South Wales

SouRCE B NH Roughley, Blue Mountains Crossed 1813, c. 191-?, National Library of Australia


You be the historian

1 Look at sources A – C, and using ONLY these images as evidence, decide if the following statements are Probably true (T), Probably false (F), or Cannot be known from this evidence (?). In each case decide what the best evidence is to support your conclusion, and why. One example has been done to help you.

Statement T F ? Best supporting evidence

The crossing was in 1813 A and B both say this

The crossing was made by three men

Blaxland was the leader

The crossing was difficult

They crossed the mountains to find new land

They were the first people to cross the Blue Mountains

This resulted in the spread of settlement in New South Wales

The explorers were proud of their achievement

This is an important moment in Australian history

The explorers were heroes

2 You have realised that the three sources agree on some things, but disagree on others. Why do you think documents can disagree?

3 Why do you think these documents can only partially answer some of the questions in the table?

4 Which of these documents are you most likely to accept as the most accurate? Why?

5 Some additional questions that you would like to ask about the sources are:

6 Some additional questions that you would like to ask about the event are:

Congratulations! You have just become a historian, because you have:

> looked at a significant event in the past;

> identified some evidence about it;

> critically analysed or interrogated the evidence;

> compared sources;

> made judgements;

> come to conclusions;

> justified those conclusions;

> identified strengths and weaknesses in your knowledge and understanding;

> empathised with the people involved in the event; and

> realised that you need to explore further to reach a final conclusion.

And that’s what this unit does — it helps you to explore the crossing of the Blue Mountains in more detail, and to improve your knowledge, understanding and empathetic awareness of the event.

In doing so, you will be introduced to some myths and mysteries associated with the event. By considering the evidence you will be able to ‘bust’ or confirm these myths, and solve some mysteries.

Historical inquiry always involves some key questions:

> What?> When?> How?> Who?

> Why?> Impacts or consequences?> Significance?> Whose perspective is being presented?

your task at the end will be to answer these questions for the 1813 crossing of the Blue Mountains. Use the table on the next page to summarise information and ideas as you work through the evidence.

Activity pAge 2


3A

Exploring the 1813 crossing of the Blue Mountains

QuESTIon youR SuMMARy

What are the Blue Mountains?

What happened?

When did it happen, and why did it happen then?

Who was involved?

Why were they doing it?

How did they do it?

What impacts did this event have?

What is the significance of the event?

As you consider the evidence and compose summaries of your ideas, you will also be asked to create your own text for a Year 9 history text, using activity pages 3B and 3C. It will be interesting to compare your account with others that have been published in the history textbooks that you use in class.

Your first step should be to ‘visit’ the Blue Mountains yourself — through the DVD-ROM in this unit. This will raise many myths and mysteries for you to explore further.

So, start exploring — and good luck!

Let’s go!

ACTiviTy pAge


youR TExTBook ACCounT oR CoMIC STRIP

1

2

3

4

5

How the Blue Mountains were crossed

Activity pAge 3B


3C

youR TExTBook ACCounT oR CoMIC STRIP

6

7

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9

10

ACTiviTy pAge


A ‘virtual visit’ to the Blue Mountains

What are you investigating?

Watch the film from 00:00 to 02:20.

1.1 What are the Blue Mountains?

1.2 Where are they?

1.3 What are your impressions of them?

1.4 What are the three things that the memorial says happened?

1.5 Why does the presenter think the memorial might not be accurate?

The context and the problem


2.1 Explain the background of Sydney as a penal colony during the period 1788–1830.

2.2 What was the problem that the colony had to solve?

2.3 How would crossing the Blue Mountains solve this problem?

2.4 Why were the Blue Mountains so hard to cross?

The explorers


3.1 What were the main qualities of the three explorers?

3.2 What was their main interest in crossing the mountains?

3.3 How do the objects at the National Museum of Australia help you to understand the explorers and their motivation?

The journey


4.1 What were the difficulties and challenges the explorers faced?

4.2 How did the explorers progress?

4.3 What was the explorers’ ‘secret’?

4.4 What is the significance of Red Hands Cave?

4.5 Why did the explorers ignore the local Aboriginal people?

4.6 What was the significance of what the explorers saw at Mount York?

1

2

3

4

LEArn MorE Go to>>

Prepare to explore

InvestIgatIon 1: What are the Blue Mountains?

InvestIgatIon 2: How were the Blue Mountains formed?

LEArn MorE Go to>>

InvestIgatIon 3: Why did explorers want to cross the Blue Mountains?

LEArn MorE Go to>>

InvestIgatIon 4: Who actually crossed the Blue Mountains?

InvestIgatIon 7: Were Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth really the first to cross the Blue Mountains?

LEArn MorE Go to>>

InvestIgatIon 5: How did the explorers achieve their crossing in 1813?

InvestIgatIon 6: What was their journey like?

Activity pAge 4A


Activity pAge 4B

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The outcomes


5.1 What were the main outcomes of the crossing? List them under these headings: Social, Economic and Environmental.

impacts on the Aboriginal people and society


6.1 What impacts did the crossing have on the local Aboriginal people?

6.2 How do the objects in the National Museum of Australia help us understand these impacts?

Reflecting on the meanings of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Watch the film from 15:50 – 18:30.

7.1 What are the good outcomes of the crossing?

7.2 What are the bad outcomes?

7.3 The presenter uses the words ‘commemoration’ and ‘celebration’ What is the difference between them?

7.4 Do you think we should ‘celebrate’ or ‘commemorate’ the event today? Explain your reasons.

5

6

7

LEArn MorE Go to>>

InvestIgatIon 8: What impacts did the crossing have?

LEArn MorE Go to>>

InvestIgatIon 8: What impacts did the crossing have?

InvestIgatIon 9: How is the crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813 represented in the national Museum of australia?

LEArn MorE Go to>>

Conclusions and reflection


InvEstIGAtIon 1 What are the Blue Mountains?

Here are some images of the Blue Mountains. 1 Beside each image, write some words that describe its key features. For

example, for the first image you might write ‘beautiful’ or ‘rugged’ or ‘thick bush’ — or all of these. In this way you are creating an awareness of the key features of the Blue Mountains that your explorers will soon try to cross.

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sEE tHE fILM ‘vIrtuAL vIsIt’from 00:00 to 02:20

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Activity pAge 5A


Activity pAge

Mark Sherborne, Destination NSW

e

D

Richard Tulloch, www.richardtulloch.wordpress.com

5B

Mark Sherborne, Destination NSW

C


2 Think like an explorer: Imagine that you have just been told that you have to cross the Blue Mountains, but you cannot use any roads. List the problems and difficulties that you will face, based on these images and the words that you have used to describe them.

3 Add any information to your summary table on activity page 3A.

4 Write a brief paragraph or do a comic strip sketch for your own history textbook (in box 1 of activity page 3B) to explain to readers what the Blue Mountains are.

Hamilton Lund, Destination NSW

State Library of New South Wales

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f

Activity pAge 5C


Activity pAge 6A

The Blue Mountains are a mostly sandstone monocline or plateau, part of the Sydney Basin which was laid down in the Permian and Triassic geological periods, between 280 and 180 million years ago. The Sydney Basin extends from north of the Hunter Valley to the Bateman’s Bay district in the south. Erosion by water and wind have created the rugged surface. The range was named the Blue Mountains because, viewed from Sydney, they appeared to be that colour — the result of a mist of eucalyptus oil refracting light and creating a haze that looks blue from a distance.

© Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia) 2012. This product is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/3.0/au/legalcode

JW Pickett and JD Adler, Layers of Time: The Blue Mountains and their Geology, NSW Department of Mineral Resources, Sydney, 1997, p. 4

Environment New South Wales

InvEstIGAtIon 2 How were the Blue Mountains formed?



Here is a summary of the geological stages of the formation of the Blue Mountains, and diagrams to illustrate those stages — but the diagrams are not organised in order.

1 Read the information about the various stages, then write the appropriate number beside each diagram.

1 The Devonian Sea 400 million years ago (mya)

2 Carboniferous Swamp 350 mya

3a

Triassic Lake, 250–200 mya, deposit of Wianamatta Shale, formed when the sea rose and the resulting dead vegetation and marine life compressed to form coal.

3b

Triassic Lake, 250–200 mya, deposit of Hawkesbury Sandstone as huge rivers from the west carried sand sediments that were layed down on top of the shale.

4Triassic alluvial plain formed when the layering of eroded soil stopped.

5First Earth Movement 170 mya, volcanic activity meant that the rocky bed rose to form a plateau

6Second Earth Movement tilted the plain, higher in the west than the east, and erosion started to produce the topography of today.

