Myths and Mysteries of the - Australian History Mysteries

Myths and Mysteries of theCrossing of theBlue MountainsAn Australian History MysteryRobert LewisTim Gurry

ISBN 978-0-949380-75-3© 2012 National Museum of Australia and Ryebuck Media Pty LtdWritten by Robert Lewis, Tim GurryCover art: NH Roughley, Blue Mountains Crossed 1813,191-?, National Library of AustraliaNational Museum of AustraliaEducation SectionGPO Box 1901Canberra ACT 2601Phone (02) 6208 5239Fax (02) 6208 5198Email education@nma.gov.auWebsite www.nma.gov.au/educationRyebuck Media Pty Ltd31 Station Street MalvernVictoria 3144Phone (03) 9500 2399Fax (03) 9500 2388Email ryebuck@ryebuck.com.auWebsite www.ryebuck.com.auDesigned by Polar Design, Melbourne, VictoriaPrinted by Trojan Print, Melbourne, VictoriaAll 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 pleasecontact Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd.Teachers are permitted to duplicate any pages in this publication for educational purposes intheir classrooms.For any other purposes contact Ryebuck Media Pty Ltd.

ContentsTeacher’s guide to using this resource 4Student activities 8Inquiries Activity pages PagePrepare to explore! 1–3 8A ‘virtual visit’ to the Blue Mountains 4A–4B 13Investigations1What are the Blue Mountains? 5A–5C 152How were the Blue Mountains formed? 6A–6C 183Why did explorers want to cross the Blue Mountains? 7A–7C 214Who actually crossed the Blue Mountains? 8A–8E 245How did the explorers achieve their crossing in 1813? 9A–9D 296What was their journey like? 10A–10B 33Were Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth really the7 first to cross the Blue Mountains?11A–11E 358What impacts did the crossing have? 12A–12C 409How is the crossing of the Blue Mountainsrepresented in the National Museum of Australia?13A–13C 43Conclusion and reflection: What does the crossing ofthe Blue Mountains tell us about Australian history?14 46

Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue MountainsTeacher’s guideMyths 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 middlesecondary students explore an aspect of Australia’s early colonial history: the crossing of the Blue Mountainsin 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 keyissues associated with the event, and presenting some of the evidence that they need to use to developtheir own conclusions> A 48-page set of practical and evidence-based activity pages, for photocopying, which can be used inthe classroom> A decision-maker interactive activity, Would you be a good explorer?, that presents information and issuesabout the event through an alternative learning approach.Background briefingIn 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 wouldengage 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 wherethey could establish large landholdings on which to run cattle or, increasingly, sheep. They saw convicts ascheap 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 forthese 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 beyondthe encircling ring of the Blue Mountains. At the same time, however, Macquarie did not want to provide ameans for convicts to escape the boundaries of the colony’s settlement.In 1813 he authorised three wealthy immigrants — Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William CharlesWentworth (who was born on a convict ship on the way to New South Wales) — to organise an expedition tofind a way of crossing the Blue Mountains.Several other explorers had tried to cross the Blue Mountains previously, and some may even havesucceeded, 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 away, by following a particular ridgeline. Aboriginal people knew at least two ways over the mountains (pathsthat are, today, followed by two major roads) but they were not involved in the 1813 crossing — Blaxland wasdismissive of their knowledge.The party found this particular ridge line, and succeeded in reaching the end of the Blue Mountains andobserving some open land — although they did not complete a crossing of the Great Dividing Range, and didnot 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, andMacquarie commissioned a narrow and rough road to be made — but one that was intended to be restrictedfor use by authorised travellers.Despite attempts to limit expansion of the colony, it gradually happened, and the plains were opened up tosettlers 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 thegreat nation-forming achievements.Today, with our awareness of the harm as well as the good that resulted from the opening up of the area, weare more inclined to ‘commemorate’ the crossing, rather than ‘celebrate’ it, and to place greater weight on the4Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

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 believedaspects of the story of the crossing of the Blue Mountains. In doing so students use evidence to decide if themyths 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 theirown needs.Using the filmThe 20-minute ‘virtual visit’ film has been specifically made to provide an effective classroom resource bytaking 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 anunderstanding 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 activitypages 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 theresource has been purchased.All activity pages can be used by individual students, but many are suitable for group work — with groupshaving to analyse an activity page, and report their findings to the whole class. In this way the overall readingworkload 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: Whatdoes a memorial tell us? The question that then automatically follows is: What is it not telling us? Students areprovided with a way of pursuing an inquiry, and of collating and summarising the information, evidence andideas that follow. They are also provided with a template on which they can create their own ‘textbook’ versionof 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 ofissues explored in the unit.Alternatively, teachers might prefer to use segments of the film at different stages, focusing on one issue ata time rather than introducing them all at once. Methods for using the film in this way are provided on theappropriate 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 whatthe mountains are like, what is there, and what lies beyond them. So it is important to help students developempathy with the people of the past by having them look at the difficulties that the place would create for thosewho did not have the knowledge that we have today. The sequence of images on Activity Page 6B 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 someof 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 showedthat there were others in the party. The party was larger than three members, but most commemoration doesnot stress this. Students come to understand how this ‘myth’ of the three explorers can be exposed.6Myths 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 anAboriginal guide with local knowledge. Indeed, it was only very recently that the National Museum of Australiachanged the text of its exhibition on the Blue Mountains to delete reference to an ‘Aboriginal guide’. Studentswill 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 onthis 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.This activity is suitable for group work.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 theposition of being decision-makers, and will increase their empathetic understanding of the nature of thejourney. 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 Wentworthover the Blue Mountains. Of course, Aboriginal people did, and students will decide that. This is where adiscussion of the other meanings of ‘crossing’ and ‘discover’ may be the main focus. If Aboriginal people knewabout the crossing, why do we focus on a European crossing of the same range? And, of course, the answeris that profound impacts followed from the European crossing — as discussed in the next set of activity pages.This activity is suitable for group work.Activity pages 12A – 12C (Impacts of the crossing)Students understand the impacts, but distinguish between beneficial and harmful ones, and short-term andlong-term ones.This activity is suitable for group work.Activity pages 13A–13C (A museum display)Students constantly see representations of history. This activity allows them to bring a knowledgeable andinformed attitude to the way the National Museum of Australia presents the story of the 1813 crossing tovisitors. Students can evaluate and appreciate the display. They can also critically examine the way in whichother 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 rangeof 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 andmature 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 Mythsof Early Australian Exploration, Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst NSW, 1996.AcknowledgementsMitchell Preston, Senior Education Officer, National Museum of AustraliaDaniel Oakman, Senior Curator, National Museum of AustraliaJan KoperbergPatsy MoppettGraham and Susan Warmbath, Blue Mountains Historical SocietyMyths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains7

Activity page 1Prepare to explore!You have been driving through the magnificent BlueMountains, to the west of Sydney, in New South Wales.You have gone up Mount York, and you see this memorialat the top:You read the main plaque.You say, ‘Hey, I’ve seensomething about this before,in my history book!’You just happen to have yourhistory textbook with you (yeah,right, as if …) and you flip it opento the two images below.So, you have three pieces ofevidence about the crossing ofthe Blue Mountains.But do they all agree? Or arethere differences between them?Source ASource B NH Roughley, Blue Mountains Crossed 1813,c. 191-?, National Library of AustraliaSource CDetail from TheBlue MountainsPioneers, Sydney Mail,Christmas Supplement1880, Dixson Library,State Library ofNew South Wales8Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page3AExploring the 1813 crossing of the Blue MountainsQuestionYour SummaryWhat 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 owntext for a Year 9 history text, using activity pages 3B and 3C. It will be interesting to compare your account withothers 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 willraise many myths and mysteries for you to explore further.So, start exploring — and good luck!Let’s go!10Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page3CYour textbook account or comic strip67891012Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page 5AInvestigation 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. Forexample, for the first image you might write ‘beautiful’ or ‘rugged’ or ‘thickbush’ — or all of these. In this way you are creating an awareness of the keyfeatures of the Blue Mountains that your explorers will soon try to cross.See the film‘virtual visit’from 00:00 to 02:20AMark Sherborne, Destination NSWGoogle EarthBMyths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains15

Activity page5BCMark Sherborne, Destination NSWDERichard Tulloch, www.richardtulloch.wordpress.comMark Sherborne, Destination NSW16Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page5CFHamilton Lund, Destination NSWGState Library of New South Wales2 Think like an explorer: Imagine that you have just been told that you have to cross the Blue Mountains, butyou cannot use any roads. List the problems and difficulties that you will face, based on these images andthe 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.Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains17

