James Watsford, Mount York, NSW, Australia
S 33° 33.181 E 150° 13.210
56H E 241912 N 6283940
At the Mount York Lookout is a sign about James Watsford, Australia's first Royal Mail coachman.
Waymark Code: WMXBM7
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 12/22/2017
Views: 1
On the eastern side of the Mount York Lookout Area is a sandstone boulder, with an inset, laser-etched, brushed stainless steel plaque; which sadly has lost some of the ink from the printed section. It reads:
"Not for an age but for all time"
In commemoration of Australia's first Royal Mail coachman.
JAMES WATSFORD
"On April 6th 1832, James Watsford pioneered the first official mail service between Parramatta, Penrith, Collit's Inn and Bathurst.
"This marked the establishment of a regular carriage conveyance of the mails over the Blue Mountains Road.
James Watsford reached the ridge of Mount York at nightfall. Passengers and horses were rested while he attached drags to the coach to slow it down the steep slopes of the mountain.
"His amazing descent down Lawson's Long Alley to the Vale of Clwydd was then accomplished in darkness and mist. The night was spent at Collit's Inn at the foot of Mount York.
"On the following day, James Watsford continued his epic journey via William Cox's first road that led across the Great Dividing Range and O'Connell Plains to Bathurst.
"This Commemorative Plaque was unveiled on Sept. 14 1974 by His Worship, Alderman I.D. Dash, Mayor, Council of the City of Blue Mountains, in the presence of Alfred H. Watsford Esq.
"The descendants of James Watsford express their everlasting gratitude to the Council of the City of Blue Mountains for reserving this historic site as a commemorative memorial to their first Australian ancestor who arrived in the colony of New South Wales on January 18th 1812."
* James Watsford was born in 1788 (the year the First Fleet arrived in Australia), he was convicted in August 1811, and sentenced 'to LIFE', at Sussex Assizes, and transported to Australia. He died on 8th June, 1845, aged 57 years. (
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Visited: 1821, Monday, 3 October, 2016