Eugene Stockton and John Merriman (eds), Blue Mountains Dreaming: The Aboriginal Heritage (2nd Edition), Blue Mountain Education and Research Trust, Lawson, 2009, p. 14


3 Write a brief paragraph or do a comic strip sketch for your own history textbook (in box 2 of activity page 3B) to explain to readers how the Blue Mountains were formed.

great Divide

great Divide

great Divide

great Divide

great Divide

great Divide

Blue Mountains

Coastal Plainsea Bed

great Divide

Basalt caps Wianamatta shales Hawkesbury sandstone narrabeen sandstone Coal measures older base rock

vegetation sea

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Activity pAge 6B


Activity pAge 6C

So, here you are, it is 1813, and this is the view that you have of the Blue Mountains.

State Library of New South Wales

You know that people have explored some parts of the Blue Mountains, but nobody has crossed them and come back to say what is on the other side, or even how far they extend.

You have thought about some of the difficulties in crossing them.

Why do you think people would want to cross the mountains? And, how would they do it?

This is what we now need to investigate in more detail.

The Blue Mountains are part of the Great Dividing Range. True or False?


We have seen that in 1813 a group of explorers crossed the Blue Mountains.

Why did they do it?

1 Think about possible reasons, and list them.

SouRCe 2 A raised relief map of part of the Sydney Basin

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yInvEstIGAtIon 3 Why did explorers want to cross the Blue Mountains?


SouRCe 1 new South Wales, as it was by 1813

When [governor Macquarie] first assumed office, in 1810, the colony of new south Wales was closely defined by the encircling range of Blue Mountains. It was a small, compact area, no more than 60 by 80 kilometres in extent. the central part was known as the Cumberland Plain, and it was bounded on its western edge by a powerfully eccentric river, the Hawkesbury, whose main catchment lay in the wide band of mountains beyond and which was subject to sudden and devastating floods.

James Broadbent and Joy Hughes (eds), The Age of Macquarie, Melbourne University Press,

1992, p. 66

Now look at the following evidence to test your ideas.

2 How does Source 2 support the statement in Source 1?

Some possible reasons are:

Activity pAge 7A


Activity pAge 7B

3 What motive is being suggested here for the crossing of the Blue Mountains?

SouRCe 3 From a comic book version

Peter Leyden (ed), Over The Blue Mountains, The Australian Children’s Pictorial Social Studies, Sydney, 1958

SouRCe 4 Some facts about the colony’s environment

• the susceptibility of the nepean–Hawkesbury and georges River farms to flooding made the colony vulnerable to food shortfalls. In 1809 floods resulted in a grain shortage in the colony.

• there was a plague of destructive army worms and caterpillars in 1810.

• there was drought in 1810–11.

• the 1811–12 crop was good, but caterpillars returned in 1812.

• Drought in 1812–13 reduced crops, and killed many animals.

• In 1812 there were 10,000 people in new south Wales, in 1813 there were 13,000 — an increase of 30 per cent; cattle increased from 9000 to 26,000, and sheep increased from 26,000 to 75,000.

• grass on the Cumberland Plain (the flat area surrounding sydney) had deteriorated under heavy cattle grazing, and was replaced by coarser grass.

Adapted from Harry Dillon and Peter Butler, Macquarie from Colony to Country, Random House, North Sydney,

2010, p.177

4 What reason/s are being suggested here for the need to cross the Blue Mountains?

SouRCe 5

governor Macquarie controlled who would receive land. He had a vision of the sydney settlement being made up mainly of small farmers growing food crops, not large landholders grazing cattle or sheep.

He was also conscious that this new south Wales was a gaol without walls. If new areas were opened up for settlement, there would be more escapes by convicts.

In addition, Macquarie was under pressure from the British government to limit public works, such as roads, because of the costs involved. a growing colony would need more money spent on public works and Macquarie wanted to avoid this.

5 What reason/s are being suggested here that there was NOT a need to cross the Blue Mountains?

SouRCe 6

the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century resulted in an increased demand for the raw material — wool — to allow the factories of england to manufacture into textiles. this meant that there was a great incentive for people to grow wool. sheep needed large areas of land on which to graze, and shepherds to care for them. new south Wales offered wealthy people the opportunity to develop great flocks of sheep, cared for by convict shepherds who did not need to be paid wages. the area around sydney was good for cattle, but not for sheep. access to new land was needed for the industry to grow.

6 What reason/s are being suggested here for the need to cross the Blue Mountains?


SouRCe 7

though agriculture had become established, and the colony was no longer prey to desperate shortages, the quantity of food produced was still very small, and its production erratic. Droughts and floods caused fluctuating harvests; grain was still being imported, from van Diemen’s Land one year, from India another. sydney had founded its urban satellites early: the first was norfolk Island, the second Parramatta; then the green Hills on the Hawkesbury grew up as a military and service centre for the river farms near the mountain frontier. the search at sea continued, though the main body of settlers at norfolk Island was removed to van Diemen’s Land in 1808 and the island abandoned in 1813. newcastle, at the mouth of the Hunter River, became a convict depot, formed to isolate secondary offenders and exploit the coal, timber and shell-lime resources rather than to establish farming. Bass and Flinders had explored the southern coast; Port Phillip was known, briefly settled and then rejected by David Collins in favour of Hobart on the Derwent, which was strategically placed in the south to catch the vessels taking advantage of the ‘Roaring Forties’ spinning around the antarctic seas.

so the urban pattern remained centred on sydney, but most of the secondary settlements were more like strategic satellites than agrarian centres. What is more, they were isolated at considerable distances from each other, and little or nothing was known of the land in between.

James Broadbent and Joy Hughes (eds), The Age of Macquarie, Melbourne University Press, 1992, p. 66

7 What other settlements existed apart from Sydney by 1813?

8 Why were these not suitable for a large expansion of food or grazing?

SouRCe 8

Blaxland and his elder brother John were immigrants from Kent, to whom liberal grants of land had been made on condition that they invested capital in new south Wales and engaged in agriculture. But they preferred to apply themselves to what governor Macquarie called ‘the lazy object of rearing cattle’. they understood cattle-breeding and found it profitable, whereas Macquarie desired that settlers who obtained land grants should grow corn. the Blaxlands, working in partnership, wanted extensive areas for their herds; and whenever an area suitable for pasture came under their notice, they were prompt to apply for a slice, whilst the governor was equally prompt to refuse them. they therefore had a pressing motive for ascertaining whether there was good cattle country beyond the limits of settlement. gregory Blaxland had been on two exploring expeditions — the first of them in company with Macquarie — before he projected the enterprise of 1813. In that year a severe drought afflicted the colony. no rain fell during what was normally the wet season. the greater part of the seed sown produced no crops, and ‘an alarming mortality’ occurred among the flocks and herds, It was therefore especially necessary to make an effort to find out whether there was fodder and water on the western side of the range.

Ernest Scott (ed.), Australia, vol. VII, part 1 of the Cambridge History of the British Empire, Cambridge, 1988, p. 109

9 What motives are being suggested here for crossing the Blue Mountains?

10 You have now seen several possible reasons why explorers tackled the crossing in 1813. Which do you think most important?

11 In question 1 you might have considered such things as curiosity, adventure or greed as reasons for the explorers’ desire to cross the Blue Mountains. Do you still think these might have been significant? Justify your views.


13 Write a brief paragraph or do a comic strip sketch for your own history textbook (in box 3 of activity page 3B) to explain to readers why the explorers wanted to cross the Blue Mountains in 1813.

The crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813 was done in response to the stimulus for wool created by the Industrial Revolution in Britain. True or False?

Activity pAge 7C


Activity pAge 8A

ASPECT BlAxlAnD lAWSon WEnTWoRTH

Age in 1813

Background

Position in new South Wales

Previous exploring experience

Reason for involvement

Personal qualities (good and bad)

When you have completed looking at the information on the three explorers that follows, answer these questions:

2 Do you think Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth were heroes?


4 Write a brief paragraph or do a comic strip sketch for your own history textbook (in box 4 of activity page 3B) to explain to readers who Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth were.

We know that Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth were involved in the crossing. But who were they, and why did they attempt the crossing?

1 Your task is to look at the biographical information on the three explorers (activity pages 14–16) and complete this table about them.

InvEstIGAtIon 4 Who actually crossed the Blue Mountains?