Activity page6AInvestigation 2 How were the Blue Mountains formed? See the filmThe Blue Mountains are a mostly sandstone monocline or plateau, part ofthe Sydney Basin which was laid down in the Permian and Triassic geologicalperiods, between 280 and 180 million years ago. The Sydney Basin extendsfrom 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 wasnamed the Blue Mountains because, viewed from Sydney, they appeared to bethat colour — the result of a mist of eucalyptus oil refracting light and creating ahaze that looks blue from a distance.‘virtual visit’from 00:00 to 02:20© Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia) 2012. This product is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Australia Licence http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/3.0/au/legalcodeJW Pickett and JD Adler, Layers of Time: The Blue Mountains and their Geology,NSW Department of Mineral Resources, Sydney, 1997, p. 4Environment New South Wales18Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page6BHere is a summary of the geologicalstages of the formation of the BlueMountains, and diagrams to illustratethose stages — but the diagrams are notorganised in order.1 Read the information about the variousstages, then write the appropriatenumber beside each diagram.1The Devonian Sea 400 millionyears ago (mya)2 Carboniferous Swamp 350 myaGreat DivideGreat Divide3a3bTriassic Lake, 250–200 mya,deposit of Wianamatta Shale,formed when the sea rose andthe resulting dead vegetationand marine life compressed toform coal.Triassic Lake, 250–200mya, deposit of HawkesburySandstone as huge rivers fromthe west carried sand sedimentsthat were layed down on top ofthe shale.GreatDivideBlueMountainsCoastal PlainSea Bed456Triassic alluvial plain formedwhen the layering of eroded soilstopped.First Earth Movement 170 mya,volcanic activity meant that therocky bed rose to form a plateauSecond Earth Movement tiltedthe plain, higher in the west thanthe east, and erosion started toproduce the topography of today.Great DivideGreat Divide2 Add any information toyour summary tableon activity page 3A.3 Write a brief paragraph or do acomic strip sketch for your ownhistory textbook (in box 2 of activitypage 3B) to explain to readers howthe Blue Mountains were formed.Great DivideKEYBasalt capsWianamatta ShalesHawkesbury SandstoneNarrabeen SandstoneCoal measuresOlder base rockVegetationSeaGreat DivideEugene Stockton and John Merriman (eds), Blue Mountains Dreaming: The Aboriginal Heritage (2nd Edition),Blue Mountain Education and Research Trust, Lawson, 2009, p. 14Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains19

Activity page6CSo, here you are, it is 1813, and this is the view that you have of the Blue Mountains.You know that people have explored some parts of the Blue Mountains, butnobody has crossed them and come back to say what is on the other side, or evenhow 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 wouldthey do it?This is what we now need to investigate in more detail.State Library of New South WalesThe Blue Mountains are part ofthe Great Dividing Range. True or False?20Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity pageInvestigation 37AWhy did explorers want to cross the Blue Mountains? See the filmWe 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.‘virtual visit’from 02:20 to 05:50Some possible reasons are:Now look at the following evidence to test your ideas.2 How does Source 2 support the statement in Source 1?Source 2 A raised relief map of part of the Sydney BasinSource 1New South Wales, as it wasby 1813When [Governor Macquarie] firstassumed office, in 1810, the colonyof New South Wales was closelydefined by the encircling range ofBlue Mountains. It was a small,compact area, no more than 60 by80 kilometres in extent. The centralpart was known as the CumberlandPlain, and it was bounded on itswestern edge by a powerfullyeccentric river, the Hawkesbury,whose main catchment lay in thewide band of mountains beyond andwhich was subject to sudden anddevastating floods.James Broadbent and Joy Hughes (eds),The Age of Macquarie, Melbourne University Press,1992, p. 66Geo Maps Company, SydneyMyths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains21

Activity page7BSource 3 From a comic book version3 What motive isbeing suggestedhere for thecrossing of theBlue Mountains?Peter Leyden (ed), Over The BlueMountains, The Australian Children’sPictorial Social Studies, Sydney, 1958Source 4 Some facts about thecolony’s environment• The susceptibility of the Nepean–Hawkesburyand Georges River farms to flooding madethe colony vulnerable to food shortfalls. In1809 floods resulted in a grain shortage inthe colony.• There was a plague of destructive armyworms and caterpillars in 1810.• There was drought in 1810–11.• The 1811–12 crop was good, but caterpillarsreturned in 1812.• Drought in 1812–13 reduced crops, and killedmany animals.• In 1812 there were 10,000 people in NewSouth Wales, in 1813 there were 13,000 —an increase of 30 per cent; cattle increasedfrom 9000 to 26,000, and sheep increasedfrom 26,000 to 75,000.• Grass on the Cumberland Plain (the flat areasurrounding Sydney) had deteriorated underheavy cattle grazing, and was replaced bycoarser grass.Adapted from Harry Dillon and Peter Butler,Macquarie from Colony to Country, Random House, North Sydney,2010, p.1774 What reason/s are being suggested herefor the need to cross the Blue Mountains?Source 5Governor Macquarie controlled who would receive land. Hehad a vision of the Sydney settlement being made up mainlyof small farmers growing food crops, not large landholdersgrazing cattle or sheep.He was also conscious that this New South Wales was a gaolwithout walls. If new areas were opened up for settlement,there would be more escapes by convicts.In addition, Macquarie was under pressure from the BritishGovernment to limit public works, such as roads, because ofthe costs involved. A growing colony would need more moneyspent on public works and Macquarie wanted to avoid this.5 What reason/s are being suggested here that therewas NOT a need to cross the Blue Mountains?Source 6The Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century resultedin an increased demand for the raw material — wool — toallow the factories of England to manufacture into textiles.This meant that there was a great incentive for people to growwool. Sheep needed large areas of land on which to graze, andshepherds to care for them. New South Wales offered wealthypeople the opportunity to develop great flocks of sheep, caredfor 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 theneed to cross the Blue Mountains?22Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page7CSource 7Though agriculture had become established, and thecolony was no longer prey to desperate shortages,the quantity of food produced was still very small, andits production erratic. Droughts and floods causedfluctuating harvests; grain was still being imported,from Van Diemen’s Land one year, from India another.Sydney had founded its urban satellites early: the firstwas Norfolk Island, the second Parramatta; then theGreen Hills on the Hawkesbury grew up as a militaryand service centre for the river farms near the mountainfrontier. The search at sea continued, though the mainbody of settlers at Norfolk Island was removed to VanDiemen’s Land in 1808 and the island abandoned in1813. Newcastle, at the mouth of the Hunter River,became a convict depot, formed to isolate secondaryoffenders and exploit the coal, timber and shell-limeresources rather than to establish farming. Bass andFlinders had explored the southern coast; Port Phillipwas known, briefly settled and then rejected by DavidCollins in favour of Hobart on the Derwent, which wasstrategically placed in the south to catch the vesselstaking advantage of the ‘Roaring Forties’ spinningaround the Antarctic seas.So the urban pattern remained centred on Sydney,but most of the secondary settlements were more likestrategic satellites than agrarian centres. What is more,they were isolated at considerable distances from eachother, and little or nothing was known of the land inbetween.James Broadbent and Joy Hughes (eds), The Age of Macquarie,Melbourne University Press, 1992, p. 667 What other settlements existed apart from Sydneyby 1813?8 Why were these not suitable for a large expansionof food or grazing?Source 8Blaxland and his elder brother John were immigrantsfrom Kent, to whom liberal grants of land had beenmade on condition that they invested capital in NewSouth Wales and engaged in agriculture. But theypreferred to apply themselves to what GovernorMacquarie called ‘the lazy object of rearing cattle’. Theyunderstood cattle-breeding and found it profitable,whereas Macquarie desired that settlers who obtainedland grants should grow corn. The Blaxlands, workingin partnership, wanted extensive areas for their herds;and whenever an area suitable for pasture came undertheir 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 ascertainingwhether there was good cattle country beyond thelimits of settlement. Gregory Blaxland had been on twoexploring expeditions — the first of them in companywith Macquarie — before he projected the enterprise of1813. 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 flocksand herds, It was therefore especially necessary tomake an effort to find out whether there was fodder andwater on the western side of the range.Ernest Scott (ed.), Australia, vol. VII, part 1 of theCambridge History of the British Empire, Cambridge, 1988, p. 1099 What motives are being suggested here forcrossing the Blue Mountains?10 You have now seen several possible reasons whyexplorers tackled the crossing in 1813. Which doyou think most important?11 In question 1 you might have considered suchthings as curiosity, adventure or greed asreasons for the explorers’ desire to cross theBlue Mountains. Do you still think these mighthave been significant? Justify your views.12 Add any information to yoursummary table on activity page 3A.13 Write a brief paragraph or do acomic strip sketch for your ownhistory textbook (in box 3 of activity page 3B)to explain to readers why the explorers wantedto cross the Blue Mountains in 1813.The crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813 was done in response to thestimulus for wool created by the Industrial Revolution in Britain. True or False?Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains23

