John oxley why did he explore

From here you follow the Oxley Highway to Port Macquarie. July 18, hardly any supplies left. Made it back to Mt Harris today. They had explored the country forward for 10 days having travelled 27 miles in two days and the men unable to walk.

Evans reported to Oxley that he had discovered another river and had named it the Castlereagh. Oxley allowed Evans and men two days rest after which the party would make their way due east towards the Castlereagh and pass what Oxley called a stupendous range of mountains, the Warrumbungles.

July 20, a bottle containing a description of their proposed route was buried on the summit of Mt Harris. July 21, proceeded through bush and marshes. The horses were distressed having to walk knee deep in swamps. Could only travel seven miles. July 25, set out again hoping to find the Castlereagh.

Travelled nine miles in waist deep water. The horses had to be unloaded. Evans believed they were close to the Castlereagh. Pushed on and after two miles they found its banks. The river that Evans had waded across only a few days earlier was now running within its banks. It was flowing so fast there was no hope of crossing today.

July 27, moved their camp closer to the riverbanks. The provisions had to be carried by the men. The Castlereagh River is a stream of great magnitude. Its channel is divided by numerous islands. It measures in the lowest part, yards. August 6, made for a small hill three miles away. Oxley, Harris and Evans climbed the hill and had a great view of the country. Oxley named the hill Kangaroo Hill, now known as Tenadara.

A strenuous two hour climb to the top. They viewed flat wilderness and saw the Hardwick Range miles away today Nandewar Range. Oxley named the Apple Tree Flat.

August 25, left camp early and travelled east. The coldest day yet. Travelled four miles across grassy plains to the north. Halted at a small hill which they named Witwell Hill now Bulga Mountain. Travelled 10 miles. August 26, continued east, followed a stream and plains.

August 27, continued east and after five miles reached a small stream Oxley named Bowens Rivulet now Cox Creek. Pushed on another 14 miles and halted at a hill Oxley named View Hill.

They climbed the hill and viewed for the first time the beautiful Liverpool Plains. Evans sketched the view. August 29, after seven miles they came to a hill Oxley named Melville Hills, now known as Melville Range.

August 31, crossed a stream running north through a valley. Rested after 12 miles under a hill named Mt Dundas.

September 2, travelled 12 miles and reached a fast flowing stream. The city of Tamworth now sits on its banks. They rested here for the night. September 4, entered another valley. September 7, began a very steep climb. Spectacular scenery from the rop of the ranges, now the Moonbi Range. They continued east along the top of the range and descended gradually to a river Oxley named the Sydney River now the MacDonald River.

September 8, followed the Sydney River south-east and crossed it after three miles. Travelled another two miles and reached open level country and stopped in the picturesque valley just south of the present site of Walcha.

September 11, after travelling three miles, stopped by a deep chasm. Oxley estimated the ravine to be feet.

September 13, followed the heavily timbered ravine. They day terminated at one of the most magnificent waterfalls they had seen. Oxley named the fall Becketts Cataract.

Today they are the Tia Falls. Camped here. September 15, began their descent down the ravine. They were stopped a third of the way down by the terrain.

Three horses fell and were saved from certain death when they rollwed against trees. Followed the ravine eastward across a small stream that cascaded into the gorge. They they found water spilling magnificently feet into the valley over rocks, and then another feet.

After that they fell into smaller falls. Oxley named them Bathurst Falls now the Apsley Falls. September 16, cold and wet. Made 12 miles. September 23, some of the men went back for the horses as the horses could now climb out of the valley. While Oxley and Evans examined the way ahead; a steep climb out of the valley.

On reaching the summit they were delighted to see the ocean about 50 miles away. Here they saw Mt Seaview. Today they sick horse had to be shot. That night Oxley recorded in his journal the great relief he felt having seen the sea.

When gaining the summit of this mountain, we behold old coean at our feet. It inspired us with new life. Every difficulty vanished and in imagination we were already home.

The men snaked their way along the sides trying to find the easiest route for the horses. They reached the summit, a distance of two miles, at noon and soon after commenced their descent. In places it was 45 degrees. It took three and a half hours to reach a narrow valley.