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5 Complete the biographical table in Activity page 8A for Blaxland.

gregory Blaxland (1778–1853), settler, was born on 17 June 1778 at Fordwich, Kent, england. In July 1799 he married elizabeth; they had five sons and two daughters.

the British government promised them land, convict servants and free passages if they emigrated to nsW, in accord with its policy of encouraging ‘settlers of responsibility and Capital’.

gregory sailed on 1 september 1805 with his wife, three children, two servants, an overseer, a few sheep, seed, bees, tools, groceries and clothing. When he reached sydney he sold many of these goods very profitably, bought eighty head of cattle so as to enter the meat trade, located 1619 hectares of land and was promised forty convict servants. soon afterwards he also bought 182 more hectares of land.

the Blaxlands bought a stockyard and expanded their cattle grazing. When Macquarie arrived he added to their land grants; this, he thought, satisfied all the claims for government assistance to which gregory was entitled. He became very critical of the brothers for remaining ‘restless and dissatisfied’ and refusing to grow grain, despite their large numbers of convict servants; but Blaxland was concerned with his livestock. By 1813 he had come to realise that his flocks of sheep and cattle were expanding beyond the resources of his coastal grant. Macquarie could not be persuaded to grant extra lands to large flock owners on the coast, and Blaxland thus drew the correct conclusion that the solution to the pastoralists’ land problem lay in discovering a route to the interior. In 1810 he had explored part of the nepean River. early in 1813 he requested Macquarie’s approval of an exploring expedition across the Blue Mountains, and on 11 May he set

out with William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth.

In 1814, like many others almost insolvent because of drought and depression, he tried to persuade Macquarie to sanction a scheme for the exploitation of the interior by a large agricultural company. Macquarie would not agree nor would he allow Blaxland land in the interior for his own flocks. since Blaxland then had to dispose of his livestock, it is not surprising that he joined the colonial opposition to Macquarie.

By 1820 Blaxland had settled down on his Brush Farm estate. Here he conducted many experiments with crops and grasses, unsuccessfully with tobacco growing but most successfully with buffalo grass and viticulture. He had brought vines

from the Cape of good Hope, found a species resistant to blight, took a sample of his wine to London in 1822 and won a silver medal for it. While in england he published his A Journal of a Tour of Discovery Across the Blue Mountains in New South Wales (London, 1823).

thereafter Blaxland disappeared from public activity and when he committed suicide on 1 January 1853, his death was scarcely noticed in the press. always a man of moody and mercurial character, Blaxland devoted his colonial activities almost entirely to the pursuit of his economic interests, and his diaries do not suggest great attachment to the colonial environment beyond what was suggested by the hope of personal gain.

Jill Conway, Online Dictionary of Australian Biography, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/blaxland-gregory-1795

gregory Blaxland (1778–1853)

Activity pAge 8B


Activity pAge 8C

6 Complete the biographical table in activity page 8A for Lawson.

William Lawson (1774-1850), explorer and pastoralist, was born on 2 June 1774 at Finchley, Middlesex, england. educated in London, William was trained as a surveyor, but in June 1799 he bought a commission in the new south Wales Corps. He arrived at sydney in november 1800 and was soon posted to the garrison at norfolk Island, where he married sarah Leadbeater. He returned to sydney in 1806.

Like many of his fellow officers Lawson quickly began to acquire agricultural interests. about 1807 he bought a small property, and in 1810 received a grant of 202 hectares. In January 1812 he accepted a commission as lieutenant in the new south Wales veterans Company. He now built a fine 40-room mansion in early colonial style.

In 1813 gregory Blaxland invited Lawson to accompany him and William Charles Wentworth on what proved to be the first successful attempt to find a route across the Blue Mountains. Lawson’s knowledge of surveying made him a particularly valuable member of the expedition. His journal, with its accurate record of times and distances, enables the route to be precisely retraced. Macquarie rewarded each explorer with a grant of 405 hectares on the west of the ranges. Lawson selected his on the Campbell River near Bathurst. In 1819 he was appointed commandant of the new settlement of Bathurst, occupying this post until 1824 when he retired.

During his years at Bathurst Lawson undertook three journeys of exploration to find a practicable pass through the ranges to the Liverpool Plains. In this he was unsuccessful

but his journeys helped to open up the rich pastoral district of Mudgee. He owned many extensive estates. He imported merino rams and ewes from england, as well as shorthorn cattle and blood horses. His horses were famous throughout the colony in the coaching days.

a generous supporter of the Presbyterian Church, Lawson took an active part in the establishment of both scots Church, sydney, in 1824 and scots Church, Parramatta,

in 1838. as a magistrate he entered freely into public life and on 10 october 1825 signed a letter approving trial by jury. He entered politics in 1843 as a member for Cumberland in the first partly elective Legislative Council; he attended regularly until 1846, but took little part in its debates. on 16 June 1850 ‘old Ironbark’ Lawson died, leaving most of his estates to his son William.

William Lawson (1774–1850)

EW Dunlop, Online Dictionary of Australian Biography, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/lawson-william-2338

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7 Complete the biographical table in activity page 8A for Wentworth.

William Charles Wentworth (1790–1872) was the son of Catherine Crowley, who was convicted in July 1788 of feloniously stealing ‘wearing apparell’, was sentenced to transportation for seven years, reached sydney in the transport Neptune in June 1790, and in the Surprize arrived at norfolk Island with the infant William on 7 august. Dr D’arcy Wentworth, who also sailed in the Neptune and Surprize, acknowledged William as his son. He accompanied his parents to sydney in 1796 and then to Parramatta, where his mother died in 1800. In 1803 he was sent with his brother D’arcy to england.

Wentworth returned to sydney in 1810. He was granted 708 hectares on the nepean.

His adventurous spirit, drought, and the desire to discover new pastures led him in May 1813, in company with William Lawson, and gregory Blaxland to take part in the first great feat of inland exploration, the crossing of the Blue Mountains.

Uncertain that they had really crossed the mountains, he wrote in his journal: ‘we have at all events proved that they are traversable, and that, too, by cattle’. the discovery gave impetus to great pastoral expansion in which Wentworth amply shared. He was rewarded with another 405 hectares. on the mountain journey, according to his father, he had developed a severe cough; to recover his health and to help his father secure valuable sandalwood from a Pacific island he joined a schooner as supercargo in 1814. He was nearly killed by natives at Rarotonga while courageously attempting to save a sailor whom they clubbed to death. the captain died, and Wentworth, with knowledge gained on his earlier voyage from england and no mean mathematical skill, brought the ship safely to sydney.

In 1819 he published A Statistical, Historical, and Political Description

of the Colony of New South Wales and Its Dependent Settlements in Van Diemen’s Land. His book did much to stimulate emigration and was reissued in revised and enlarged editions in 1820 and 1824.

other important aspects of his life were:

• publisher of the first independent newspaper, the australian;

• initiator of political reforms that promoted greater democracy;

• a wealthy landowner who protected the productive wealth of graziers;

• member of the new south Wales Legislative Council;

• a supporter of the right of the intelligent poor to vote as long as they proved their ability by gaining some wealth and property;

• assisted in the establishment of free primary education in sydney;

• helped to create the first australian university, the University of sydney; and

• helped new south Wales to gain increased responsible government.

He died in 1872 in england, and was returned for burial in sydney.

With all his apparent contradictions, more than any other man he secured our fundamental liberties and nationhood. His love of australia was, he confessed, the ‘master passion’ of his life. He felt a natural kinship with the founding fathers of the United states. It is his chief claim to greatness that, more than any other, he secured in australia, the fundamental liberties of the British Constitution.

Michael Persse, Online Dictionary of Australian Biography, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/wentworth-william-charles-2782

William Charles Wentworth (1790–1872)

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Activity pAge 8e

Were there others involved in the crossing in 1813?

We now know a lot about the three men named on the memorial at the very start of this unit. But were they the only ones involved in the crossing in 1813?

Here is some more evidence about that crossing. Read it and decide on your answer to these questions. Support your answers from the evidence.

8 Were Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson the only people on the journey?

9 Did they have an Aboriginal guide?

10 How big was the exploring party?

11 Was Blaxland the leader?

12 Who was the most important person in the group?

13 How certain can you be that your answers to these questions are correct? Explain your reasons.

SouRCe 1

Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth are invariably remembered as a trinity … the ‘dauntless three’. they were not, however, a threesome at all, for the party included four servants, five dogs, and four horses. this was a collaboration between animals and men. among the latter was James Burns, selected by Blaxland, who was probably key to their success …. By profession a hunter of kangaroos, James Burns was one of those people who had lived out on the edge [of settlement].

Martin Thomas The Artificial Horizon. Imagining the Blue Mountains, MUP, Melbourne, 2003, p. 50-51

SouRCe 2

Having made every requisite preparation, I applied to the two gentlemen who accompanied me, to join in the expedition, and was fortunate in obtaining their consent. to these gentlemen I have to express my thanks for their company, and to acknowledge that without their assistance I should have had but little chance of success.