Activity page8AInvestigation 4 Who actually crossed the Blue Mountains? See the filmWe 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.‘virtual visit’from 05:50 to 08:45Aspect Blaxland Lawson WentworthAge in 1813BackgroundPosition inNew SouthWalesPreviousexploringexperienceReason forinvolvementPersonalqualities(good andbad)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?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 4of activity page 3B) to explain to readers who Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth were.24Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page8BGregory Blaxland (1778–1853)Gregory Blaxland (1778–1853),settler, was born on 17 June 1778 atFordwich, Kent, England. In July 1799he married Elizabeth; they had fivesons and two daughters.The British government promisedthem land, convict servants and freepassages if they emigrated to NSW, inaccord with its policy of encouraging‘settlers of responsibility and Capital’.Gregory sailed on 1 September 1805with his wife, three children, twoservants, an overseer, a few sheep,seed, bees, tools, groceries andclothing. When he reached Sydneyhe sold many of these goods veryprofitably, bought eighty head ofcattle so as to enter the meat trade,located 1619 hectares of land and waspromised forty convict servants. Soonafterwards he also bought 182 morehectares of land.The Blaxlands bought a stockyardand expanded their cattle grazing.When Macquarie arrived he addedto their land grants; this, he thought,satisfied all the claims for governmentassistance to which Gregory wasentitled. He became very critical ofthe brothers for remaining ‘restlessand dissatisfied’ and refusing to growgrain, despite their large numbersof convict servants; but Blaxlandwas concerned with his livestock.By 1813 he had come to realise thathis flocks of sheep and cattle wereexpanding beyond the resources ofhis coastal grant. Macquarie couldnot be persuaded to grant extra landsto large flock owners on the coast,and Blaxland thus drew the correctconclusion that the solution to thepastoralists’ land problem lay indiscovering a route to the interior.In 1810 he had explored part ofthe Nepean River. Early in 1813 herequested Macquarie’s approval of anexploring expedition across the BlueMountains, and on 11 May he setout with William Lawson and WilliamCharles Wentworth.In 1814, like many others almostinsolvent because of drought anddepression, he tried to persuadeMacquarie to sanction a scheme forthe exploitation of the interior by alarge agricultural company. Macquariewould not agree nor would he allowBlaxland land in the interior for hisown flocks. Since Blaxland then hadto dispose of his livestock, it is notsurprising that he joined the colonialopposition to Macquarie.By 1820 Blaxland had settled downon his Brush Farm estate. Here heconducted many experiments withcrops and grasses, unsuccessfullywith tobacco growing but mostsuccessfully with buffalo grass andviticulture. He had brought vinesfrom the Cape of Good Hope, founda species resistant to blight, took asample of his wine to London in 1822and won a silver medal for it. Whilein England he published his A Journalof a Tour of Discovery Across theBlue Mountains in New South Wales(London, 1823).Thereafter Blaxland disappearedfrom public activity and when hecommitted suicide on 1 January1853, his death was scarcely noticedin the press. Always a man of moodyand mercurial character, Blaxlanddevoted his colonial activitiesalmost entirely to the pursuit of hiseconomic interests, and his diariesdo not suggest great attachment tothe colonial environment beyondwhat was suggested by the hope ofpersonal gain.State Library of New South WalesJill Conway, Online Dictionary of Australian Biography, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/blaxland-gregory-17955 Complete the biographical table in Activity page 8A for Blaxland.Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains25

Activity page8CWilliam Lawson (1774–1850)William Lawson (1774-1850),explorer and pastoralist, was born on2 June 1774 at Finchley, Middlesex,England. Educated in London, Williamwas trained as a surveyor, but in June1799 he bought a commission in theNew South Wales Corps. He arrivedat Sydney in November 1800 and wassoon posted to the garrison at NorfolkIsland, where he married SarahLeadbeater. He returned to Sydneyin 1806.Like many of his fellow officersLawson quickly began to acquireagricultural interests. About 1807 hebought a small property, and in 1810received a grant of 202 hectares.In January 1812 he accepted acommission as lieutenant in the NewSouth Wales Veterans Company. Henow built a fine 40-room mansion inearly colonial style.In 1813 Gregory Blaxland invitedLawson to accompany him andWilliam Charles Wentworth on whatproved to be the first successfulattempt to find a route across theBlue Mountains. Lawson’s knowledgeof surveying made him a particularlyvaluable member of the expedition.His journal, with its accurate record oftimes and distances, enables the routeto be precisely retraced. Macquarierewarded each explorer with a grantof 405 hectares on the west of theranges. Lawson selected his on theCampbell River near Bathurst. In 1819he was appointed commandant of thenew settlement of Bathurst, occupyingthis post until 1824 when he retired.During his years at BathurstLawson undertook three journeys ofexploration to find a practicable passthrough the ranges to the LiverpoolPlains. In this he was unsuccessfulbut his journeys helped to open upthe rich pastoral district of Mudgee.He owned many extensive estates. Heimported merino rams and ewes fromEngland, as well as Shorthorn cattleand blood horses. His horses werefamous throughout the colony in thecoaching days.A generous supporter of thePresbyterian Church, Lawson tookan active part in the establishmentof both Scots Church, Sydney, in1824 and Scots Church, Parramatta,State Library of New South Walesin 1838. As a magistrate heentered freely into public life andon 10 October 1825 signed a letterapproving trial by jury. He enteredpolitics in 1843 as a member forCumberland in the first partly electiveLegislative Council; he attendedregularly until 1846, but took little partin its debates. On 16 June 1850 ‘OldIronbark’ Lawson died, leaving mostof his estates to his son William.EW Dunlop, Online Dictionary of Australian Biography, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/lawson-william-23386 Complete the biographical table in activity page 8A for Lawson.26Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page8DWilliam Charles Wentworth (1790–1872)William Charles Wentworth(1790–1872) was the son of CatherineCrowley, who was convicted inJuly 1788 of feloniously stealing‘wearing apparell’, was sentenced totransportation for seven years, reachedSydney in the transport Neptunein June 1790, and in the Surprizearrived at Norfolk Island with theinfant William on 7 August. Dr D’ArcyWentworth, who also sailed in theNeptune and Surprize, acknowledgedWilliam as his son. He accompaniedhis parents to Sydney in 1796 and thento Parramatta, where his mother diedin 1800. In 1803 he was sent with hisbrother D’Arcy to England.Wentworth returned to Sydney in1810. He was granted 708 hectares onthe Nepean.His adventurous spirit, drought, andthe desire to discover new pasturesled him in May 1813, in company withWilliam Lawson, and Gregory Blaxlandto take part in the first great feat ofinland exploration, the crossing of theBlue Mountains.Uncertain that they had really crossedthe mountains, he wrote in his journal:‘we have at all events proved thatthey are traversable, and that, too, bycattle’. The discovery gave impetusto great pastoral expansion in whichWentworth amply shared. He wasrewarded with another 405 hectares.On the mountain journey, accordingto his father, he had developed asevere cough; to recover his healthand to help his father secure valuablesandalwood from a Pacific island hejoined a schooner as supercargo in1814. He was nearly killed by nativesat Rarotonga while courageouslyattempting to save a sailor whom theyclubbed to death. The captain died, andWentworth, with knowledge gained onhis earlier voyage from England and nomean mathematical skill, brought theship safely to Sydney.In 1819 he published A Statistical,Historical, and Political Descriptionof the Colony of New South Walesand Its Dependent Settlements inVan Diemen’s Land. His book didmuch to stimulate emigration andwas reissued in revised and enlargededitions in 1820 and 1824.Other important aspects of his lifewere:• publisher of the first independentnewspaper, the Australian;• initiator of political reforms thatpromoted greater democracy;• a wealthy landowner whoprotected the productive wealth ofgraziers;• member of the New South WalesLegislative Council;• a supporter of the right of theintelligent poor to vote as long asthey proved their ability by gainingsome wealth and property;Mitchell Library, State Library ofNew South Wales - P4/21• assisted in the establishment offree primary education in Sydney;• helped to create the first Australianuniversity, the University ofSydney; and• helped New South Wales to gainincreased responsible government.He died in 1872 in England, and wasreturned for burial in Sydney.With all his apparent contradictions,more than any other man he securedour fundamental liberties andnationhood. His love of Australia was,he confessed, the ‘master passion’of his life. He felt a natural kinshipwith the founding fathers of theUnited States. It is his chief claimto greatness that, more than anyother, he secured in Australia, thefundamental liberties of the BritishConstitution.Michael Persse, Online Dictionary of Australian Biography, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/wentworth-william-charles-27827 Complete the biographical table in activity page 8A for Wentworth.Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains27