After 2. One horse was unable to walk and the baggage from two others was left there. September 25, the men went back for the horse and baggage while Oxley and Evans followed the stream down the valley. Finding plenty of grass they decided to move down the river the next day. From here, they commenced following its course, with part of the stores being conveyed in boats.

As the exploring party travelled westward the country surrounding the rising river was found to be increasingly inundated. On 12 May, west of the present township of Forbes, they found their progress impeded by an extensive marsh. They travelled down a northern branch of the river to Mt Mulguthery where they were forced to return up the river. After retracing their route for a short distance they then proceeded in a south-westerly direction through Ungarie and past Weethalle, intending to travel overland to the southern Australian coastline.

By the end of May, the party found themselves in a dry scrubby country northeast of Yenda where they ascended several peaks in the Cocoparra National Park. Shortage of water and the death of two horses forced Oxley's return, passing near Rankins Springs to the Lachlan River.

Oxley resolved to turn back and after resting for two days the exploring party began to retrace their steps along the Lachlan River. They left the Lachlan at Kiacatoo up-stream of the present site of Lake Cargelligo and crossed to the Bogan River and then across to the Wellington Valley on the upper waters of the Macquarie River , which they followed back to Bathurst arriving on 29 August The Wellington Valley would later be made the site of a convict settlement mostly for convict 'specials'.

Oxley travelled to Dubbo on 12 June He wrote that he had passed that day 'over a very beautiful country, thinly wooded and apparently safe from the highest floods Later in Oxley and his men explored the Macquarie River at length before turning east.

On 26 August they climbed a hill and saw before them rich, fertile land Peel River , near the present site of Tamworth. He discovered and named the Arbuthnot Range, since renamed the Warrumbungle Range. As a sheep breeder he took prizes at the shows of the Agricultural Society which he helped to found in , though in John Macarthur criticized his crossbred sheep which, he said, Oxley sold as pure merinos to strangers; but Oxley and Macarthur were then on very bad terms.

For a time Oxley was a director of the Bank of New South Wales, but in he was one of the founders and first directors of its 'exclusivist' rival, the Bank of Australia. He was a shareholder of the Australian Agricultural Co. Oxley was keenly interested in the public and cultural life of the colony. He was one of the first officers of the Bible Society when it was founded in In he became a foundation member of the Philosophical Society, and that December Governor Brisbane made him a magistrate.

He subscribed to both St James's Church and to Scots Church where he was one of the congregation which in petitioned for government assistance for its minister.

He was selected as one of the five members of the original Legislative Council in , but was not reappointed when the council was reconstituted next year. He had always been a strong exclusive. Macquarie criticized him as 'factious and dissatisfied'. In John Macarthur wrote warmly of Oxley's 'good nature'; later he spoke in a very different vein after 'his unprincipled conduct made it necessary to drop his acquaintance'.

Whatever his character his financial incapacity is clear, and this made him, in Macarthur's opinion, 'no more fit to make his way in the midst of the sharks among whom it will be his fate to live than he is qualified to be a Lord Chancellor'. Despite his investments, his fees and his land grants, when he died at Kirkham on 26 May , he was so 'much embarrassed in his pecuniary circumstances' that the Executive Council felt compelled to recommend special assistance to his widow and children.

The British government refused to sanction a pension but agreed to permit a grant of acres ha to Oxley's sons in recognition of their father's services. They had two sons, John b. He kept a substantial town house in Sydney, opposite St James's Church, and he built a fine country seat at Kirkham.

The horses became very weak and started to die. The men were forced to eat dingo, emu and snake. The explorers turned north west and again came across the Lachlan. They continued downstream until they were again blocked again by marshes, causing them to turn back. Oxley believed that the interior was marshland and unsuitable for settlement. Little did he know that he was a few days away from the Murrumbidgee and large areas of good land. Food was running low, so he returned to Bathurst.

They used boats, but these had to be left behind when they struck marshes again. Oxley was beginning to believe that there was an inland sea.