Layer

NameEarly Land Exploration around Sydney / Gadical and Darug Country
DescriptionSoon after establishing a settlement at Sydney Cove in Gadigal country, the British began exploring upriver and to the north and south, finding desirable land for farming, finding a connection to the Hawkesbury River, and finding the Blue Mountains impassable. These explorations lead to conflict with Gadigal and Darug people. This points show locations at the far extent of several different journeys. They are derived from the diary of Watkin Tench and other sources.
TypeOther
Content Warning
ContributorDr Bill Pascoe
Entries7
Allow ANPS? No
Added to System2022-11-25 13:14:29
Updated in System2022-11-25 13:37:23
Subject exploration, darug, gadigal
Creator
Publisher
Contact
Citation
DOI
Source URLhttps://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3534/pg3534-images.html
Linkbackhttps://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3534/pg3534-images.html
Date From1788
Date To1790
Image
Latitude From
Longitude From
Latitude To
Longitude To
Language
LicenseCCBY
Usage RightsOpen data
Date Created (externally)

Details

Latitude
-33.81965963
Longitude
150.9217644
Start Date
1788
End Date
1788

Description

Early exploration inland from the first British settlement at Sydney in lands and waters of Gadigal and Darug people.

Extended Data

Explorer
Governor Phillip

Sources

TLCMap ID
t17326
Linkback
https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/phillip-arthur-2549
Created At
2022-11-25 13:37:23
Updated At
2023-12-11 17:49:40

Details

Latitude
-33.59631896
Longitude
150.6965447
Start Date
1789
End Date
1789

Description

Governor Phillip sailed up the Hawkesbury River and sighted Richmond Hill, which was later identified by Tench and Dawes on a journey inland from Sydney, demonstrating the connection of the Sydney area with the Hawkesbury.

Extended Data

Explorer
Governor Phillip

Sources

TLCMap ID
t17327
Linkback
https://dictionaryofsydney.org/natural_feature/richmond_hill
Created At
2022-11-25 13:37:23
Updated At
2023-12-11 17:49:40

Details

Latitude
-33.75381741
Longitude
150.6731129
Start Date
1789
End Date
1789

Description

"At this period, I was unluckily invested with the command of the outpost at Rose Hill, which prevented me from being in the list of discoverers of the Hawkesbury. Stimulated, however, by a desire of acquiring a further knowledge of the country, on the 26th instant, accompanied by Mr. Arndell, assistant surgeon of the settlement, Mr. Lowes, surgeon's mate of the 'Sirius', two marines, and a convict, I left the redoubt at day-break, pointing our march to a hill, distant five miles, in a westerly or inland direction, which commands a view of the great chain of mountains, called Carmarthen hills, extending from north to south farther than the eye can reach. Here we paused, surveying "the wild abyss; pondering our voyage." Before us lay the trackless immeasurable desert, in awful silence. At length, after consultation, we determined to steer west and by north, by compass, the make of the land in that quarter indicating the existence of a river. We continued to march all day through a country untrodden before by an European foot. Save that a melancholy crow now and then flew croaking over head, or a kangaroo was seen to bound at a distance, the picture of solitude was complete and undisturbed. At four o'clock in the afternoon we halted near a small pond of water, where we took up our residence for the night, lighted a fire, and prepared to cook our supper: that was, to broil over a couple of ramrods a few slices of salt pork, and a crow which we had shot. "At daylight we renewed our peregrination; and in an hour after we found ourselves on the banks of a river, nearly as broad as the Thames at Putney, and apparently of great depth, the current running very slowly in a northerly direction. Vast flocks of wild ducks were swimming in the stream; but after being once fired at, they grew so shy that we could not get near them a second time. Nothing is more certain than that the sound of a gun had never before been heard within many miles of this spot. "We proceeded upwards, by a slow pace, through reeds, thickets, and a thousand other obstacles, which impeded our progress, over coarse sandy ground, which had been recently inundated, though full forty feet above the present level of the river. Traces of the natives appeared at every step, sometimes in their hunting-huts, which consist of nothing more than a large piece of bark, bent in the middle, and open at both ends, exactly resembling two cards, set up to form an acute angle; sometimes in marks on trees which they had climbed; or in squirrel-traps*; or, which surprised us more, from being new, in decoys for the purpose of ensnaring birds. These are formed of underwood and reeds, long and narrow, shaped like a mound raised over a grave; with a small aperture at one end for admission of the prey; and a grate made of sticks at the other: the bird enters at the aperture, seeing before him the light of the grate, between the bars of which, he vainly endeavours to thrust himself, until taken. Most of these decoys were full of feathers, chiefly those of quails, which shewed their utility. We also met with two old damaged canoes hauled up on the beach, which differed in no wise from those found on the sea coast." - Watkin Tench