Activity page8EWere there others involved in the crossing in 1813?We now know a lot about the three men named onthe memorial at the very start of this unit. But werethey 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 thesequestions. Support your answers from the evidence.8 Were Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson the onlypeople 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 thesequestions are correct? Explain your reasons.Source 1Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth are invariablyremembered as a trinity … the ‘dauntless three’. Theywere not, however, a threesome at all, for the partyincluded four servants, five dogs, and four horses. Thiswas a collaboration between animals and men. Amongthe latter was James Burns, selected by Blaxland, whowas probably key to their success …. By profession ahunter of kangaroos, James Burns was one of thosepeople who had lived out on the edge [of settlement].Source 2Martin Thomas The Artificial Horizon. Imagining the Blue Mountains,MUP, Melbourne, 2003, p. 50-51Having made every requisite preparation, I applied tothe two gentlemen who accompanied me, to join inthe expedition, and was fortunate in obtaining theirconsent. To these gentlemen I have to express mythanks for their company, and to acknowledge thatwithout their assistance I should have had but littlechance of success.Blaxland’s journalhttp://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/blaxland/gregory/b64j/part1.html#part1Source 3 Information in the NationalMuseum of Australia display Crossingthe Blue MountainsIn 1813 William Charles Wentworth, William Lawsonand Gregory Blaxland, keen to expand their holdings,persuaded [Governor] Macquarie to support an attemptto cross the mountains. They departed Emu Plains withhorses, an Aboriginal guide and three convict servants.National Museum of Australia, 2012Source 4It took until 1813 for a way across the mountains tobe found. Once across, the three successful explorers,Gregory Blaxland, William Charles Wentworth andWilliam Lawson, and their Aboriginal guide looked outupon a lightly forested expanse that stretched to thehorizon.David Day, Claiming a Continent, Angus&Robertson, Sydney, 1996, p. 81Source 5There is no record that local Aboriginal guides wereused for the 1813 crossing, but it does seem likelythat the ridge-line followed an Aboriginal track, as alogical, fairly even route. The party used a colonialbushman, Mr Byrne, as a guide, and the name Byrne(or Burns) subsequently appears in Surveyor Evans’slist of men who accompanied him on his journey thefollowing year, in which he followed up, surveyed andextended the previous journey to Mount Victoria to thesite of Bathurst. Byrne was probably one of a numberof 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. 6714 Add any information to yoursummary table on activity page 3A.15 Write a brief paragraph or do acomic strip sketch for your ownhistory textbook (in box 4 of activity page 3B)to explain to readers who was involved in thecrossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813.[*NOTE: The NMA has nowchanged its information aboutthe Aboriginal guide]Look back at theinscription on the Mount Yorkmemorial. Would you say it is:True or False?28Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page 9AInvestigation 5 How did the explorers achieve their crossing in 1813?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 beyondthem, and what they look like from the air. There is no mystery for us today aboutthe crossing.But people in 1813 did not have that knowledge. So, let’s try and see thecrossing 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 anddisadvantages of each, remembering the limited knowledge that people hadat the time about the nature and extent of the Blue Mountains.See the film‘virtual visit’from 08:45 to 12:00Possible way Image Possible advantages Possible disadvantages1 Follow mainrivers to theirsource2 Follow thegorgesbetweenthe cliffs3 Follow theridges at thetop of the cliffs4 & 5Head northor south toattempt totravel aroundthe mountainsNow, let’s look at evidence, and use it to decide how the explorers achieved their aim.Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains29

Activity page9BNEWNES PLATEAUBILPINBELLKURRAJONGHEIGHTSMTVICTORIAMEGALONGVALLEYBLACKHEATHMEDLOWBATHKATOOMBAGROSEVALLEYLEURAJAMIESONVALLEYGROSE RIVERWENTWORTHFALLSBEDFORD CKWENTWORTH CKLAWSONHAZELBROOKWOODFORD CKLINDENFAULCONBRIDGELINDEN CKSPRINGWOODGROSE RIVERGLENBROOK CKSPRINGWOOD CKFITZGERALD CKWARRIMOOBLAXLANDNEPEAN RIVERGlenbrookKEDUMBA RIVERCOXS RIVERERSKINE CKCUMBERLANDPLAINNWARRANGAMBA0 2.5 5KMNEPEAN RIVER30Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page9CSource 1 Blaxland on his unsuccessful1810 expedition (1)We ascended the River Hawkesbury, or Nepean, fromabove Emu Island [near Glenbrook], to the mouth ofthe Warragomby, or Great Western River, where itemerges from the mountains, and joins itself to thatriver, from its mouth. We proceeded as far as it wasnavigable by a small boat, which is only a few milesfurther. It was found to lose itself at different places,almost entirely underneath and between immenseblocks of stones, being confined on each side byperpendicular cliffs of the same kind of stone, whichsometimes rose as high as the tops of the mountains,through which it appears to have forced, or worn itsway, with the assistance, probably, of an earthquake,or some other great convulsion of nature.Blaxland’s journalhttp://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/blaxland/gregory/b64j/part1.html#part12 Show this route on the map opposite. Note thatthe spelling of some names on the map and in thedocuments may be slightly different.3 To which of the five possible methods for crossingthe Blue Mountains does this evidence refer?4 Was this method successful?Source 3The next European attempt at a crossing of the BlueMountains, which succeeded by following the ridgesand not the valleys, was the famous 1813 expeditionof Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson. In fact, theyfound the only accessible route, which the highwayand railway still mainly follow today. The key to thecrossing was locating the 20-metre wide Linden ridgeand it appears they did this without assistance from thelocal people.Eugene Stockton and John Merriman (eds), Blue Mountains Dreaming:The Aboriginal Heritage (Second Edition), Blue Mountain Educationand Research Trust, Lawson, 2009 p. 1698 Show this route on the map.9 To which of the five possible methods for crossingthe Blue Mountains does this evidence refer?10 Was this method successful?Source 4 Map showing the topography ofthe Sydney BasinSource 2 Blaxland on his unsuccessful1810 expedition (2)This journey confirmed me in the opinion, that it waspracticable to find a passage over the mountains,and I resolved at some future period to attempt it, byendeavouring to cross the river, and reach the highland on its northern bank by the ridge which appearedto run westward, between the Warragomby and theRiver Grose. I concluded, that if no more difficultieswere found in travelling than had been experienced onthe other side, we must be able to advance westwardtowards the interior of the country, and have a fairchance of passing the mountains. On inquiry, I found aperson who had been accustomed to hunt the kangarooin the mountains, in the direction I wished to go; whoundertook 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 theridge before-mentioned, taking the streams of water onthe left, which appeared to empty themselves into theWarragomby, as our guide; being careful not to crossany of them, but to go round their sources, so as to becertain of keeping between them and the streams thatemptied themselves into the River Grose.Blaxland’s journalhttp://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/blaxland/gregory/b64j/part1.html#part1www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/nature/SydneyBasinMapsTopography.pdf5 Show this route on the map.6 To which of the five possible methods for crossingthe Blue Mountains does this evidence refer?7 Was this method successful?11 Which of the five possible methods for crossingthe Blue Mountains does this evidence help youunderstand?12 Was this method successful?Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains31

