Gregory Blaxland - Explorer
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Riblit
S 33° 48.346 E 151° 00.654
56H E 315879 N 6257600
Gregory Blaxland, brother of John and leader of the first European party to cross the Blue Mountains.
Waymark Code: WMA11Q
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 10/28/2010
Views: 23
Pioneer farmer and explorer. Born in England in 1788 and came to Australia in 1806 as a free settler.
In 1813, he led the first known European expedition across the area of the Great Dividing Range known as the Blue Mountains with William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth, on a journey which would open up the inland of the continent.
Blaxland also produced a fine wine at his Brush Park property, it won a silver medal in London in 1822. He was unsuccessful with his attempts at growing tobacco but was able to grow buffalo grass.
Blaxland disappeared from public activity and when he committed suicide on 1 January 1853, his death was scarcely noticed in the press. Always a man of moody and mercurial character, Blaxland devoted his colonial activities almost entirely to the pursuit of his economic interests, and his diaries do not suggest great attachment to the colonial environment beyond what was suggested by the hope of personal gain.
Description:
Best known for crossing the Blue Mountains.
Date of birth: 06/17/1778
Date of death: 01/01/1853
Area of notoriety: Exploration
Marker Type: Headstone
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Accessible 24 hours a day.
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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