Prospect Hill is a major topographic feature of igneous rock forming one of the highest points between the coast and Blue Mountains. The Prospect Hill SHR [State Heritage Register] Area forms only part of this landform which constitutes a large U-shaped ridge extending approximately 2130m long in a north south direction and 1070m wide in an east west direction and covering 280 hectares. (Holroyd 2008, p 31) (« Back)
Marrong Reserve... contains the highest point within the study area, rising 117m above sea level. (Holroyd 2008, p 31) (« Back)
Greystanes House was set on the slopes of Prospect Hill, overlooking the surrounding farms and grazing lands. This magnificent home was finally demolished in 1946 after falling into disrepair. The area where it stood has been partially quarried, though the Moreton Bay fig tree that stood beside it remains and has a conservation order on it. (King). (« Back)
Prior to European colonisation, the landform of Prospect Hill was very different to that seen today. The effects of quarrying since the 1820s (King 2000) has resulted in a significant alteration to the local landscape. The original elevation of Prospect Hill is not known as there are no accurate records of the landform before the first quarrying activities...
The landscape of Prospect Hill on Greystanes Estate has been significantly altered from its original form. Early grazing practices cleared the entire hill, as shown in a photograph taken in 1927 (Wallace 1992:2). Quarrying in the area began in the 1820s, and by the latter part of the century dolorite was being extracted from Lawson’s estate on the west and north sides of the Hill. (Boral 2, pp 9, 11) (« Back)
The original mammal fauna of the Cumberland Plain was estimated to include approximately 60 species (NPWS 1997), of which less than 40 were detected in recent intensive surveys and only 14 species are now considered to be relatively common and widespread (Leary 2005; in litt. August 2008). The majority of these latter species are micro-bats, while small ground-dwelling mammals are unexpectedly scarce (NSW 2008) (« Back)
The remnants of clans who survived initial epidemics and dispossession came together in new assemblages with names like ‘Prospect Tribe’ and ‘South Creek Tribe’, which persisted until the early 1840s. The relation between the smaller clans which predated these and the later overarching concepts such as ‘Darug’ is not clear. Contemporary evidence suggests that there was traditionally no generic indigenous name for a ‘tribe’ as a level of social order in the Sydney basin above the clan (Holroyd 2005) (« Back)
When Europeans first settled in Australia in 1788, they found a landscape dominated by eucalypts. Certainly there were some areas of dense vegetation which contained a greater diversity of trees. However, the dominant feature of the landscape was the ubiquitous gum tree. When expeditions began exploring the countryside around Sydney, they encountered a range of vegetation associations very different to those which we see in the National Parks around Sydney today. On soils derived from Hawkesbury sandstone, Wianamatta shale, Tertiary alluvial deposits, and igneous intrusions, they found environments which reminded them of the manicured parks of England, with trees well spaced and a grassy understorey. Peter Cunningham (1827) described the country west of Parramatta and Liverpool as "a fine timbered country, perfectly clear of bush, through which you might, generally speaking, drive a gig in all directions, without any impediment in the shape of rocks, scrubs, or close forest". This confirmed earlier accounts by Governor Phillip, who suggested that the trees were "growing at a distance of some twenty to forty feet from each other, and in general entirely free from brushwood..." It is clear that it was primarily Aboriginal burning practices which maintained an open environment dominated by well spaced trees and grass. Once the Aborigines stopped burning, the underbrush returned where none had previously existed. (Kohen 1996) (« Back)
15th April [1788]. His excellency, attended by Lieutenant Ball of the navy, Lieutenant George Johnston of the marines, the judge advocate, myself, three soldiers, and two seamen, landed in Manly Cove (so called from the manly conduct of the natives when the governor first visited it), on the north side of the entrance into Port Jackson harbour, in order to trace to its source a river which had been discovered a few days before (White 1790). (« Back)
I set off the 22nd of April, with six days provisions. We were eleven officers and men, and landed near the head of the harbour... We proceeded westward, finding the country in general as fine as any we ever saw, the trees growing from twenty to forty feet from each other... The country thro' which we past was mostly level, or only rising in small hills, which gave it a pleasing and picturesque appearance. The fifth day we got to a rising ground... The country round this hill was so beautiful that I called the hill Bellevue... (Hist Rec NSW 1, pp 133-134). (« Back)
In Historical records of Australia (Series 1, Vol 1) there are some "Notes," presumably written in 1914 by the editor F. Watson, containing an early version of the "Belle Vue is Prospect Hill" myth.