Activity page9DHere 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.Peter Leyden (ed), Over The Blue Mountains, The Australian Children’s Pictorial Social Studies, Sydney, 1958Here is a GoogleEarth map showingthe road todaythrough the BlueMountains.Google Earth15 How closely does the road follow the path taken by the 1813 explorers?16 Add any information to your summary table on activity page 3A.17 Write a brief paragraph or do a comic strip sketch for your ownhistory textbook (in box 5 of activity page 3B) to explain to readers howthe explorers were able to cross the Blue Mountains in 1813.Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth knew exactly how and where to crossthe Blue Mountains because of information provided by people. True or False?32Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page10AInvestigation 6 What was their journey like? See the filmWe now know how the exploring party was able to cross the Blue Mountainsin 1813. But was it a hard task?1 Think about what qualities or characteristicsa good explorer would need. Brainstorm, andlist these.2 Read these extracts from entries in Blaxland’sjournal of the trip (note that he writes in the thirdperson, referring to himself as ‘Mr Blaxland’).Underline the difficulties or hardships that theparty faced, as outlined in each entry.3 Beside each extract, brainstorm and write inwords that describe the feelings the explorersmight have had at each stage (empathy).NOTE: An Alternative Approach‘virtual visit’from 08:45 to 12:00To understand this you need to ‘take’ the journey.Go to www.australianhistorymysteries.infoto see if you would be a good explorer on thisjourney. The interactive will require you to makemany decisions — will you make ones that willhelp you succeed?Good luck!ExtractsEmpATHy wordsMay 12 The land was covered with scrubby brush-wood, very thick in places, with some trees ofordinary timber, which much incommoded the horses. The greater part of the way they had deeprocky 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; theyfound but just enough for the night, contained in a hole in the rock. A small patch of grass suppliedthe horses for the night.May 13 They had not proceeded above two miles, when they found themselves stopped by abrushwood much thicker than they had hitherto met with. This induced them to alter their course, andto endeavour to find another passage to the westward; but every ridge which they explored proved toterminate 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 nextday. This day some of the horses, while standing, fell several times under their loads. The dogs killeda large kangaroo. The party encamped in the forest tract, with plenty of good grass and water.Blaxland’s journal http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/blaxland/gregory/b64j/part1.html#part1May 14–15 On the next morning, leaving two men to take care of the horses and provisions, theyproceeded to cut a path through the thick brushwood. As they ascended the mountain these gulliesbecame much deeper and more rocky on each side. They now began to mark their track by cutting thebark of the trees on two sides. Having cut their way for about five miles, they returned in the eveningto the spot on which they had encamped the night before. The fifth day was spent in prosecutingthe same tedious operation; but, as much time was necessarily lost in walking twice over the trackcleared the day before, they were unable to cut away more than two miles further. They found no foodfor the horses the whole way.May 16 On Sunday they rested, and arranged their future plan. They had reason, however, to regretthis suspension of their proceedings, as it gave the men leisure to ruminate on their danger; and itwas 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 theirother burdens, they moved forward along the path which they had cleared and marked, about sixmiles and a half. They had to fetch water up the side of the precipice, about six hundred feet high, andcould 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 wasnot more than fifteen or twenty yards over, with deep precipices on each side, was rendered almostimpassable by a perpendicular mass of rock, nearly thirty feet high, extending across the wholebreadth, with the exception of a small broken rugged track in the centre. By removing a few largestones, they were enabled to pass.Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains33

Activity page10BExtractsEmpATHy wordsMay 20 They proceeded with the horses nearly five miles, and encamped at noon at the head of aswamp 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, asnothing better could be found for them. The ridge along which their course lay now became wider andmore rocky, but was still covered with brush and small crooked timber, except at the heads of thedifferent streams of water which ran down the side of the mountain, where the land was swampy andclear of trees. The track of scarcely any animal was to be seen, and very few birds. One man was heretaken dangerously ill with a cold.May 21 In the beginning of the night the dogs ran off and barked violently. At the same timesomething was distinctly heard to run through the brushwood, which they supposed to be one of thehorses got loose; but they had reason to believe afterwards that they had been in great danger — thatthe natives had followed their track, and advanced on them in the night, intending to have spearedthem 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 trenchwith a hoe, which kept them from slipping, where they again tasted fresh grass for the first time sincethey 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 aload, so that, for some way, the party were obliged to carry the packages themselves. The dogs killeda kangaroo, which was very acceptable, as the party had lived on salt meat since they caught the last.Blaxland’s journalnhttp://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/blaxland/gregory/b64j/part1.html#part1May 31 In the afternoon they ascended its summit, from whence they descried all around, forest orgrass land, sufficient in extent in their opinion, to support the stock of the colony for the next thirtyyears. This was the extreme point of their journey. Mr. Blaxland and one of the men nearly lost theparty 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, havingsurmounted all the difficulties which had hitherto prevented the interior of the country from beingexplored, and the colony from being extended. They had partly cleared, or, at least, marked out, aroad by which the passage of the mountain might easily be effected. Their provisions were nearlyexpended, their clothes and shoes were in very bad condition, and the whole party were ill with bowelcomplaints. 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 hadcut the grass for their horses. One of the horses fell this day with his load, quite exhausted, and waswith 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 beingmarked, they had great difficulty in finding their way back to the river, which they did not reach tillfour 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 theother side of the river.June 6 They crossed the river after breakfast, and reached their homes, all in good health.4 Why do you think theexplorers succeeded?Consider each of thefollowing as possible factors:> luck> skill> logic> planning and preparation> personal qualities of theexplorers> prior knowledge> other factors?5 Look back at the list of qualities or characteristics that you created inresponse to question 1 on the previous page. Which of these can you identifyin these three explorers? Are there others you would now add to your list?6 Add any information to your summary table onactivity page 3A.7 Write a brief paragraph or do a comic strip sketch foryour 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 Mountainswas a difficult task: True or False?34Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page 11AWere Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth really the firstInvestigation 7 to cross the Blue Mountains?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 makethat claim. So, we need to investigate this possibility.First, let’s be clear what we are looking for. What does ‘crossing’ mean?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 theother side is close, but not actually arriving there.C It means making it far enough across the mountains to suspectthe journey has ended, but not to be certain.D It means going across the mountains, returning, and creating apath that others can follow.Keep these in mind as you look at the following claims. As you readthe information you can follow the different claims on the map on thenext page.2 As you read the claims, make a short summary note beside each;for example, This candidate might be considered the first to crossthe Blue Mountains because …Candidate 2: John WilsonIn 1797, a former convict, John Wilson, recounted tales of his exploits inthe bush to Governor Hunter and Judge Collins. He claimed to have beenupwards of 160 km in every direction around Sydney, and described some ofthe landscape and animals he had seen. Whilst his stories were consideredsuspect, some details were recorded by Collins. In retrospect, it appearslikely that Wilson was telling the truth.Wilson appears to have reached the granite country of the upper Cox’s Rivervalley near Hartley. The two main Aboriginal ‘highways’ were the Bilpin Ridgefrom Richmond, and Cox’s River valley from the Burragorang Valley. Otherrecords offer clues that he followed the Cox’s River route. This is, in fact, theeasiest route through the Blue Mountains, and completely avoids the needto cross over them. A third possibility is via the Colo River gorge, and someevidence suggests that Wilson may even have travelled all three!In January 1798 Wilson, John Price and others crossed the Nepean Riverand moved south-west towards the present site of Mittagong. There theyturned west and found a route along the ridge where today the WombeyanCaves Road is located. In the process they found a way to go west of themountains, by going around them instead of across them. In March ofthe same year, Wilson and Price ventured to the Camden area, and thencontinued further south until they discovered Thirlmere Lakes, finally almostreaching the present site of Goulburn.It is possible that the accomplishments of this expedition were suppressedby Hunter, who may not have wanted convicts to know that there was arelatively easy way out of Sydney. Wilson’s life came to an abrupt end atthe age of 30, when he was killed by Aborigines after abducting one of theirwomen for his personal use.But, he had accomplished much as an explorer. He was never recognisedas the first person to cross the mountains, possibly because his Cox’sRiver journey could not be verified, while his route west of Mittagong mayhave been the ‘long way around’ for a colony that had its eyes fixed on thesandstone fortress west of the Nepean.http://infobluemountains.net.au/history/crossing_wil.htmCandidate 1:Matthew EveringhamSee the film‘virtual visit’from 05:50 to 08:45In October/November 1795 MatthewEveringham, with two other settlers(William Reed and John Ramsay)attempted to find a route across theBlue Mountains.Working from Everingham’sdescription of their journey, localexperts have determined that theyreached either Mt Wilson, Mt Tomahor Mt Irvine. They reached a pointwhere they could see good countryto the west but did not proceed anyfurther as food supplies were runningshort. They were not more than oneday’s trek from crossing the BlueMountains when they turned back.This was 18 years before Blaxland,Lawson and Wentworth finally madetheir crossing in 1813.Their plan to return for a furtherattempt never eventuated. To helpprevent the escape of convicts, thecolonial government did not publicisethe possibility of land to the west anddiscouraged exploration.www.firstfleetershunter.com.au/uploads/Family%20History/Matthew%20Everingham.pdfThis candidate might be considered the firstto cross the Blue Mountains because …This candidate might be considered the firstto cross the Blue Mountains because …Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains35