Blaxland’s journal http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/blaxland/gregory/b64j/part1.html#part1

SouRCe 3 Information in the national Museum of Australia display Crossing the Blue Mountains

In 1813 William Charles Wentworth, William Lawson and gregory Blaxland, keen to expand their holdings, persuaded [governor] Macquarie to support an attempt to cross the mountains. they departed emu Plains with horses, an aboriginal guide and three convict servants.

National Museum of Australia, 2012

SouRCe 4

It took until 1813 for a way across the mountains to be found. once across, the three successful explorers, gregory Blaxland, William Charles Wentworth and William Lawson, and their aboriginal guide looked out upon a lightly forested expanse that stretched to the horizon.

David Day, Claiming a Continent, Angus&Robertson, Sydney, 1996, p. 81

SouRCe 5

there is no record that local aboriginal guides were used for the 1813 crossing, but it does seem likely that the ridge-line followed an aboriginal track, as a logical, fairly even route. the party used a colonial bushman, Mr Byrne, as a guide, and the name Byrne (or Burns) subsequently appears in surveyor evans’s list of men who accompanied him on his journey the following year, in which he followed up, surveyed and extended the previous journey to Mount victoria to the site of Bathurst. Byrne was probably one of a number of bushmen who were familiar with the mountain lands, hunting there for game and exploring unofficially.

James Broadbent and Joy Hughes (eds) The Age of Macquarie, Melbourne University Press, 1992, p. 67


15 Write a brief paragraph or do a comic strip sketch for your own history textbook (in box 4 of activity page 3B) to explain to readers who was involved in the crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813.

Look back at the inscription on the Mount York memorial. Would you say it is: True or False?

[*NOTE: The NMA has now changed its information about the Aboriginal guide]


Australians today have the advantage of knowing all about the Blue Mountains — their size and extent, the route of the railway and highway, what is beyond them, and what they look like from the air. There is no mystery for us today about the crossing.

But people in 1813 did not have that knowledge. So, let’s try and see the crossing from the perspective of their limited knowledge of the Blue Mountains, and try to understand the challenges that they faced in making the first crossing.

Here are five different ways that the Blue Mountains could be crossed.

1 Look at each method and brainstorm the possible advantages and disadvantages of each, remembering the limited knowledge that people had at the time about the nature and extent of the Blue Mountains.

InvEstIGAtIon 5 How did the explorers achieve their crossing in 1813?


Now, let’s look at evidence, and use it to decide how the explorers achieved their aim.

Possible way Image Possible advantages Possible disadvantages

1 Follow main rivers to their source

2 Follow the gorges between the cliffs

3 Follow the ridges at the top of the cliffs

4 & 5 Head north or south to attempt to travel around the mountains

Activity pAge 9A


Activity pAge 9B

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SouRCe 1 Blaxland on his unsuccessful 1810 expedition (1)

We ascended the River Hawkesbury, or nepean, from above emu Island [near glenbrook], to the mouth of the Warragomby, or great Western River, where it emerges from the mountains, and joins itself to that river, from its mouth. We proceeded as far as it was navigable by a small boat, which is only a few miles further. It was found to lose itself at different places, almost entirely underneath and between immense blocks of stones, being confined on each side by perpendicular cliffs of the same kind of stone, which sometimes rose as high as the tops of the mountains, through which it appears to have forced, or worn its way, with the assistance, probably, of an earthquake, or some other great convulsion of nature.


2 Show this route on the map opposite. Note that the spelling of some names on the map and in the documents may be slightly different.

3 To which of the five possible methods for crossing the Blue Mountains does this evidence refer?

4 Was this method successful?

SouRCe 2 Blaxland on his unsuccessful 1810 expedition (2)

this journey confirmed me in the opinion, that it was practicable to find a passage over the mountains, and I resolved at some future period to attempt it, by endeavouring to cross the river, and reach the high land on its northern bank by the ridge which appeared to run westward, between the Warragomby and the River grose. I concluded, that if no more difficulties were found in travelling than had been experienced on the other side, we must be able to advance westward towards the interior of the country, and have a fair chance of passing the mountains. on inquiry, I found a person who had been accustomed to hunt the kangaroo in the mountains, in the direction I wished to go; who undertook to take the horses to the top of the first ridge. Before we set out, we laid down the plan to be pursued, and the course to be attempted, namely, to ascend the ridge before-mentioned, taking the streams of water on the left, which appeared to empty themselves into the Warragomby, as our guide; being careful not to cross any of them, but to go round their sources, so as to be certain of keeping between them and the streams that emptied themselves into the River grose.


5 Show this route on the map.



SouRCe 3

the next european attempt at a crossing of the Blue Mountains, which succeeded by following the ridges and not the valleys, was the famous 1813 expedition of Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson. In fact, they found the only accessible route, which the highway and railway still mainly follow today. the key to the crossing was locating the 20-metre wide Linden ridge and it appears they did this without assistance from the local people.

Eugene Stockton and John Merriman (eds), Blue Mountains Dreaming: The Aboriginal Heritage (Second Edition), Blue Mountain Education

and Research Trust, Lawson, 2009 p. 169

8 Show this route on the map.



SouRCe 4 Map showing the topography of the Sydney Basin

11 Which of the five possible methods for crossing the Blue Mountains does this evidence help you understand?


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Activity pAge 9D

Here is an illustration of the path actually taken by the explorers in 1813.

13 Which method does it show?

14 Why do you think the explorers followed this path? Refer back to other evidence to help you to decide.

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Here is a Google Earth map showing the road today through the Blue Mountains.

15 How closely does the road follow the path taken by the 1813 explorers?


17 Write a brief paragraph or do a comic strip sketch for your own history textbook (in box 5 of activity page 3B) to explain to readers how the explorers were able to cross the Blue Mountains in 1813.

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Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth knew exactly how and where to cross the Blue Mountains because of information provided by people. True or False?


We now know how the exploring party was able to cross the Blue Mountains in 1813. But was it a hard task?

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InvEstIGAtIon 6 What was their journey like?


May 12 the land was covered with scrubby brush-wood, very thick in places, with some trees of ordinary timber, which much incommoded the horses. the greater part of the way they had deep rocky gullies on each side of their track, and the ridge they followed was very crooked and intricate. In the evening they encamped at the head of a deep gully, which they had to descend for water; they found but just enough for the night, contained in a hole in the rock. a small patch of grass supplied the horses for the night.

May 13 they had not proceeded above two miles, when they found themselves stopped by a brushwood much thicker than they had hitherto met with. this induced them to alter their course, and to endeavour to find another passage to the westward; but every ridge which they explored proved to terminate in a deep rocky precipice; and they had no alternative but to return to the thick brushwood, which appeared to be the main ridge, with the determination to cut a way through for the horses next day. this day some of the horses, while standing, fell several times under their loads. the dogs killed a large kangaroo. the party encamped in the forest tract, with plenty of good grass and water.

May 14–15 on the next morning, leaving two men to take care of the horses and provisions, they proceeded to cut a path through the thick brushwood. as they ascended the mountain these gullies became much deeper and more rocky on each side. they now began to mark their track by cutting the bark of the trees on two sides. Having cut their way for about five miles, they returned in the evening to the spot on which they had encamped the night before. the fifth day was spent in prosecuting the same tedious operation; but, as much time was necessarily lost in walking twice over the track cleared the day before, they were unable to cut away more than two miles further. they found no food for the horses the whole way.

May 16 on sunday they rested, and arranged their future plan. they had reason, however, to regret this suspension of their proceedings, as it gave the men leisure to ruminate on their danger; and it was for some time doubtful whether, on the next day, they could be persuaded to venture farther.

May 17 Having laden the horses with as much grass as could be put on them, in addition to their other burdens, they moved forward along the path which they had cleared and marked, about six miles and a half. they had to fetch water up the side of the precipice, about six hundred feet high, and could get scarcely enough for the party. the horses had none this night.

May 18 the day was spent in cutting a passage through the brushwood, for a mile and a half further. they returned to their camp at five o’clock, very much tired and dispirited. the ridge, which was not more than fifteen or twenty yards over, with deep precipices on each side, was rendered almost impassable by a perpendicular mass of rock, nearly thirty feet high, extending across the whole breadth, with the exception of a small broken rugged track in the centre. By removing a few large stones, they were enabled to pass.

exTRACTS eMpATHy WoRDS

noTE: An Alternative Approach

To understand this you need to ‘take’ the journey. Go to www.australianhistorymysteries.info to see if you would be a good explorer on this journey. The interactive will require you to make many decisions — will you make ones that will help you succeed?

