Hartley Court House - 1837 to 1937

20 HISTORIC GLEN ROY, COX’S R IV E R .___
to our turn it was with many fears we entered the water nearly
up to the horses’ bellies, and the bottom covered with large
pieces of rock and stone, enough to overturn the cart and jolt
us to death. A man offered to carry little Neddie over in his
arms. W ith anxious eyes I watched him through fear his feet
might slip and our darling boy have his head dashed against a
stone. W ith talking, swearing, beating our poor bullocks, we
got safe on the bank on the opposite side.”
After a toilsome journey over the hills of Clarence’s Hilly
Range and those beyond the Fish River these settlers reached
Bathurst on April 22, 1822.
B o t a n i s i n g w i t h A l l a n Cu n n i n g h a m .
In 1822, while proceeding westward on one of his many
botanising excursions, Allan Cunningham stayed again at the
camping ground by Cox’s River. He descended Cox’s Pass on
October 7 and journeyed through the rich but swampy Yale of
Clwydd to the low rocky flats near the junction of the river
and the rivulet. As the banks of the river seemed productive
of curious plants and also afforded wholesome grass seed to his
horses, Cunningham decided to remain here for some days.
The two Grevillese he had noticed in 1817 he now saw in full
bloom, and as they were unpublished plants he described them.
A species Hakea remarkable for its very small fruit and round
stiff leaves was also frequent in these situations, and “ proved
to be H . microcarpa originally discover’d on the banks of Rivers
in Van Diemen's Island After the rising of the dense early
morning mist on October 8 the day was fine and warm, and at
eight o ’clock the botanist set out by a native path along the
right bank of Cox’s River, making in a south-westerly direction
for a barren rocky hill seen from the high ground near the tents
and which the soldiers of the depot assured him held a considerable
variety of flowers. He noticed along the immediate verge
of the river specimens of a fine shrubby croton bearing male and
female flowers and remarked “ the Swamp Oak (Casuarina
paludora) of enormous size . . . At length he ascended a
portion of the ridge whose entire absence of timber trees made it
conspicuous on the abundantly wooded range. He observed
there a most interesting assemblage of fine plants, of which he
collected a number. “ Nothing ” , he wrote, “ truly can exceed
the Native beauty of the Hill and Dale, towards the Extremity
of our D a y’s Excursion ; the lands are thinly wooded, the soil