Activity page11BBased on information in Chris Cunningham, The Blue Mountains Rediscovered, Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst, 1996Note: George Caley also retraced Barralier path in July, 1806The start and end point of some exploration trips is not certain.36Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page11CCandidate 3: Francis Barrallier (1773–1853)Francis Barrallier, [assistant] to Governor King, led twoexpeditions into the foothills of the Blue Mountains in 1802.He discovered Burragorang Valley but was prevented fromtravelling further by a large waterfall.He was a refugee from the French Revolution, with aknowledge of engineering, surveying and navigation.Barrallier set off as an emissary from Governor King, toconvey the governor’s compliments to the (Aboriginal)‘King of the Mountains’.Leaving their depot, they descended to the Nattai Riverand followed it downstream to the Burragorang Valley andWollondilly River. Heading west, they climbed a ridge southof 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 Peakon November 22, reaching Mootik Plateau just south ofYerranderie, and making camp at Alum Hill on the 24th.From here, they followed a route via Bindook towards theGreat Dividing Range.On the 26th, two forward scouts returned to report havingfound: ‘an immense plain; that from the height they wereon the mountain they had caught sight of only a few hillsstanding here and there in this plain; and that the country infront of them had the appearance of a meadow.’What the scouts could not see was the Kowmung Rivergorge slashing through the ‘plain’.They hastened through Barrallier’s Pass to set up campnear 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 inaccomplishing the crossing of the Blue Mountains withoutaccident’.They were now on the eastern edge of the BindookHighlands. From here, it is an easy ridge-top journey to theGreat Divide, along what was to become the Oberon-ColongStock Route.Barrallier and his party eventually reached a pointapproximately 2km short of the Great Divide and withinsight of it. They did not recognise this, however, due to thenature of the terrain. Had they explored south, they couldhave reached Mt Werong in an hour, and seen the westwardflowing Abercrombie River. Having travelled as far as theirsupplies 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 thanBlaxland, Lawson and Wentworth were to.www.yerranderie.com/explorer.htmCandidate 4: George Caley (1770–1829)George Caley, botanist and plant collector to SirJoseph Banks, went on regular collecting excursionsinto the Blue Mountains to gather natural historyspecimens.In November 1804, Caley and party set off for theCarmarthen Hills (Mt Tomah and Mt Banks), withthe intention of then continuing west or to ‘the mostpromising part of the country’. His companions were‘ticket of leave men’, minimum security convicts. Aftertravelling overland from Parramatta, possibly carryingtheir boat, they travelled up-river from Windsor tonear the junction of the Grose River. From there, theyclimbed 500 metres, in the hot sticky weather, toTabaraga 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 kilometresfurther north. But Caley set a compass course forMt Tomah, and determined to stick to it as far asthe terrain would allow. The march took them overPatersons Ridge, through three ravines, then into aparticularly steep sided valley which Caley named DarkValley. They were unknowingly travelling parallel to,and a few kilometres from, the Bilpin Ridge.www.australiaforeveryone.com.au/discovery/caley.htmThis candidate might be considered the firstto cross the Blue Mountains because …Candidate 5: George EvansSix months later, George Evans was sent by GovernorMacquarie to survey the route found by the threeexplorers in May 1813. He led a team which followedtheir route to Mount Blaxland, and then continuedon, over the Great Dividing Range, to where Bathurstnow stands — so over 100 kilometres beyond theachievement of the three explorers. He thus becamethe first European known to have reached the richpastureland of the Western Slopes and Plains.www.infobluemountains.net.au/history/crossing_3ex.htmThis candidate might be considered the firstto cross the Blue Mountains because …This candidate might be considered the firstto cross the Blue Mountains because …Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains37

Activity page11DCandidate 6: Aboriginal peopleMAP OF ABORIGINAL ARTEFACTSNote that since this map was createdin 1991 more than four times as manysites have now been recorded.Eugene Stockton and John Merriman (eds), Blue Mountains Dreaming: The Aboriginal Heritage(Second Edition), Blue Mountain Education and Research Trust, Lawson, 2009, p. 10Red Hands CaveExamples of Aboriginal habitationcan be found in many places. In theRed Hands Cave, a rock shelter nearGlenbrook, the walls contain handstencils from adults and children. Onthe southern side of Queen ElizabethDrive, at Wentworth Falls, a rockyknoll has a large number of grindinggrooves created by rubbing stoneimplements on the rock to shapeand sharpen them. There are alsocarved images of animal tracks andan occupation cave. The site is knownas Kings Tableland Aboriginal Site anddates back 22,000 years. The nativeAborigines knew [at least] two routesacross the mountains: Bilpin Ridge,which is now the location of Bells Lineof Road between Richmond and Bell,and the Coxs River, a tributary of theNepean River. It could be followedupstream to the open plains of theKanimbla Valley, the type of countrythat farmers prize.This candidate might be considered the firstto cross the Blue Mountains because …Candidate 7: Blaxland, Lawson and WentworthThis candidate might be considered the firstto cross the Blue Mountains because …38Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page11EComing 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.The ‘official’ storyEveryone knows that Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworthwere the first Europeans to succeed in crossing Australia’simpenetrable Blue Mountains, and thus opened up theway for the colony to expand onto the vast fertile slopesand plains of the west. Previous expeditions had tried, ofcourse, but all failed. The only way across was via the threeexplorers’ innovative ridge-top route.Well, it makes a nice story.By the time Gregory Blaxland, Lt William Lawson andWilliam Charles Wentworth set out, a considerable amountof information had been gathered. Not only did they knowof numerous routes which didn’t work, but they had GeorgeCaley’s observations of the main ridge, made from MtBanks. They also knew that the most successful efforts werethose which followed ridges.The view from Mt York is not, as implied by some accountsof history, one of expansive pastures. It is of the upperCox’s valley, with the Great Dividing Range blocking theview to the west.Descending into the valley, they came to the same bankof the same river as they had been on 12 days ago — theCox’s flows to the Nepean. They could have got there byfollowing the river, as John Wilson apparently had.Their turn-around point was Mt Blaxland, some 12km shortof the Great Divide. They had discovered a way over theBlue Mountains, and an area of pasture on the other side. Itwas May 31, they had been travelling for 21 days, and hadcovered 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 andrailway. However, it was Francis Barrallier’s route whichbecame the stock route, as it offered better feed along theway.Their report to the Governor Macquarie was modest; it waslater writers who polished up the story and made them intoheroes. Macquarie took no action to exploit their discovery.Wentworth was later to advise that a railway across the BlueMountains was impossible.Six months later, George Evans led a team which followedthe Three Explorers’ route, and continued on, over the GreatDividing Range, to where Bathurst now stands. He thusbecame the first European known to have reached the richpasture land of the Western Slopes and Plains.Governor Macquarie now became seriously interested. Hecommissioned George Cox to build a road along the route,and personally made the trip to Bathurst soon after it wascompleted. Bathurst, which did not yet exist as such, was tobecome Australia’s first inland city.Why do [the three explorers] get all the credit? Two reasonscome to mind: the Three were respectable (unlike Wilson),and British (unlike Barrallier).Previously, it had been in the governor’s interests topromote the belief that the mountains were impenetrable.Had Governor Hunter been so inclined, he could havefollowed up on John Wilson’s explorations and had a roadto Hartley by 1800, and one to Goulburn soon after.It is not our intention to denigrate the achievement ofthe Three Explorers. Rather, we seek to put it back intoproper perspective; in fact, the perspective in which theythemselves apparently saw it.www.infobluemountains.net.au/history/crossing_3ex.htm5 Add any information to your summary table on activity page 3A.6 Write a brief paragraph or do a comic strip sketch for your ownhistory textbook (in box 7 of activity page 3C) to explain to readersif Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth can be given the honour ofbeing the first to cross the Blue Mountains.Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth were the firstto cross the Blue Mountains. True or False?Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains39