Good luck!

1 Think about what qualities or characteristics a good explorer would need. Brainstorm, and list these.

2 Read these extracts from entries in Blaxland’s journal of the trip (note that he writes in the third person, referring to himself as ‘Mr Blaxland’). Underline the difficulties or hardships that the party faced, as outlined in each entry.

3 Beside each extract, brainstorm and write in words that describe the feelings the explorers might have had at each stage (empathy).

Activity pAge 10A


10B

4 Why do you think the explorers succeeded? Consider each of the following as possible factors:

> luck> skill> logic> planning and preparation> personal qualities of the

explorers> prior knowledge> other factors?

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May 20 they proceeded with the horses nearly five miles, and encamped at noon at the head of a swamp about three acres in extent, covered with the same coarse rushy grass as the last station, with a stream of water running through it. the horses were obliged to feed on the swamp grass, as nothing better could be found for them. the ridge along which their course lay now became wider and more rocky, but was still covered with brush and small crooked timber, except at the heads of the different streams of water which ran down the side of the mountain, where the land was swampy and clear of trees. the track of scarcely any animal was to be seen, and very few birds. one man was here taken dangerously ill with a cold.

May 21 In the beginning of the night the dogs ran off and barked violently. at the same time something was distinctly heard to run through the brushwood, which they supposed to be one of the horses got loose; but they had reason to believe afterwards that they had been in great danger — that the natives had followed their track, and advanced on them in the night, intending to have speared them by the light of their fire, but that the dogs drove them off.

May 28 In the evening they contrived to get their horses down the mountain by cutting a small trench with a hoe, which kept them from slipping, where they again tasted fresh grass for the first time since they left the forest land on the other side of the mountain. they were getting into miserable condition.

May 29 Part of the descent was so steep that the horses could but just keep their footing without a load, so that, for some way, the party were obliged to carry the packages themselves. the dogs killed a kangaroo, which was very acceptable, as the party had lived on salt meat since they caught the last.

May 31 In the afternoon they ascended its summit, from whence they descried all around, forest or grass land, sufficient in extent in their opinion, to support the stock of the colony for the next thirty years. this was the extreme point of their journey. Mr. Blaxland and one of the men nearly lost the party to-day by going too far in the pursuit of a kangaroo.they now conceived that they had sufficiently accomplished the design of their undertaking, having surmounted all the difficulties which had hitherto prevented the interior of the country from being explored, and the colony from being extended. they had partly cleared, or, at least, marked out, a road by which the passage of the mountain might easily be effected. their provisions were nearly expended, their clothes and shoes were in very bad condition, and the whole party were ill with bowel complaints. these considerations determined them therefore, to return home by the track they came.

June 4 they arrived at the end of their marked track, and encamped in the forest land where they had cut the grass for their horses. one of the horses fell this day with his load, quite exhausted, and was with difficulty got on, after having his load put on the other horses.

June 5 this was the most unpleasant and fatiguing they had experienced. the track not being marked, they had great difficulty in finding their way back to the river, which they did not reach till four o’clock p.m. they then once more encamped for the night to refresh themselves and the horses. they had no provisions now left except a little flour, but procured some from the settlement on the other side of the river.

June 6 they crossed the river after breakfast, and reached their homes, all in good health.

exTRACTS eMpATHy WoRDS

5 Look back at the list of qualities or characteristics that you created in response to question 1 on the previous page. Which of these can you identify in these three explorers? Are there others you would now add to your list?


7 Write a brief paragraph or do a comic strip sketch for your own history textbook (in box 6 of activity page 3C) to explain to readers what the journey was like for the explorers.

The crossing of the Blue Mountains was a difficult task: True or False?


Everything you have looked at so far in this unit has discussed Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth as the first to cross the Blue Mountains.

But, were they?

Some historians have suggested that there might be others who could make that claim. So, we need to investigate this possibility.

First, let’s be clear what we are looking for. What does ‘crossing’ mean?

InvEstIGAtIon 7 Were Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth really the first to cross the Blue Mountains?


1 Here are four possibilities. Discuss each one.

A It means making it all the way to the other side of the mountains.B It means making it far enough across the mountains to know the

other side is close, but not actually arriving there.C It means making it far enough across the mountains to suspect

the journey has ended, but not to be certain.D It means going across the mountains, returning, and creating a

path that others can follow.

Keep these in mind as you look at the following claims. As you read the information you can follow the different claims on the map on the next page.

2 As you read the claims, make a short summary note beside each; for example, This candidate might be considered the first to cross the Blue Mountains because …

This candidate might be considered the first to cross the Blue Mountains because …


CAnDIDATE 2: John Wilson

In 1797, a former convict, John Wilson, recounted tales of his exploits in the bush to governor Hunter and Judge Collins. He claimed to have been upwards of 160 km in every direction around sydney, and described some of the landscape and animals he had seen. Whilst his stories were considered suspect, some details were recorded by Collins. In retrospect, it appears likely that Wilson was telling the truth.

Wilson appears to have reached the granite country of the upper Cox’s River valley near Hartley. the two main aboriginal ‘highways’ were the Bilpin Ridge from Richmond, and Cox’s River valley from the Burragorang valley. other records offer clues that he followed the Cox’s River route. this is, in fact, the easiest route through the Blue Mountains, and completely avoids the need to cross over them. a third possibility is via the Colo River gorge, and some evidence suggests that Wilson may even have travelled all three!

In January 1798 Wilson, John Price and others crossed the nepean River and moved south-west towards the present site of Mittagong. there they turned west and found a route along the ridge where today the Wombeyan Caves Road is located. In the process they found a way to go west of the mountains, by going around them instead of across them. In March of the same year, Wilson and Price ventured to the Camden area, and then continued further south until they discovered thirlmere Lakes, finally almost reaching the present site of goulburn.

It is possible that the accomplishments of this expedition were suppressed by Hunter, who may not have wanted convicts to know that there was a relatively easy way out of sydney. Wilson’s life came to an abrupt end at the age of 30, when he was killed by aborigines after abducting one of their women for his personal use.

But, he had accomplished much as an explorer. He was never recognised as the first person to cross the mountains, possibly because his Cox’s River journey could not be verified, while his route west of Mittagong may have been the ‘long way around’ for a colony that had its eyes fixed on the sandstone fortress west of the nepean.

http://infobluemountains.net.au/history/crossing_wil.htm

CAnDIDATE 1: Matthew Everingham

In october/november 1795 Matthew everingham, with two other settlers (William Reed and John Ramsay) attempted to find a route across the Blue Mountains.

Working from everingham’s description of their journey, local experts have determined that they reached either Mt Wilson, Mt tomah or Mt Irvine. they reached a point where they could see good country to the west but did not proceed any further as food supplies were running short. they were not more than one day’s trek from crossing the Blue Mountains when they turned back. this was 18 years before Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth finally made their crossing in 1813.

their plan to return for a further attempt never eventuated. to help prevent the escape of convicts, the colonial government did not publicise the possibility of land to the west and discouraged exploration.

www.firstfleetershunter.com.au/uploads/Family%20History/Matthew%20Everingham.pdf

Activity pAge 11A


11BACTiviTy pAge

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Note: George Caley also retraced Barralier path in July, 1806 The start and end point of some exploration trips is not certain.


CAnDIDATE 3: Francis Barrallier (1773–1853)

Francis Barrallier, [assistant] to governor King, led two expeditions into the foothills of the Blue Mountains in 1802. He discovered Burragorang valley but was prevented from travelling further by a large waterfall.

He was a refugee from the French Revolution, with a knowledge of engineering, surveying and navigation.

Barrallier set off as an emissary from governor King, to convey the governor’s compliments to the (aboriginal) ‘King of the Mountains’.

Leaving their depot, they descended to the nattai River and followed it downstream to the Burragorang valley and Wollondilly River. Heading west, they climbed a ridge south of the tonalli River, and climbed towards southern Peak, returning to nattai to await the arrival of new supplies.

Re-supplied, they headed back up towards southern Peak on november 22, reaching Mootik Plateau just south of Yerranderie, and making camp at alum Hill on the 24th. From here, they followed a route via Bindook towards the great Dividing Range.

on the 26th, two forward scouts returned to report having found: ‘an immense plain; that from the height they were on the mountain they had caught sight of only a few hills standing here and there in this plain; and that the country in front of them had the appearance of a meadow.’