Extended Data

Explorer
Watkin Tench

Sources

TLCMap ID
t17328
Linkback
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3534/pg3534-images.html
Created At
2022-11-25 13:37:23
Updated At
2023-12-11 17:49:40

Details

Latitude
-33.61576293
Longitude
150.6255627
Start Date
1793
End Date
1793

Description

Early exploration inland from the first British settlement at Sydney in lands and waters of Gadigal and Darug people.

Extended Data

Explorer
William Paterson

Sources

TLCMap ID
t17329
Linkback
https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/paterson-william-2541
Created At
2022-11-25 13:37:23
Updated At
2023-12-11 17:49:40

Details

Latitude
-33.70774059
Longitude
150.4951429
Start Date
1789
End Date
1789

Description

Early exploration inland from the first British settlement at Sydney in lands and waters of Gadigal and Darug people.

Extended Data

Explorer
William Dawes

Sources

TLCMap ID
t1732a
Linkback
https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/dawes-william-1968
Created At
2022-11-25 13:37:23
Updated At
2023-12-11 17:49:40

Details

Latitude
-33.53166
Longitude
150.6177
Start Date
1791
End Date
1791

Description

Early exploration inland from the first British settlement at Sydney in lands and waters of Gadigal and Darug people. on this expedition on the 24th of May, 1791; and having reached the opposite side of the mouth of the creek which had in our last journey prevented our progress, we proceeded from there up to Richmond Hill by the river side; mounted it; slept at its foot; and on the following day penetrated some miles westward or inland of it until we were stopped by a mountainous country, which our scarcity of provisions, joined to the terror of a river at our back, whose sudden rising is almost beyond computation, hindered us from exploring. To the elevation which bounded our research we gave the name of Knight Hill, in honour of the trusty sergeant who had been the faithful indefatigable companion of all our travels. "This excursion completely settled the long contested point about the Hawkesbury and Nepean. We found them to be one river. Without knowing it, Mr. Dawes and myself had passed Richmond Hill almost a year before (in August 1790), and from there walked on the bank of the river to the spot where my discovery of the Nepean happened, in June 1789. Our ignorance arose from having never before seen the hill, and from the erroneous position assigned to it by those who had been in the boats up the river. "Except the behaviour of some natives whom we met on the river, which it would be ingratitude to pass in silence, nothing particularly worthy of notice occurred on this expedition." - Watkin Tench

Extended Data

Explorer
Watkin Tench

Sources

TLCMap ID
t1732b
Linkback
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3534/pg3534-images.html
Created At
2022-11-25 13:37:23
Updated At
2023-12-11 17:49:40

Details

Latitude
-34.14
Longitude
150.6677
Start Date
1790
End Date
1790

Description

Early exploration inland from the first British settlement at Sydney in lands and waters of Gadigal and Darug people.

Extended Data

Explorer
Watkin Tench

Sources

TLCMap ID
t1732c
Linkback
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3534/pg3534-images.html
Created At
2022-11-25 13:37:23
Updated At
2023-12-11 17:49:40
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