The next day the present site of Parramatta was passed, and the Parramatta River was followed towards its source, where the night was passed. On the fourth and fifth days a westward course was taken but it is difficult to fix the exact point reached; still it is more than probable that the hill called Bellevue by Phillip is the Greystanes Hill at Prospect. On the sixth day a return was made to the head of Port Jackson, and Sydney Cove was reached by boat the day after.
Like most early explorers, Phillip was greatly at fault in his estimation of distances travelled, owing to the difficulties created in encountering dense scrub and various natural features, when it was impossible to take a direct route by compass. (Hist Rec Aust, Series 1, Vol 1, p xiv). (« Back)
The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay contains a description of the same expedition which appears not to be by any of the participants:
22 April 1788
On the 22d another excursion of the same kind was undertaken: Governor Phillip landed with his party near the head of the harbour. Here they found a good country, but in a short time arrived at a very close cover; and after passing the chief part of the day in fruitless attempts to make their way through it, were obliged to relinquish the attempt, and return. The next day, by keeping close to the banks of a small creek for about four miles, they contrived to pass the cover, and for the three succeeding days continued their course to the west-ward. The country through which they travelled was singularly fine, level, or rising in small hills of a very pleasing and picturesque appearance. The soil excellent, except in a few small spots where it was stony. The trees growing at the distance of from twenty to forty feet from each other, and in general entirely free from underwood, which was confined to the stony and barren spots. On the fifth day they ascended a small eminence, whence, for the first time in this second expedition, they saw Carmarthen and Lansdown Hills. The country round this hill was so beautiful, that Governor Phillip gave it the name of Belle-vue. They were still apparently thirty miles from the mountains which it had been their object to reach, and not having found it practicable, with the tents, arms, and other necessaries, to carry more than six days provisions, were obliged to return. Even with this small stock, the officers as well as men, had been under the necessity of carrying heavy loads. Water for the use of the day was always taken; for though it happened in every instance that pools of water were found which had remained after the rains, yet this was a supply on which they could not previously depend. The extraordinary difficulty of penetrating into this country had now been fully experienced; where unexpected delays from deep ravines and other obstacles, frequently force the traveller from his direct course, and baffle every conjecture concerning the time required for passing a certain tract. The utmost extent of this excursion in a direct line had not been more than thirty miles, and it had taken up five days. The return of the party was effected with much more ease; the track was made, and the trees marked the whole way where they had passed; with these assistances they reached their boats in a day and a half. (Phillip).
This book is a compiliation of the writings of several authors, including letters from Governor Phillip to Lord Sydney. Clearly this passage is not by Phillip. (« Back)
In his Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales, John White, the Surgeon-General to the Settlement, wrote the most detailed first-hand account of this exploration:
22d April. On the morning of this day the governor, accompanied by the same party[*], with the addition of Lieutenant Cresswell of the marines and six privates, landed at the head of the harbour, with an intention of penetrating into the country westward, as far as seven days provisions would admit of; every individual carrying his own allowance of bread, beef, rum, and water. The soldiers, beside their own provisions, carried a camp kettle and two tents, with their poles, etc.
Thus equipped, with the additional weight of spare shoes, shirts, trowsers, together with a great coat, or Scotch plaid, for the purpose of sleeping in, as the nights were cold, we proceeded on our destination. We likewise took with us a small hand hatchet in order to mark the trees as we went on, those marks (called in America blazing) being the only guide to direct us in our return. The country was so rugged as to render it almost impossible to explore our way by the assistance of the compass.
In this manner we proceeded for a mile or two, through a part well covered with enormous trees, free from underwood. We then reached a thicket of brush-wood, which we found so impervious as to oblige us to return nearly to the place from whence we had set out in the morning. Here we encamped, near some stagnant water, for the night, during which it thundered, lightened and rained. About eleven o'clock the governor was suddenly attacked with a most violent complaint in his side and loins, brought on by cold and fatigue, not having perfectly gotten the better of the last expedition.
The next morning being fine, his excellency, who was rather better, though still in pain, would not relinquish the object of his pursuit; and therefore we proceeded, and soon got round the wood or thicket which had harassed us so much the day before. After we had passed it, we fell in with an hitherto unperceived branch of Port Jackson harbour, along the bank of which the grass was tolerably rich and succulent, and in height nearly up to the middle, interspersed with a plant much rese
We followed this branch westward for a few miles, until we came to a small fresh-water stream that emptied itself into it. Here we took up our quarters for the night, as our halts were always regulated by fresh water, an essential point by no means to be dispensed with, and not very abundant or frequently to be met with, in this country. We made a kettle of excellent soup out of a white cockatoo and two crows, which I had shot, as we came along. The land all around us was similar to that which we had passed.