What the scouts could not see was the Kowmung River gorge slashing through the ‘plain’.

they hastened through Barrallier’s Pass to set up camp near Bent Hook (Bindook) swamp. In spite of heavy rain, they were in high spirits, and after setting up bark huts, ‘they congratulated themselves with having succeeded in accomplishing the crossing of the Blue Mountains without accident’.

they were now on the eastern edge of the Bindook Highlands. From here, it is an easy ridge-top journey to the great Divide, along what was to become the oberon-Colong stock Route.

Barrallier and his party eventually reached a point approximately 2km short of the great Divide and within sight of it. they did not recognise this, however, due to the nature of the terrain. Had they explored south, they could have reached Mt Werong in an hour, and seen the westward flowing abercrombie River. Having travelled as far as their supplies allowed, they returned the way they had come.

Barrallier and his party had crossed the Blue Mountains, and come substantially closer to the great Divide than Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth were to.

www.yerranderie.com/explorer.htm




CAnDIDATE 4: george Caley (1770–1829)

george Caley, botanist and plant collector to sir Joseph Banks, went on regular collecting excursions into the Blue Mountains to gather natural history specimens.

In november 1804, Caley and party set off for the Carmarthen Hills (Mt tomah and Mt Banks), with the intention of then continuing west or to ‘the most promising part of the country’. His companions were ‘ticket of leave men’, minimum security convicts. after travelling overland from Parramatta, possibly carrying their boat, they travelled up-river from Windsor to near the junction of the grose River. From there, they climbed 500 metres, in the hot sticky weather, to tabaraga Ridge near Kurrajong Heights.

Caley would no doubt have noticed the Bilpin Ridge, along which Bell’s Line of Road would later be built, had he reached tabaraga Ridge one or two kilometres further north. But Caley set a compass course for Mt tomah, and determined to stick to it as far as the terrain would allow. the march took them over Patersons Ridge, through three ravines, then into a particularly steep sided valley which Caley named Dark valley. they were unknowingly travelling parallel to, and a few kilometres from, the Bilpin Ridge.

www.australiaforeveryone.com.au/discovery/caley.htm

CAnDIDATE 5: george Evans

six months later, george evans was sent by governor Macquarie to survey the route found by the three explorers in May 1813. He led a team which followed their route to Mount Blaxland, and then continued on, over the great Dividing Range, to where Bathurst now stands — so over 100 kilometres beyond the achievement of the three explorers. He thus became the first european known to have reached the rich pastureland of the Western slopes and Plains.

www.infobluemountains.net.au/history/crossing_3ex.htm

Activity pAge 11C


11D

Red Hands Cave

examples of aboriginal habitation can be found in many places. In the Red Hands Cave, a rock shelter near glenbrook, the walls contain hand stencils from adults and children. on the southern side of Queen elizabeth Drive, at Wentworth Falls, a rocky knoll has a large number of grinding grooves created by rubbing stone implements on the rock to shape and sharpen them. there are also carved images of animal tracks and an occupation cave. the site is known as Kings tableland aboriginal site and dates back 22,000 years. the native aborigines knew [at least] two routes across the mountains: Bilpin Ridge, which is now the location of Bells Line of Road between Richmond and Bell, and the Coxs River, a tributary of the nepean River. It could be followed upstream to the open plains of the Kanimbla valley, the type of country that farmers prize.

MAP OF ABORIGINAL ARTEFACTS


ACTiviTy pAge

CAnDIDATE 6: Aboriginal peopleEu

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note that since this map was created in 1991 more than four times as many sites have now been recorded.

CAnDIDATE 7: Blaxland, lawson and WentworthThis candidate might be considered the first to cross the Blue Mountains because …


Coming to a conclusionYou have now looked at various ‘candidates’ for the first crossing of the Blue Mountains.

3 Who would you say should be given the credit as the first to cross the Blue Mountains?

4 Look at this assessment of the place of Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth in this history. Do you agree with it? Justify your view.


6 Write a brief paragraph or do a comic strip sketch for your own history textbook (in box 7 of activity page 3C) to explain to readers if Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth can be given the honour of being the first to cross the Blue Mountains.

THE ‘oFFICIAl’ SToRy

everyone knows that Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth were the first europeans to succeed in crossing australia’s impenetrable Blue Mountains, and thus opened up the way for the colony to expand onto the vast fertile slopes and plains of the west. Previous expeditions had tried, of course, but all failed. the only way across was via the three explorers’ innovative ridge-top route.

Well, it makes a nice story.

By the time gregory Blaxland, Lt William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth set out, a considerable amount of information had been gathered. not only did they know of numerous routes which didn’t work, but they had george Caley’s observations of the main ridge, made from Mt Banks. they also knew that the most successful efforts were those which followed ridges.

the view from Mt York is not, as implied by some accounts of history, one of expansive pastures. It is of the upper Cox’s valley, with the great Dividing Range blocking the view to the west.

Descending into the valley, they came to the same bank of the same river as they had been on 12 days ago — the Cox’s flows to the nepean. they could have got there by following the river, as John Wilson apparently had.

their turn-around point was Mt Blaxland, some 12km short of the great Divide. they had discovered a way over the Blue Mountains, and an area of pasture on the other side. It was May 31, they had been travelling for 21 days, and had covered about 93km; an average of about 4.5km per day. they returned to emu Plains in 5 days.

this route was later to become that of the highway and railway. However, it was Francis Barrallier’s route which

became the stock route, as it offered better feed along the way.

their report to the governor Macquarie was modest; it was later writers who polished up the story and made them into heroes. Macquarie took no action to exploit their discovery.

Wentworth was later to advise that a railway across the Blue Mountains was impossible.

six months later, george evans led a team which followed the three explorers’ route, and continued on, over the great Dividing Range, to where Bathurst now stands. He thus became the first european known to have reached the rich pasture land of the Western slopes and Plains.

governor Macquarie now became seriously interested. He commissioned george Cox to build a road along the route, and personally made the trip to Bathurst soon after it was completed. Bathurst, which did not yet exist as such, was to become australia’s first inland city.

Why do [the three explorers] get all the credit? two reasons come to mind: the three were respectable (unlike Wilson), and British (unlike Barrallier).

Previously, it had been in the governor’s interests to promote the belief that the mountains were impenetrable. Had governor Hunter been so inclined, he could have followed up on John Wilson’s explorations and had a road to Hartley by 1800, and one to goulburn soon after.

It is not our intention to denigrate the achievement of the three explorers. Rather, we seek to put it back into proper perspective; in fact, the perspective in which they themselves apparently saw it.

www.infobluemountains.net.au/history/crossing_3ex.htm

Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth were the first to cross the Blue Mountains. True or False?

Activity pAge 11e


12A

Did the crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813 have significant impacts?

To decide we need to look at what followed from the event.

1 Read the comments below, and summarise them, using this table. As you add information and ideas, you can also annotate them with your judgements about whether the impacts were good (+ve) or bad (–ve), and short-term (ST) or long-term (LT). One example has been done to help you.

impacts of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

ACTiviTy pAge

InvEstIGAtIon 8 What impacts did the crossing have?

sEE tHE fILM ‘vIrtuAL vIsIt’from 12:00 to 14:40 and 14:40 to 15:50

eConoMiC

SoCiAL

enviRonMenTAL

HuMAn

iDenTiTy

New land for grazing sheep (LT) (+ve)


SouRCe 1

since my return to england many of my friends have expressed a wish to peruse my Journal …. It may not be deemed wholly uninteresting, when it is considered what important alterations the result of the expedition has produced in the immediate interests and prosperity of the colony. this appears in nothing more decidedly than the unlimited pasturage already afforded to the very fine flocks of merino sheep, as well as the extensive field opened for the exertions of the present, as well as future generations. It has changed the aspect of the colony, from a confined insulated tract of land, to a rich and extensive continent.

Dedication by Blaxland in his Journal, 1823 http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/blaxland/gregory/b64j/part1.html#part1

SouRCe 2

Cox’s Road itself, rough and steep as it was, constituted the appropriate first step towards the Colony’s perceived future development: it marked the line of european ‘civilisation’ through the wilderness and made possible Macquarie’s official claim over the vast interior for some future imperial destiny.

Grace Karskens, An Historical and Archaeological Study of Cox’s Road and Early Crossings of the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Crown

lands Office, Bicentennial Project Unit, Sydney, 1988

SouRCe 3

What was needed in the meantime was, firstly an official claiming of the region in symbolic and practical ways, laying suitable foundations for later development, and secondly a means by which the colony’s starving stock might quickly be taken into the new country. Cox’s Road served both purposes admirably. While not untruthful this description was exaggerated. For the journey over Cox’s Road proved to be extremely difficult and laborious. significantly, as the numbers of travellers gradually increased, so the long process of re-alignment and improvement followed. Cox’s original road was simply not suitable for the transport and communication required for inland settlement, and so while it was of considerable symbolic importance, it had only limited actual economic usefulness.

