The bronze coloured plaque on the side of the concrete pedestal reads:
[Sepia photo, of George Evans: courtesy of the State library NSW - Mitchell Library]
George William Evans
1780 - 1852
"George William Evans was born in Warwick, England, on 5-1-1780, and came to Australia in 1802, after a year stay in Cape Town.
"After his first job as a storekeeper, he was appointed Acting Surveyor-General in 1803, and on one of his explorations, he discovered the Warragamba River.
"He was discharged by Governor King in 1805, so he turned to his already established farm at Richmond, and despite flood losses, continued farming there until he returned to surveying in 1809.
"He carried out the first detailed survey of Jervis bay in 1812, following which he returned overland to Appin, near Sydney, in an arduous journey, through previously unexplored country.
"Evans had been appointed Assistant Surveyor at port Dalrymple (Launceston) in 1809, but it was not until late 1812 that he and James Meehan went to Van Diemen's Land with instructions to remedy mismanagement of the area's survey administration.
"Evans came back to Sydney ten weeks after Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson had returned from their historic crossing of the Blue Mountains. To find out more about this newly-explored land, Governor Macquarie subsequently instructed Evans, then Deputy Surveyor of Lands, to retrace and survey the explorers blazed trail, and investigate the country beyond.
"Evans set out from Emu Ford near Penrith, on 20-11-1813, and began his survey on 26-11-1813 near the western end of the three explorer's journey. Marking a tree on the banks of the River Lett, he proceeded westward reaching the site of present-day Bathurst on 9-12-1813, and a point 42 miles (68 km) further down the Macquarie River on 17-12-1813.
"The 48½ mile (78 km) traverse over the Blue Mountains was done on the return journey, starting at the River Lett on 31-12-1813, and finishing at Emu Ford on 8-1-1814.
"In July 1814 William Cox commenced the construction of a road, based on Evans survey. Which, when completed in January 1815, extended 101½ miles (163 km) from Emu Ford to Bathurst. Evans later accompanied Macquarie on his inspection of the new road.
"In mid 1815 Evans explored beyond Bathurst, and discovered the Lachlan River. He then alternated between Van Diemen's Land and New South Wales, where he assisted John Oxley in two explorations, resulting in the discovery of the Castlereagh, Peel, and Hastings Rivers and the Liverpool Plains.
"He returned to Hobart in 1818, where he remained until he retired in 1825. He then spent six years in England, and on returning to Sydney in 1832, he opened a stationery shop in Bridge Street.
"He returned to Hobart Town in 1844, where he died in 1852."
[Any errors in transcription are mine]
More information can be found on the Wikipedia site, George Evans [Explorer]: (
visit link)
Visited: 1813, Monday, 3 October, 2016