At night we had thunder, lightning, and rain. The governor, though not free from pain, was rather recovering.
24th April. As soon as the dew, which is remarkably heavy in this country, was off the ground, we proceeded to trace the river, or small arm of the sea. The banks of it were now pleasant, the trees immensely large, and at a considerable distance from each other; and the land around us flat and rather low, but well covered with the kind of grass just mentioned. Here the tide ceased to flow; and all further progress for boats was stopped by a flat space of large broad stones, over which a fresh-water stream ran.
Just above this flat, close to the water-side, we discovered a quarry of slates, from which we expected to derive great advantage in respect to covering our houses, stores, etc., it being a material beyond conception difficult to be procured in this country; but on trial it was found of no use, as it proved to be of a crumbling and rotten nature. On this fresh-water stream, as well as on the salt, we saw a great many ducks and teal, three of which we shot in the course of the day, besides two crows and some loraquets.
About four in the afternoon, being near the head of the stream, and somewhat apprehensive of rain, we pitched our tents before the grass became wet, a circumstance which would have proved very uncomfortable during the night. Here we had our ducks picked, stuffed with some slices of salt beef, and roasted, and never did a repast seem more delicious; the salt beef, serving as a palatable substitute for the want of salt, gave it an agreeable relish.
The evening cleared up, and the night proved dry. During the latter, we heard a noise which not a little surprised us, on account of its resemblance to the human voice. What it proceeded from we could not discover, but I am of opinion that it was made by a bird, or some animal. The country round us was by no means so good, or the grass so abundant, as that which we had passed. The water, though neither clear nor in any great quantity, was neither of a bad quality nor ill-tasted. The next day, after having sowed some seeds, we pursued our route for three or four miles west, where we met with a mean hut belonging to some of the natives, but could not perceive the smallest trace of their having been there lately. Close to this hut we saw a kangaroo, which had come to drink at an adjacent pool of stagnated water, but we could not get within shot of it. A little farther on we fell in with three huts, as deserted as the former, and a swamp, not unlike the American rice grounds.
Near this we saw a tree in flames, without the least appearance of any natives; from which we suspected that it had been set on fire by lightning. This circumstance was first suggested by Lieutenant Ball, who had remarked, as well as myself, that every part of the country, though the most inaccessible and rocky, appeared as if, at certain times of the year, it had been all on fire. Indeed in many parts we met with very large trees the trunks of which and branches were evidently rent, and demolished by lightning. Close by the burning tree we saw three kangaroos.
Though by this time very much fatigued, we proceeded about two miles farther on, in hopes of finding some good water, but without effect; and about half past four o'clock we took up our quarters near a stagnant pool. The ground was so very dry and parched that it was with some difficulty we could drive either our tent pegs or poles into it. The country about this spot was much clearer of underwood than that which we had passed during the day. The trees around us were immensely large, and the tops of them filled with loraquets and paroquets of exquisite beauty, which chattered to such a degree that we could scarcely hear each other speak. We fired several times at them, but the trees were so very high that we killed but few.
26th April. We still directed our course westward, and passed another tree on fire, and others which were hollow and perforated by a small hole at the bottom, in which the natives seemed to have snared some animal. It was certainly done by the natives, as the trees where these holes or perforations were, had in general many knotches cut for the purpose of getting to the top of them.
After this we crossed a water-course, which shews that at some seasons the rain is very heavy here, notwithstanding that there was, at present, but little water in it. Beyond the chasm we came to a pleasant hill, the top of which was tolerably clear of trees and perfectly free from underwood. His excellency gave it the name of Belle Veue.
From the top of this hill we saw a chain of hills or mountains, which appeared to be thirty or forty miles distant, running in a north and south direction. The northernmost being conspicuously higher than any of the rest, the governor called it Richmond Hill; the next, or those in the centre, Lansdown Hills; and those to the southward, which are by much the lowest, Carmarthen Hills. In a valley below Belle Veüe we saw a fire, and by it found some chewed root of a saline taste, which shewed that the natives had recently been there. The country hereabout was pleasant to the eye, well wooded, and covered with long sour grass, growing in tufts. At the bottom of this valley, or flat, we crossed another water-course and ascended a hill, where the wood was so very thick as to obstruct our view. Here, finding our provisions to run short, our return was concluded on, though with great reluctance, as it was our wish, and had been our determination, to reach the hills before us if it had been possible.