Grace Karskens, An Historical and Archaeological Study of Cox’s Road and Early Crossings of the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Crown

lands Office, Bicentennial Project Unit, Sydney, 1988

SouRCe 4

In the first place, Macquarie did not plan a rapid peopling of the inland region — his plans for Bathurst ‘rested on the assumption that there was no pressing need for people to go there’. His proposed regulations for settlement were not approved until 1817, and even then he took no immediate action to put then into effect. although a few soldiers and labouring men had been stationed at Bathurst, there were no settlers until 1818, when ten grantees were finally put on small farms. In 1820 Macquarie was still rejecting proposals for a large-scale convict settlement on the grounds that it posed a security risk, and he had actively discouraged settlement by reserving large areas as Crown land. the Bathurst area remained for many years a small official outpost.

Grace Karskens, An Historical and Archaeological Study of Cox’s Road and Early Crossings of the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Crown lands Office, Bicentennial Project Unit,

Sydney, 1988 p. 41

SouRCe 5

In 1788 the aborigines of the Blue Mountains had had no contact with europeans; within 30 years their traditional way of life had been irrevocably changed. of the generations of new Mountains dwellers who followed, few appreciated the aboriginal heritage of the region, even though evidence of their presence was known from the nepean River and the adjacent escarpment.

Eugene Stockton and John Merriman (eds), Blue Mountains Dreaming: The Aboriginal Heritage (Second Edition), Blue Mountain Education and Research Trust, Lawson, 2009, back cover

2 Could this display represent a comment on the impact of the new settlers on Aboriginal life and culture? Discuss this idea.

SouRCe 6

Items on display in the Crossing of the Blue Mountains exhibit in the national Museum of australia — iron axe heads and nails, a breastplate given by settlers to aboriginal leaders, aboriginal stone tools found in the Bathurst area.

Activity pAge 12B


ACTiviTy pAge 12C

SouRCe 8 Biography of Windradyne (c.1800–1829)


4 Write a brief paragraph or do a comic strip sketch for your own history textbook (in box 8 of activity page 3C) to explain to readers what the main impacts of the crossing of the Blue Mountains were.

SouRCe 7

Bathurst was founded at the terminus of Cox’s Road on the orders of governor Lachlan Macquarie who selected the site on 7 May 1815. It is the oldest inland town in australia. the name Bathurst comes from the surname of the British Colonial secretary Lord Bathurst. It was intended to be the administrative centre of the western plains of new south Wales, where orderly colonial settlement was planned. the

Windradyne (c.1800–1829), aboriginal resistance leader, also known as satURDaY, was a northern Wiradjuri man of the upper Macquarie River region in central-western new south Wales. emerging as a key protagonist in a period of aboriginal-settler conflict later known as the ‘Bathurst Wars’, in December 1823 ‘saturday’ was named as an instigator of clashes between aborigines and settlers that culminated in the death of two convict stockmen at Kings Plains. He was arrested and imprisoned at Bathurst for one month; it was reported that six men and a severe beating with a musket were needed to secure him.

after some of the most violent frontier incidents of the period, including the killing of seven stockmen in the Wyagdon Ranges north of Bathurst and the murder of aboriginal women and children by settler–vigilantes near Raineville in May 1824, governor Brisbane placed the western district under martial law on 14 august. the local military was increased to seventy-five troops, and magistrates were permitted to administer summary justice. Windradyne’s apparent involvement in the murder of european stockmen resulted in a reward of 200 hectares being offered for his capture. the crisis subsided quickly, although the failure to capture Windradyne delayed the repeal of martial law until 11 December. two weeks later he and a large number of his people crossed the mountains to Parramatta to attend the annual feast there, where he was formally pardoned by Brisbane.

the Sydney Gazette described saturday as ‘without doubt, the most manly black native we have ever beheld … much stouter and more proportionable limbed’ than most aborigines, with ‘a noble looking countenance, and piercing eye … calculated to impress the beholder’. another observer thought him ‘a very fine figure, very muscular … a good model for the figure of apollo’. His sobriety and affection for his family and kinsmen were considered remarkable.

settlers who crossed the Blue Mountains were harassed by Wiradjuri warriors, who killed or wounded stock-keepers and stock and were subjected to retaliatory killings. In response, governor Brisbane proclaimed martial law on 14 august 1824 to end ‘… the slaughter of Black Women and Children, and unoffending White Men …’. It remained in force until 11 December 1824.

apparently remaining camped in the domain at Parramatta for some time after the 1824 feast, Windradyne then returned to Bathurst. He declined to attend governor Darling’s feast the following year. In later years, he was intermittently reported as being involved in raids on maize crops or in clashes with settlers around Lake george. In 1828 an aboriginal man being led to his execution for the murder of a stockman at georges Plains attempted vainly to pin the crime on the ‘notorious saturday’. Mortally wounded in a tribal fight on the Macquarie River, Windradyne died a few hours later on 21 March 1829 at Bathurst hospital, and was buried at Bathurst.

Windradyne had been closely associated with george suttor and his son William Henry, who were strong advocates on behalf of aborigines during and after the period of martial law. Both lamented his passing in the sydney press in april 1829. one of William Henry suttor junior’s Australian Stories Retold (1887) placed Windradyne at the scene of the Wyagdon attacks in May 1824 and described how his warriors had spared the life of the author’s father …

In 1954 the Bathurst District Historical society erected a monument beside a Wiradjuri burial mound at Brucedale, attaching a bronze plaque commemorating ‘the resting place of Windradene, alias ‘’saturday”, last chief of the aborigines: first a terror, but later a friend to the settlers…. a true patriot’. His death date was erroneously given as 1835.

In the late twentieth century Windradyne was transformed from a local figure to a character of national importance as a resistance hero. a suburb at Bathurst and a student accommodation village at Charles sturt University, Wagga Wagga, were named after him. In May 2000 his presumed resting place was put under a voluntary conservation order, the occasion celebrated by Wiradjuri descendants and the suttor family, continuing a 180-year-old friendship and creating a potent symbol of reconciliation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathurst,_New_South_Wales andhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_frontier_wars#New_South_Wales

David Andrew Roberts, Online Dictionary of Australian Biography, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/windradyne-13251

The crossing of the Blue Mountains opened the west to an immediate rush of settlement. True or False?


Here is the way the National Museum of Australia presents the story of the crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813.

1 Read the information on Activity Page 13B and then look at the Museum objects (Activity Pages 13B and 13C). Then critically evaluate the Museum’s representation, using the Site Study Guide below.

SiTe STuDy guiDe — Analysing a Museum Display

Aspects to consider The Museum display

What is your first impression of the display before you start studying it in detail?

What aspects of the event does the display show?

Is the historical context clearly explained?

Is the significance of this event clearly explained?

Is a variety of evidence displayed?

Are the objects displayed authentic for that event or period?

Do the objects tell the story effectively?

Are the text descriptions clear, accurate and informative?

Do the surroundings influence your impression of the display?

How is the display arranged — when you see it what stands out in the display?

Is there a particular message being presented to you in the display?

Is the nature of the event clearly identified (e.g. am I told if it is controversial or contested)?

If so, is a variety of viewpoints clearly and fairly put?

Do I know where the evidence has come from and what sort of evidence it is?

Is its purpose to present objects (neutral), or to explain (impartial), or to argue a particular point of view (partisan)?

At the end, do I feel that I really understand the event and its significance?

What is your final judgement about the display? Has it changed from your initial impression? If so, suggest why.

InvEstIGAtIon 9


How is the crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813 represented in the national Museum of Australia?

Activity pAge 13A


13B


3 Write a brief paragraph or do a comic strip sketch for your own history textbook (in box 9 of activity page 3C) to explain to readers how the crossing of the Blue Mountains might be presented differently by different historical representations. (Use the Museum display and other textbooks to answer this question.)

4 Looking at activity page 3A, what are your final answers to each of the questions, based on the evidence, information and ideas that you have summarised throughout this unit?

Blue Mountains looking for land Crossing the Blue Mountains

soon after British colonists established their first settlements in new south Wales, they began searching for new pastures for their stock. they explored north and south, and inland as far as evan (now Penrith), but found their way further west blocked by the Blue Mountains.