Activity page12AInvestigation 8 What impacts did the crossing have? See the filmDid 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 yourjudgements about whether the impacts were good (+ve) or bad (–ve), andshort-term (ST) or long-term (LT). One example has been done to help you.‘virtual visit’from 12:00 to 14:40and 14:40 to 15:50Impacts of the Crossing of the Blue MountainsEconomicNew land for grazing sheep (LT) (+ve)SocialEnvironmentalHumanIdentity40Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page12BSource 1Since my return to England many of my friendshave expressed a wish to peruse my Journal…. It may not be deemed wholly uninteresting,when it is considered what important alterationsthe result of the expedition has produced inthe immediate interests and prosperity of thecolony. This appears in nothing more decidedlythan the unlimited pasturage already affordedto the very fine flocks of merino sheep, as wellas the extensive field opened for the exertionsof the present, as well as future generations. Ithas changed the aspect of the colony, from aconfined insulated tract of land, to a rich andextensive continent.Dedication by Blaxland in his Journal, 1823http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/blaxland/gregory/b64j/part1.html#part1Source 4In the first place, Macquarie did not plan a rapid peopling of theinland region — his plans for Bathurst ‘rested on the assumptionthat there was no pressing need for people to go there’. Hisproposed regulations for settlement were not approved until1817, and even then he took no immediate action to put theninto effect. Although a few soldiers and labouring men had beenstationed at Bathurst, there were no settlers until 1818, whenten grantees were finally put on small farms. In 1820 Macquariewas still rejecting proposals for a large-scale convict settlementon the grounds that it posed a security risk, and he had activelydiscouraged settlement by reserving large areas as Crown land.The Bathurst area remained for many years a small officialoutpost.Grace Karskens, An Historical and Archaeological Study of Cox’s Road and Early Crossings ofthe Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Crown lands Office, Bicentennial Project Unit,Sydney, 1988 p. 41Source 2Cox’s Road itself, rough and steep as it was,constituted the appropriate first step towardsthe Colony’s perceived future development: itmarked the line of European ‘civilisation’ throughthe wilderness and made possible Macquarie’sofficial claim over the vast interior for somefuture imperial destiny.Grace Karskens, An Historical and Archaeological Study of Cox’s Roadand Early Crossings of the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Crownlands Office, Bicentennial Project Unit, Sydney, 1988Source 5In 1788 the Aborigines of the Blue Mountains had had no contactwith Europeans; within 30 years their traditional way of life hadbeen irrevocably changed. Of the generations of new Mountainsdwellers who followed, few appreciated the Aboriginal heritageof the region, even though evidence of their presence was knownfrom 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 coverSource 6Source 3What was needed in the meantime was, firstlyan official claiming of the region in symbolicand practical ways, laying suitable foundationsfor later development, and secondly a means bywhich the colony’s starving stock might quicklybe taken into the new country. Cox’s Road servedboth purposes admirably. While not untruthfulthis description was exaggerated. For the journeyover Cox’s Road proved to be extremely difficultand laborious. Significantly, as the numbersof travellers gradually increased, so the longprocess of re-alignment and improvementfollowed. Cox’s original road was simply notsuitable for the transport and communicationrequired for inland settlement, and so while itwas of considerable symbolic importance, it hadonly limited actual economic usefulness.Grace Karskens, An Historical and Archaeological Study of Cox’s Roadand Early Crossings of the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Crownlands Office, Bicentennial Project Unit, Sydney, 1988Items on display in the Crossing of the Blue Mountains exhibitin the National Museum of Australia — iron axe heads and nails,a breastplate given by settlers to Aboriginal leaders, Aboriginalstone tools found in the Bathurst area.2 Could this display represent a comment on the impactof the new settlers on Aboriginal life and culture?Discuss this idea.Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains41

Activity page12CSource 7Bathurst was founded at the terminus of Cox’s Road on theorders of Governor Lachlan Macquarie who selected thesite on 7 May 1815. It is the oldest inland town in Australia.The name Bathurst comes from the surname of the BritishColonial Secretary Lord Bathurst. It was intended to be theadministrative centre of the western plains of New SouthWales, where orderly colonial settlement was planned. Thesettlers who crossed the Blue Mountains were harassed byWiradjuri warriors, who killed or wounded stock-keepersand stock and were subjected to retaliatory killings. Inresponse, Governor Brisbane proclaimed martial law on14 August 1824 to end ‘… the Slaughter of Black Womenand Children, and unoffending White Men …’. It remainedin force until 11 December 1824.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathurst,_New_South_Wales andhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_frontier_wars#New_South_WalesSource 8 Biography of Windradyne (c.1800–1829)Windradyne (c.1800–1829), Aboriginal resistance leader,also known as SATURDAY, was a northern Wiradjuri man ofthe upper Macquarie River region in central-western NewSouth Wales. Emerging as a key protagonist in a periodof Aboriginal-settler conflict later known as the ‘BathurstWars’, in December 1823 ‘Saturday’ was named as aninstigator of clashes between Aborigines and settlers thatculminated in the death of two convict stockmen at KingsPlains. He was arrested and imprisoned at Bathurst for onemonth; it was reported that six men and a severe beatingwith a musket were needed to secure him.After some of the most violent frontier incidents of theperiod, including the killing of seven stockmen in theWyagdon Ranges north of Bathurst and the murder ofAboriginal women and children by settler–vigilantes nearRaineville in May 1824, Governor Brisbane placed thewestern district under martial law on 14 August. Thelocal military was increased to seventy-five troops, andmagistrates were permitted to administer summary justice.Windradyne’s apparent involvement in the murder ofEuropean stockmen resulted in a reward of 200 hectaresbeing offered for his capture. The crisis subsided quickly,although the failure to capture Windradyne delayed therepeal of martial law until 11 December. Two weeks later heand a large number of his people crossed the mountains toParramatta to attend the annual feast there, where he wasformally pardoned by Brisbane.The Sydney Gazette described Saturday as ‘withoutdoubt, the most manly black native we have ever beheld… much stouter and more proportionable limbed’ thanmost Aborigines, with ‘a noble looking countenance, andpiercing eye … calculated to impress the beholder’. Anotherobserver thought him ‘a very fine figure, very muscular… a good model for the figure of Apollo’. His sobrietyand affection for his family and kinsmen were consideredremarkable.Apparently remaining camped in the domain at Parramattafor some time after the 1824 feast, Windradyne thenreturned to Bathurst. He declined to attend GovernorDarling’s feast the following year. In later years, he wasintermittently reported as being involved in raids on maizecrops or in clashes with settlers around Lake George. In1828 an Aboriginal man being led to his execution forthe murder of a stockman at Georges Plains attemptedvainly 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 atBathurst hospital, and was buried at Bathurst.Windradyne had been closely associated with George Suttorand his son William Henry, who were strong advocates onbehalf of Aborigines during and after the period of martiallaw. Both lamented his passing in the Sydney press inApril 1829. One of William Henry Suttor junior’s AustralianStories Retold (1887) placed Windradyne at the scene ofthe Wyagdon attacks in May 1824 and described how hiswarriors had spared the life of the author’s father …In 1954 the Bathurst District Historical Society erected amonument beside a Wiradjuri burial mound at Brucedale,attaching a bronze plaque commemorating ‘The restingplace of Windradene, alias ‘’Saturday”, last chief of theAborigines: first a terror, but later a friend to the settlers….A true patriot’. His death date was erroneously givenas 1835.In the late twentieth century Windradyne was transformedfrom a local figure to a character of national importanceas a resistance hero. A suburb at Bathurst and a studentaccommodation village at Charles Sturt University, WaggaWagga, were named after him. In May 2000 his presumedresting place was put under a voluntary conservation order,the occasion celebrated by Wiradjuri descendants and theSuttor family, continuing a 180-year-old friendship andcreating a potent symbol of reconciliation.David Andrew Roberts, Online Dictionary of Australian Biography, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/windradyne-132513 Add any information to your summarytable on activity page 3A.4 Write a brief paragraph or do a comicstrip sketch for your own historytextbook (in box 8 of activity page 3C)to explain to readers what the main impactsof the crossing of the Blue Mountains were.The crossing of theBlue Mountains opened thewest to an immediate rush ofsettlement. True or False?42Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page 13AHow is the crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813Investigation 9 represented in the National Museum of Australia?Here is the way the National Museum of Australia presents the story of thecrossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813.1 Read the information on Activity Page 13B and then look at the Museumobjects (Activity Pages 13B and 13C). Then critically evaluate the Museum’srepresentation, using the Site Study Guide below.SITE STUDY GUIDE — Analysing a Museum DisplaySee the film‘virtual visit’from 15:50 to 18:30Aspects to considerThe Museum displayWhat is your first impression of the displaybefore you start studying it in detail?What aspects of the event does the displayshow?Is the historical context clearly explained?Is the significance of this event clearlyexplained?Is a variety of evidence displayed?Are the objects displayed authentic for thatevent or period?Do the objects tell the story effectively?Are the text descriptions clear, accurateand informative?Do the surroundings influence yourimpression of the display?How is the display arranged — when yousee it what stands out in the display?Is there a particular message beingpresented to you in the display?Is the nature of the event clearly identified(e.g. am I told if it is controversial orcontested)?If so, is a variety of viewpoints clearly andfairly put?Do I know where the evidence has comefrom and what sort of evidence it is?Is its purpose to present objects (neutral),or to explain (impartial), or to argue aparticular point of view (partisan)?At the end, do I feel that I really understandthe event and its significance?What is your final judgement about thedisplay? Has it changed from your initialimpression? If so, suggest why.Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains43