In our way back, which we easily discovered by the marks made in the trees, we saw a hollow tree on fire, the smoke issuing out of the top part as through a chimney. On coming near, and minutely examining it, we found that it had been set on fire by the natives; for there was some dry grass lighted and put into the hole wherein we had supposed they used to snare or take the animal before alluded to. In the evening, where we pitched our tents we shot two crows and some loraquets, for supper. The night was fine and clear, during which we often heard, as before, a sound like the human voice, and, from its continuance on one spot, we concluded it to proceed from a bird perched on some of the trees near us.
27th April. We now found ourselves obliged to make a forced march back, as our provisions were quite exhausted, a circumstance rather alarming in case of losing our way, which, however, we met with no difficulty in discovering by the marked trees. By our calculation we had penetrated into the country, to the westward, not less than thirty-two or thirty-three miles.
*Refers to a four-day expedition from 15-18 April
A new settlement, named by the governor Rose Hill, 16 miles inland, was established on the 3d of November [1788], the soil here being judged better than that around Sydney. A small redoubt was thrown up, and a captain’s detachment posted in it, to protect the convicts who were employed to cultivate the ground. (Tench 1793, Ch. 3) (« Back)
Governor Phillip was later (on 2nd June 1791) to change the name to Parramatta.(Tench 1793, Ch. 5). (« Back)
Governor Phillip, it seems, had made several excursions, in order to inform himself more fully about the nature of the soil, and to find out a place more proper for cultivation, than the land about the lower part of the harbour; and, at length, had fixed on a situation at the head of it, about eleven miles from Sydney-Cove. The soil here was found to be much better than at Sydney-Cove, and a number of convicts were sent there in 1789, with a captain's guard, in order to prevent any disputes with the natives, and to preserve regularity amongst the convicts.
I accompanied Governor Phillip to this place, which is named Rose-Hill, on the 9th: we left Sydney-Cove at eight in the morning, and arrived at Rose-Hill before noon. About two miles below this settlement, the harbour becomes quite narrow, being not more than ten or twelve yards across, and the banks are about six feet high: here, the country has the appearance of a park. In rowing up this branch, we saw a flock of about thirty kangaroos or paderong, but they were only visible during their leaps, as the very long grass hid them from our view. We landed about half a mile from the settlement, and walked up to it.
This settlement is on an elevated ground, which joins to a fine crescent, as regular as if formed by art; it is probable that this crescent, and the regular slopes which surround the settlement, have been formed by very heavy rains. The soil is loam, sand, and clay: the trees are not so large here as lower down the harbour, but the large roots lying on the ground render it difficult to clear. A fine stream of fresh water runs into the head of the harbour, which, in the winter, and when heavy rains fall, sometimes rises seven or eight feet, and becomes a rapid torrent. A redoubt is constructed here, in which are very good barracks for officers and soldiers: there is likewise a store-house.
Philip Gidley King writing in (Hunter 1793) (« Back)
June, 1789. A second expedition, to ascertain [the River Hawkesbury's] course, was undertaken by his excellency, who now penetrated (measuring by the bed of the river) between 60 and 70 miles, when the farther progress of the boats was stopped by a fall. The water in every part was found to be fresh and good. Of the adjoining country, the opinions of those who had inspected it (of which number I was not) were so various, that I shall decline to record them. Some saw a rich and beautiful country; and others were so unfortunate as to discover little else than large tracts of low land, covered with reeds, and rank with the inundations of the stream, by which they had been recently covered. All parties, however, agreed, that the rocky, impenetrable country, seen on the first excursion, had ended nearly about the place whence the boats had then turned back. Close to the fall stands a very beautiful hill, which our adventurers mounted, and enjoyed from it an extensive prospect. Potatoes, maize, and garden seeds of various kinds were put into the earth, by the governor’s order, on different parts of Richmond-hill, which was announced to be its name. The latitude of Richmond-hill, as observed by captain Hunter, was settled at 33 degrees 36 minutes south.
Here also the river received the name of Hawkesbury, in honour of the noble lord who bears that title.
