Crossing the Blue Mountains - The Starting Point

With the bi-centenary of the first crossing of the Blue Mountains by Europeans in 1813 coming up in May 2013, there will be many celebrations and re-enactments. Interesting details of theexpedition will emerge.

Warren Brown, editorial newspaper cartoonist for Sydney's Daily Telegraph, is currently retracing the route of the explorers Gregory Blaxland, William Charles Wentworth and William Lawson. He wanted to begin at their exact starting point on Gregory Blaxland's farm near South Creek [Daily Telegraph, 5 March 2013].

We had previously located a memorial cairn to the three explorers in Luddenham Road at Orchard Hills adjacent to the former site of Blaxland's farm "Leeholme". It was erected in 1938 and marks the staring point of the Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth expedition on 11 May 1813. 

Explorers Memorial Cairn on Luddenham Road , Orchard Hill
 Photo taken September 2011

"Here on the South Creek
 was Gregory Blaxland's farm
From it on May 11, 1813
he set out with
William Lawson and WC Wentworth
attended by four servants
with four pack horses and five dogs
on the first expedition
that crossed the Blue Mountains .

-----------------------
Citizens of St Marys 1938

Official records of the expedition, including the diaries of the explorers make no mention of the names of the 'four servants' that accompanied them.

History Services NSW has records, sourced from State Records, for five convicts who were remunerated for their services in crossing the Blue Mountains. These convicts were:

James Byrne per Anne, arriving in Port Jackson on 21 February 1801 from Cork, Ireland, who was:

• paid from Police Fund for services as a guide to the party who crossed the Blue Mountains, document dated 5 February 1814 [State Records reel 6038 page 456, SZ758];

• paid from Police Fund for services in making discoveries west of the Blue Mountains, document dated 30 April 1814 [State Records reel 6038 page 489, SZ758].

• on the list of persons who are to receive grants of land in December 1814 for crossing the Blue Mountains, document dated 12 Dec 1814 [State Records Fiche 3266 page 20, 9/2652].

John Cogan  per Tellicherry, arriving in Port Jackson on 15 February 1806 from Cork;  
Richard Lewis per Coromandel arriving in Port Jackson on 13 June 1802 from Spithead; 
John Tighe (Tygue) per Anne, arriving in Port Jackson on 21 February 1801 from Cork; and, 
John Grover per Anne arriving in Port Jackson on 27 February 1810 from England;
who were all:

• paid from Police Fund for services in making discoveries west of the Blue Mountains, document dated 30 April 1814 [State Records reel 6038 page 489, SZ758].

• on the list of persons who are to receive grants of land in December 1814 for crossing the Blue Mountains, document dated 12 Dec 1814 [State Records Fiche 3266 page 20, 9/2652].

The earlier date of 5 February 1814 for James Byrne,as well as corroborated research, would indicate that he was part of the first expedition over the Blue Mountains.

It has been established that the other four convicts accompanied George Evans on the second journey over the Blue Mountains in November 1813 [Footsteps in Time: A Road Across the Mountains, John Yeaman 2010].

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History Services NSW has  records of  sixty-nine convicts who took part in further expeditions of discovery with the early explorers.

If you are researching a convict ancestor, you should go to our website at: http://www.historyservices.com.au/convicts.htm



Blog prepared by Mary McGuinness

All photos taken in September 2011