Who crossed the Blue Mountains in 1813?

In 1813 Gregory Blaxland, William Charles Wentworth and William Lawson became the first European settlers to successfully navigate a path across the Blue Mountains.

What is the significance of the crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813?

The crossing enabled the settlers to access and use the land west of the mountains for farming, and made possible the establishment of Australia’s first inland settlement at Bathurst.

Why did the colonists want to cross the Blue Mountains?

They were looking for new farming land for British colonists in Sydney. The crossing opened up the inland of Australia to pastoralism, but also began the long history of dispossession as Aboriginal people began to lose their lands across the continent.

What did Gregory Blaxland discover?

Gregory Blaxland (17 June 1778 – 1 January 1853) was an English pioneer farmer and explorer in Australia, noted especially for initiating and co-leading the first successful crossing of the Blue Mountains by European settlers.

What was John Wilson’s aboriginal name?

Bun-bo-e
He established good relations with the Aborigines, to whom he was ‘Bun-bo-e’, and so definitely did he become a member of a particular band that his body, clad only in a kangaroo skin, was heavily scarred by tribal markings.

What is William Wentworth famous for?

William Charles Wentworth (August 1790 – 20 March 1872) was a British Australian pastoralist, explorer, lawyer, politician and author, who became one of the wealthiest and most powerful figures of early colonial New South Wales.

How were the Blue Mountains formed?

The mountains were built from sediment deposited by ancient rivers. A movement in the earth meant that the quartzite landscape was flooded by a shallow sea from the east. Streams flowing into this sea carried huge amounts of sediment, which were deposited in horizontal layers.

When was Australia first crossed?

1813
Gregory Blaxland was the first to successfully lead an expedition to cross them in 1813, accompanied by William Lawson, William Wentworth and four servants.

Why did Blaxland commit suicide?

During his time in Australia, Gregory Blaxland was considered an ambitious, self-interested man, with a streak of discontent. Towards the end of his life, he suffered a series of losses, both personal and economic, and fell into depression. He committed suicide on January 1st 1853.

When was the Blue Mountains discovered?

On the 11th May 1813 the explorers departed from Emu Plains reaching the foothills of the Blue Mountains, or Glenbrook as it is known today. For Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson, the trip across the Blue Mountains was a tremendous struggle.