Natives were found on the banks in several parts, many of whom were labouring under the smallpox. They did not attempt to commit hostilities against the boats; but on the contrary shewed every sign of welcome and friendship to the strangers. (Tench 1793, Ch. 5). (« Back)
At this period, I was unluckily invested with the command of the outpost at Rose Hill, which prevented me from being in the list of discoverers of the Hawkesbury. Stimulated, however, by a desire of acquiring a further knowledge of the country, on the 26th instant, accompanied by Mr. Arndell, assistant surgeon of the settlement, Mr. Lowes, surgeon’s mate of the Sirius, two marines, and a convict, I left the redoubt at day-break, pointing our march to a hill, distant five miles, in a westerly or inland direction, which commands a view of the great chain of mountains, called Carmarthen hills, extending from north to south farther than the eye can reach. Here we paused, surveying “the wild abyss; pondering our voyage.” Before us lay the trackless immeasurable desert, in awful silence. At length, after consultation, we determined to steer west and by north, by compass, the make of the land in that quarter indicating the existence of a river. We continued to march all day through a country untrodden before by an European foot. Save that a melancholy crow now and then flew croaking over head, or a kangaroo was seen to bound at a distance, the picture of solitude was complete and undisturbed. At four o’clock in the afternoon we halted near a small pond of water, where we took up our residence for the night, lighted a fire, and prepared to cook our supper: that was, to broil over a couple of ramrods a few slices of salt pork, and a crow which we had shot.
At daylight we renewed our peregrination; and in an hour after we found ourselves on the banks of a river, nearly as broad as the Thames at Putney, and apparently of great depth, the current running very slowly in a northerly direction. Vast flocks of wild ducks were swimming in the stream; but after being once fired at, they grew so shy that we could not get near them a second time. Nothing is more certain than that the sound of a gun had never before been heard within many miles of this spot.
We proceeded upwards, by a slow pace, through reeds, thickets, and a thousand other obstacles, which impeded our progress, over coarse sandy ground, which had been recently inundated, though full forty feet above the present level of the river. Traces of the natives appeared at every step, sometimes in their hunting-huts, which consist of nothing more than a large piece of bark, bent in the middle, and open at both ends, exactly resembling two cards, set up to form an acute angle; sometimes in marks on trees which they had climbed; or in squirrel-traps; or, which surprised us more, from being new, in decoys for the purpose of ensnaring birds. These are formed of underwood and reeds, long and narrow, shaped like a mound raised over a grave; with a small aperture at one end for admission of the prey; and a grate made of sticks at the other: the bird enters at the aperture, seeing before him the light of the grate, between the bars of which, he vainly endeavours to thrust himself, until taken. Most of these decoys were full of feathers, chiefly those of quails, which shewed their utility. We also met with two old damaged canoes hauled up on the beach, which differed in no wise from those found on the sea coast.
Having remained out three days, we returned to our quarters at Rose-hill, with the pleasing intelligence of our discovery. The country we had passed through we found tolerably plain, and little encumbered with underwood, except near the river side. It is entirely covered with the same sorts of trees as grow near Sydney; and in some places grass springs up luxuriantly; other places are quite bare of it. The soil is various: in many parts a stiff and clay, covered with small pebbles; in other places, of a soft loamy nature: but invariably, in every part near the river, it is a coarse sterile sand. Our observations on it (particularly mine, from carrying the compass by which we steered) were not so numerous as might have been wished. But, certainly, if the qualities of it be such as to deserve future cultivation, no impediment of surface, but that of cutting down and burning the trees, exists, to prevent its being tilled.
To this river the governor gave the name of Nepean. The distance of the part of the river which we first hit upon from the sea coast, is about 39 miles, in a direct line almost due west.
Tench took part in at least two further expeditions, the first under the command of Lieutenant William Dawes in December, 1789. He wrote:
... at the time they turned back they were further inland than any other Persons ever were before or since--being 54 miles in a direct line from the coast--when on the summit of Mount Twiss--a hill so named by them which bounded their peregrination.
Tench and Dawes led a further party in a south-south-west direction...
... bounding their course at a remarkable hill, [to which], from its conical shape we gave the name of Pyramid Hill.
Tench's quotation alludes to Satan’s journey from Eden to Hell. It seems to contrast the park-like landscape he had just crossed with the mysterious, scrubby territory he was about to encounter. The absence of any signs of life contrasted eerily with frequent signs of Aboriginal habitation such as empty bark shelters, possum and bird traps and unattended canoes on the river bank. The quotation paraphrases a passage in Milton's Paradise Lost (II, 917):
Into this wild abyss the warie fiend
Stood on the brink of Hell and look'd a while
Pondering his Voyage for no narrow frith
He had to cross. (Flynn 1997, p 6) (« Back)
Philip Gidley King’s account of his visit to Parramatta on 9 April 1790... is one of the earliest descriptions of the beauty of the area... Walking four miles with Governor Phillip to Prospect he saw undulating grassland interspersed with magnificent trees and supporting a substantial population of kangaroos and emus (during his visit King spotted a mob of several dozen kangaroos). His passing reference to eight Aboriginal place names hints at the complex web of story and song attached to the land.