Local gundungurra, Wiradjuri, Wanaruah, Darug and Darkinjung peoples knew and used two main routes to cross the Blue Mountains. But most europeans saw the range as a forbidding maze of sandstone bluffs, deep gorges and dense bush. then, several expeditions managed to penetrate part way into the mountains, travelling up the Burragorang valley, inland from Richmond, and around the range to the south.

In 1813 gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth forged a route directly west from evan. the following year a road tracing their route was built across the range and settlers began moving stock into the inland slopes and plains of Wiradjuri country. In the following decades the Blue Mountains became a holiday destination for sydneysiders, and today more than three million people visit each year to admire the rugged views and walk the forest trails.

All the difficulties were surmounted which had hitherto prevented the interior of the country from being explored and the Colony further extended.

gregory Blaxland, 1813

From his arrival in new south Wales, governor Lachlan Macquarie sought to increase the colony’s capacity to produce its own food. He instructed settlers to grow grain rather than raise sheep and cattle, but many large landholders refused to comply and continued to increase their stock. When drought struck the sydney region they grew desperate for new pastures.

In 1813 William Charles Wentworth, William Lawson and gregory Blaxland, keen to expand their holdings, persuaded Macquarie to support an attempt to cross the mountains. they departed emu Plains with horses, an aboriginal guide and three convict servants. twenty-one days and about 93 kilometres later they climbed what is now Mount Blaxland and saw to the west country suited to sheep and cattle. they had proved that colonists could cross the Blue Mountains.

I am more pleased with the Country every day; it is a great extent of Grazing land

george William evans, 1813

after Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth returned from the Blue Mountains with reports of promising land beyond, governor Macquarie instructed surveyor george evans to plan a road across the range. evans traced the explorers’ trail of blazed (marked) trees and then followed a pathway made by local aboriginal people down onto the inland slopes. He found rich grasslands, mostly created by the Wiradjuri people’s practice of periodic burning.

Macquarie then commissioned ex-soldier William Cox to build a road through the mountains. In six months Cox’s team of 30 convicts and eight guards completed more than 160 kilometres. Bathurst, the first settlement west of the range, was established in 1815, and pastoralists flooded into the inland. For the next decade there was armed conflict in the region as the Wiradjuri, led by the warrior Windradyne, resisted the invasion.

ACTiviTy pAge

single-barrel shotgunBelieved to have belonged to William Wentworth early 19th centuryPowerhouse Museum, Sydney. Gift of Mr Minton, 1984

White Mountain ash marker 1813Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth marked their route through the Blue Mountains by blazing, or cutting, the bark of trees. this section of white mountain ash, removed from Pulpit Hill near Katoomba in 1901, shows markings believed to have been made by the explorers.Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. Collected by Mr Connelly, 1901

Pocket watchInset with pearls and diamonds, belonging to William Charles Wentworth 1816.

Wentworth was born to a prosperous new south Wales family and became a leading figure in colonial society. as a young man he took up land on the nepean River. then in 1816, after traversing the Blue Mountains, he travelled to Britain to study law. From 1824 Wentworth settled in sydney, serving in the Legislative Council and campaigning for a free press, trial by jury, self-government and the interests of ex-convicts.Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales

Portrait medallion of Wentworth 1854By thomas WoolnerState Library of New South Wales

Gunter’s chain used in the Bathurst area 19th centurysurveyor george evans travelled across the Blue Mountains to the future site of Bathurst in 1813. He measured the length of his return journey to sydney with a gunter’s chain, whose 100 links add up to 66 feet (just over 20 metres).Department of Lands, New South Wales

Black slate pendulum mantel clock owned by the Blaxland family 1718. gregory Blaxland arrived in new south Wales from Britain in 1806, and his brother, John, followed a year later. they brought with them this weighty clock made by London clockmaker Devereux Bowley. the Blaxlands’ move was assisted by the British government, under a scheme encouraging educated and prosperous migrants. In return for investing capital in the colony they were promised land grants, convict workers and free passage for themselves and their possessions.Donated by Daryl Blaxland, National Museum of Australia

William Cox’s telescope early 1800Cox used this telescope as he supervised construction of the first road over the Blue Mountains in 1814 and 1815. governor Macquarie rewarded Cox with the first land grant in the Bathurst area, 2000 acres (810 hectares) that Cox named ‘Hereford’.Private collection

two hand-forged nails from Pilgrim Inn, Blaxland 1820sPilgrim Inn was built by merchant and theatre director Barnett Levy on his land grant at Wascoe (now called Blaxland) in the lower Blue Mountains in the late 1920s. In need of money to fund construction of sydney’s theatre Royal, the first theatre in australia, Levy sold the inn soon afterwards. eventually, three major roads in the region — Cox’s Road, Mitchell’s Pass and old Bathurst Road — converged at this point and for many decades the inn was a key stopping point for people travelling over the montains.Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. Gift of W Davis, 1958

A Corrobbirree, or Dance of the natives of Australia about 1836 (detail)By Charles staniforth Hext

British army officer Charles staniforth Hext sketched this scene while stationed in new south Wales. annotations name members of the ‘Bathurst tribe’ and ‘Burrogorang tribe’.National Museum of Australia


Activity pAge 13C


ACTiviTy pAge 13B

stone flakes found in the Bathurst area collected 1900-60Wiradjuri craftspeople had made stone tools like these for thousands of years before the first settlers arrived. these flakes were collected by Percy gresser, a Bathurst shearer who devoted his life to researching Indigenous culture and history.Bathurst Historical Society

road making tools used for crossing the Blue MountainsWilliam Cox’s team of convicts used basic tools like these while building the first road across the Blue Mountains, now the Great Western Highway.

On loan from Ralph Hawkins

surveyor and settlerWilliam Lawson arrived in sydney in 1800 as an officer of the new south Wales Corps. He acted as a surveyor during the 1813 expedition into the Blue Mountains and may have been the first to take stock across the range. Lawson selected 1000 acres (400 hectares) near Bathurst as his reward for a successful expedition. He was commandant of Bathurst from 1819 to 1824 and led expeditions to its west and north. Lawson eventually owned more than 200 000 acres, making his pastoral enterprise one of the largest in the colonies.William Lawson Mitchell Linrary, State Library of New South Wales

Land grant made to Gregory Blaxland 1812In 1809 Lieutenant governor William Paterson allocated Blaxland 2000 acres (810 hectares) at evan, now Penrith. three years later governor Lachlan Macquarie granted him a further 2280 acres (920 hectares) at the same location, and then, as detailed in this document, 500 acres (200 hectares) at what is now Cobbity. Macquarie believed this ended Blaxland’s entitlement, but the family disputed this in the court. Determined to expand his holdings, Blaxland looked for land west of the Blue Mountains.National Museum of Australia

Brick from fordwich House 1820sBlaxland hoped his 1813 expedition across the Blue Mountains would bring him new pastures. governor Macquarie rewarded Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth each with 1000 acres (400 hectares) west of the range, but refused Blaxland’s request for further grants inland of the mountains.

Despite such disputes with colonial authorities, the Blaxland family developed a network of properties in new south Wales. this brick is from Fordwich House, built by the Blaxland family with convict labour at Boke, near singleton, in 1824. Cattle were bred and fattened at Fordwich before being slaughtered and salted at John Blaxland’s large property, newington, on the Parramatta River, west of sydney.On loan from Darryl Blaxland

Breastplate 19th centuryIn the 1830s george Larnach and his family became the first settlers in the Caloola valley near Bathurst. they established friendly relations with the local Wiradjuri people. Lanarch presented this breastplate to an elder of the group as a mark of respect.On loan from Alan McRae

Gregory Blaxland’s sword about 1800.State Library of New South Wales


ConCLusIon AnD rEfLECtIon:What does the crossing of the Blue Mountains tell us about Australian history?

You have now studied an event in great detail.

It is time to make some judgements and assessments about the nature and significance of this event in Australian history.

The Australian Curriculum: History asks you to consider the following areas. Compose your response to each, based on your knowledge, understanding and empathetic awareness (what it might have been like at the time) of the people and the event.

1 What does the Crossing of the Blue Mountains tell us about:

The Impact of the Industrial Revolution on Australia

Convict life

Impacts of settlement on Indigenous people

The movement of people

The nature of the free settlers

Economic activity in new South Wales

land use in new South Wales

What it was like (empathy)

Causation

Consequences of settlement

Different views of the future of new South Wales

2 Write a brief paragraph or do a comic strip sketch for your own history textbook (in box 10 of activity page 3C) to summarise for readers what you think the crossing of the Blue Mountains tells us about this part of our past.

Activity pAge 14

Country Women’s Association of NSW collection, National Museum of Australia

myths and mysteries of the crossing of the blue … and mysteries of the crossing of the blue...

Documents