Activity page13BBlue Mountains Looking for land Crossing the Blue MountainsSoon after British colonists establishedtheir first settlements in New SouthWales, they began searching for newpastures for their stock. They explorednorth and south, and inland as faras Evan (now Penrith), but foundtheir way further west blocked by theBlue Mountains.Local Gundungurra, Wiradjuri,Wanaruah, Darug and Darkinjungpeoples knew and used two mainroutes to cross the Blue Mountains.But most Europeans saw the rangeas a forbidding maze of sandstonebluffs, deep gorges and dense bush.Then, several expeditions managed topenetrate part way into the mountains,travelling up the Burragorang Valley,inland from Richmond, and around therange to the south.In 1813 Gregory Blaxland, WilliamLawson and William Charles Wentworthforged a route directly west from Evan.The following year a road tracing theirroute was built across the range andsettlers began moving stock into theinland slopes and plains of Wiradjuricountry. In the following decades theBlue Mountains became a holidaydestination for Sydneysiders, and todaymore than three million people visiteach year to admire the rugged viewsand walk the forest trails.All the difficulties were surmountedwhich had hitherto prevented theinterior of the country from beingexplored and the Colony furtherextended.Gregory Blaxland, 1813From his arrival in New South Wales,Governor Lachlan Macquarie soughtto increase the colony’s capacity toproduce its own food. He instructedsettlers to grow grain rather thanraise sheep and cattle, but many largelandholders refused to comply andcontinued to increase their stock. Whendrought struck the Sydney region theygrew desperate for new pastures.In 1813 William Charles Wentworth,William Lawson and Gregory Blaxland,keen to expand their holdings,persuaded Macquarie to support anattempt to cross the mountains. Theydeparted Emu Plains with horses, anAboriginal guide and three convictservants. Twenty-one days and about93 kilometres later they climbed whatis now Mount Blaxland and saw to thewest country suited to sheep and cattle.They had proved that colonists couldcross the Blue Mountains.I am more pleased with the Countryevery day; it is a great extent ofGrazing landGeorge William Evans, 1813After Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworthreturned from the Blue Mountains withreports of promising land beyond,Governor Macquarie instructedsurveyor George Evans to plan a roadacross the range. Evans traced theexplorers’ trail of blazed (marked) treesand then followed a pathway made bylocal Aboriginal people down onto theinland slopes. He found rich grasslands,mostly created by the Wiradjuri people’spractice of periodic burning.Macquarie then commissionedex-soldier William Cox to build a roadthrough the mountains. In six monthsCox’s team of 30 convicts and eightguards completed more than 160kilometres. Bathurst, the first settlementwest of the range, was establishedin 1815, and pastoralists floodedinto the inland. For the next decadethere was armed conflict in the regionas the Wiradjuri, led by the warriorWindradyne, resisted the invasion.2 Add any information to your summary table on activity page 3A.3 Write a brief paragraph or do a comic strip sketch for your own history textbook (in box 9of activity page 3C) to explain to readers how the crossing of the Blue Mountains might bepresented differently by different historical representations. (Use the Museum display andother textbooks to answer this question.)4 Looking at activity page 3A, what are your final answers to each of the questions, based onthe evidence, information and ideas that you have summarised throughout this unit?44Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page13CWilliam Cox’s telescope early 1800Cox used this telescope as he supervisedconstruction of the first road over the BlueMountains in 1814 and 1815. GovernorMacquarie rewarded Cox with the first land grantin the Bathurst area, 2000 acres (810 hectares)that Cox named ‘Hereford’.Private collectionBlack slate pendulum mantel clockOwned by the Blaxland family 1718. Gregory Blaxlandarrived in New South Wales from Britain in 1806,and his brother, John, followed a year later. Theybrought with them this weighty clock made byLondon clockmaker Devereux Bowley. The Blaxlands’move was assisted by the British Government, undera scheme encouraging educated and prosperousmigrants. In return for investing capital in the colonythey were promised land grants, convict workers andfree passage for themselves and their possessions.Donated by Daryl Blaxland, National Museum of AustraliaA Corrobbirree, or Dance of the Nativesof Australia about 1836 (detail)By Charles Staniforth HextBritish army officer Charles Staniforth Hextsketched this scene while stationed in NewSouth Wales. Annotations name members ofthe ‘Bathurst tribe’ and ‘Burrogorang tribe’.National Museum of AustraliaTwo hand-forged nails fromPilgrim Inn, Blaxland 1820sPilgrim Inn was built by merchantand theatre director Barnett Levy onhis land grant at Wascoe (now calledBlaxland) in the lower Blue Mountainsin the late 1920s. In need of money tofund construction of Sydney’s TheatreRoyal, the first theatre in Australia,Levy sold the inn soon afterwards.Eventually, three major roads in theregion — Cox’s Road, Mitchell’s Passand Old Bathurst Road — convergedat this point and for many decadesthe inn was a key stopping point forpeople travelling over the montains.Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. Gift of W Davis,1958Pocket watchInset with pearls and diamonds, belonging toWilliam Charles Wentworth 1816.Wentworth was born to a prosperous New SouthWales family and became a leading figure incolonial society. As a young man he took upland on the Nepean River. Then in 1816, aftertraversing the Blue Mountains, he travelled toBritain to study law. From 1824 Wentworth settledin Sydney, serving in the Legislative Counciland campaigning for a free press, trial by jury,self-government and the interests of ex-convicts.Historic Houses Trust of New South WalesGunter’s chain used in the Bathurstarea 19th centurySurveyor George Evans travelled acrossthe Blue Mountains to the future siteof Bathurst in 1813. He measured thelength of his return journey to Sydneywith a Gunter’s chain, whose 100 linksadd up to 66 feet (just over 20 metres).Department of Lands, New South WalesWhite Mountain ash marker 1813Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworthmarked their route through the BlueMountains by blazing, or cutting, thebark of trees. This section of whitemountain ash, removed from PulpitHill near Katoomba in 1901, showsmarkings believed to have been madeby the explorers.Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.Collected by Mr Connelly, 1901Single-barrel shotgunBelieved to have belongedto William Wentworth early19th centuryPowerhouse Museum, Sydney.Gift of Mr Minton, 1984Portrait medallion ofWentworth 1854By Thomas WoolnerState Library of New South WalesMyths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains45

ACTIVITY PAGE13BGregory Blaxland’s swordAbout 1800.State Library of New South WalesBreastplate 19th centuryIn the 1830s George Larnach and his familybecame the first settlers in the Caloola Valleynear Bathurst. They established friendlyrelations with the local Wiradjuri people.Lanarch presented this breastplate to anelder of the group as a mark of respect.On loan from Alan McRaeLand grant made to Gregory Blaxland 1812In 1809 Lieutenant Governor William Patersonallocated Blaxland 2000 acres (810 hectares) atEvan, now Penrith. Three years later GovernorLachlan Macquarie granted him a further 2280acres (920 hectares) at the same location, andthen, as detailed in this document, 500 acres(200 hectares) at what is now Cobbity. Macquariebelieved this ended Blaxland’s entitlement, butthe family disputed this in the court. Determinedto expand his holdings, Blaxland looked for landwest of the Blue Mountains.National Museum of AustraliaSurveyor and settlerWilliam Lawson arrived in Sydney in 1800 as anofficer of the New South Wales Corps. He actedas a surveyor during the 1813 expedition intothe Blue Mountains and may have been the firstto take stock across the range. Lawson selected1000 acres (400 hectares) near Bathurst ashis reward for a successful expedition. He wascommandant of Bathurst from 1819 to 1824 andled expeditions to its west and north. Lawsoneventually owned more than 200000 acres,making his pastoral enterprise one of the largestin the colonies.William LawsonMitchell Linrary, State Library of New South WalesStone flakes found in theBathurst area collected1900-60Wiradjuri craftspeople hadmade stone tools like these forthousands of years before thefirst settlers arrived. These flakeswere collected by Percy Gresser,a Bathurst shearer who devotedhis life to researching Indigenousculture and history.Bathurst Historical SocietyBrick from Fordwich House 1820sBlaxland hoped his 1813 expedition across the BlueMountains would bring him new pastures. GovernorMacquarie rewarded Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth eachwith 1000 acres (400 hectares) west of the range, but refusedBlaxland’s request for further grants inland of the mountains.Despite such disputes with colonial authorities, the Blaxlandfamily developed a network of properties in New South Wales.This brick is from Fordwich House, built by the Blaxlandfamily with convict labour at Broke,near Singleton, in 1824.Cattle were bred and fattened at Fordwich before beingslaughtered and salted at John Blaxland’s large property,Newington, on the Parramatta River, west of Sydney.On loan from Darryl BlaxlandRoad making tools used forcrossing the Blue MountainsWilliam Cox’s team ofconvicts used basic toolslike these while buildingthe first road across theBlue Mountains, now theGreat Western Highway.On loan from Ralph Hawkins46Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains

Activity page 14Conclusion 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 inAustralian 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 theIndustrial Revolutionon AustraliaConvict lifeImpacts ofsettlement onIndigenous peopleThe movementof peopleThe nature of thefree settlersEconomic activityin New South WalesLand use in NewSouth WalesWhat it was like(empathy)CausationConsequences ofsettlementDifferent views ofthe future of NewSouth Wales2 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 thecrossing of the Blue Mountains tells us about this part of our past.Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains47

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