King mentions that at this time [April 1790] Bennelong “walks about constantly with the governor”... He goes on to mention that “when walking one night, from Prospect-Hill to Rose-Hill, we frequently stumbled against the roots, and he [Bennelong] exclaimed ‘Wčre Wadč’ and ‘Wadč Wčrč’, [meaning] bad wood or bad roots” (Hunter p270), Taken together, these two passages make it almost certain that it was Bennelong who informed King of the eight place names between Parramatta and Prospect as they walked there after dinner on 9 April 1790 (given that King was only in NSW 4-17 April 1790 en route from Norfolk Island to England). Although, as mentioned above, Bennelong did not like to stay at Parramatta for long because it was not his clan’s “country”, there is no reason why he should not have visited the Burramattagal on ceremonial occasions prior to 1789 and learned their place names and those of their near neighbours. He often visited the North Shore and Botany Bay clan territories. According to Tench the Burramattagal spoke the coastal dialect. Presumably they had a greater cultural affinity with Bennelong than those a little further inland. (Flynn 1997, p 28). (« Back)
After dinner, I accompanied the governor from Rose-Hill to Prospect-Hill, which is about four miles distant: we walked through a very pleasant tract of country, which, from the distance the trees grew from each other, and the gentle hills and dales, and rising slopes covered with grass, appeared like a vast park. The soil from Rose-hill to Prospect-Hill is nearly alike, being a loam and clay. It is remarkable, that although the distance between these two places is only four miles, yet the natives divide it into eight different districts.
Prospect-Hill is a small elevation, which commands a very extensive prospect of the country to the southward: a range of very high mountains bound the view to the westward: these mountains, which lie nearly north and south, are about forty miles from Prospect-Hill; and the intervening country is a thick forest: the northernmost of these mountains is called Richmond-Hill, at the foot of which the Hawkesbury takes its rise from a bed of fresh water coal (King writing in Hunter 1793). (« Back)
Names of Places
Rose Hill - Para-matta
The District of Rose Hill - Wann
Wau-maille
Malgray-matta
Era-worong
Carra-matta
Boolbane-matta
Carro-Wotong
Mar-rong
NB: In going to the Westward from Rose Hill you walk in ten minutes to War-mul, in nineteen to Mal-gra-mattar, in seven to A-rar-woo-rung, in eighteen to Car-rar-mattar, in five to Bul-barn-mattar, in twenty-nine to Kar-rar-wo-tong, & in seventeen to Mur-rong — Prospect Hill.
Island at the Flats - Arrowanelly
The people who inhabit the last district are called Bediagal
Those inhabiting Warmul - Cannemegal
The facsimile pages are from a set of three notebooks previously attribued to Dawes. This extract is however from Notebook C (pp 50-51) which is not in Dawes' hand. Jakelin Troy has attributed it to Collins, Phillip and Hunter. (Collins 1791).
Based on a study of the handwriting in the manuscripts and comments by other First Fleet writers, I would attribute authorship to David Collins, Arthur Phillip and John Hunter. (Troy 1992).)
The evidence is therefore convincing that the notebook is the same as that lent to King by Collins. (Troy 1992, pp 145-170). (« Back)
On the last day of the month [of December 1792], two warrants of emancipation passed the seal of the territory, together with a grant of twenty-five acres of land to Ensign Cummings of the New South Wales corps. In the instructions for granting lands in this country, no mention of officers had yet been made; it was however fairly presumed that the officers could not be intended to be precluded from the participation of any advantages which the crown might have to bestow in the settlements; particularly as the greatest in its gift, the free possession of land, was held out to people who had forfeited their lives before they came into the country. (Collins 1798). (« Back)
The original settlement plan of the initial land grants included an area of Crown Bushland, referred to as driftways, separating each farm. These areas were regarded as dangerous, leaving settlers with uncleared open space within which large groups of Aboriginal warriors could move without being seen... The Governor... decided to have the bushland between each farm cleared and settled for greater security. (Holroyd 2005, p 41) (« Back)
Policy 30: Full utilisation should be made of the Prospect Hill SHR Area as a place for public open space, recreation, interpretation and education. (Holroyd 2005, pp 192, 197) (« Back)