THE PRINCES’ VISITS TO THE BLUE MOUNTAINS
NEW SOUTH WALES AUSTRALIA – 1868 AND 1881
These two events have become confused in the minds
(and writings) of some over the years. I hope this brief account will clear
things up for you.
Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria,
arrived in Australia on 29th October, 1867 for an extended tour,
part of which included a train trip to Weatherboard (now Wentworth Falls) on 31st
January 1868. He was accompanied by a substantial crowd of people who were
considered to be important in those days. A banquet was laid on for the hungry
visitors presumably on the site of what is now the Wentworth Falls picnic area
and a viewing area was provided at what we can guess is now known as Prince’s Rock
lookout. If the weather had been kinder, no doubt the Prince would have
appreciated the view of the falls from this spot even more.
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| Wentworth Falls before 1890 |
You can read an account of the outing in the “Empire” (Sydney, NSW: 1850 - 1875),
Saturday 1 February 1868, page 4.
Search in Trove (http://trove.nla.gov.au)
for this and other reports of the visit. The account from the “Queanbeyan Age”
for January 18, 1868, makes it clear that the Prince would have liked to have
visited Govett’s Leap and the Zig Zag as well, but as the railway had only been
opened to Weatherboard by the time of the royal visit, he had to be satisfied
with a wet day at Wentworth Falls.
It has often been said that the track down to
Breakfast Rock (below Govett’s Leap Lookout at Blackheath) was first
constructed for Prince Alfred’s visit. If so, it was somewhat premature, since
the logistics of bringing the Prince and his entourage there before the railway
had opened beyond the Weatherboard, and with very limited accommodation at
Blackheath (presumably only Gardiner’s Inn), defies the imagination. It would
be nice to think that someone was patriotic enough to have made the
preparations – just in case.
From the point of view of historians, the
highlight of Prince Alfred’s visit occurred at Clontarf Beach near Sydney on 12th
March when he was shot by Henry James O’Farrell, an Irish Fenian (today we
might say terrorist, or republican, depending on which side you are on). The
Prince survived; O’Farrell was hanged on 21st April. “Such is life”,
as another celebrated Australian is reputed to have said.
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| Prince George and Prince Albert |
The second (and last) nineteenth century visit by
members of the Royal Family to Australia occurred in 1881. The two eldest sons
of Edward, Prince of Wales, visited Australia as part of a British Navy tour of
the distant colonies. They were both teenagers – Prince Albert Victor (more often
known as Edward) was 17 and Prince George 16 at the time. It is almost as if
they were destined to visit those places that their Uncle Alfred missed in
1868, since they skipped Wentworth Falls and went to Blackheath and Lithgow.
They weren’t alone, of course, and were accompanied by numerous officers from
the fleet which was in Sydney Harbour at the time. Many of the street names of
Blackheath bear witness to the occasion, including (of course) Prince Edward and
Prince George Streets.
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| Govett's Leap in 1886 |
The special train (having spent some time at
Faulconbridge and Lawson), arrived in Blackheath in the late morning and the
party made the trip out to Govett’s Leap before moving on to Lithgow. The
pottery seems to have been the major point of interest here.
Extracts from the diary of James Silcock, master potter
at Lithgow at the time, were published in the Australian Bottle Review in 1979/80. His entry for 20th
July 1881 reads as follows: “Same day was
invited go and make some ware for the Princes, Albert Victor and George. Sir Henry
Parkes and officers of the parliament were there. The shop was crowded, a many
being outside. The Princes expressed great surprise at the process.”
The “sumptuous luncheon” in the dining car which
was attached to the train at Lithgow might have been more appealing to the two
young men. It seems to have been a slow trip back to Sydney, as the Sydney Morning Herald report of the
day’s activities states that the train left Lithgow at 2.30 pm and arrived in
Sydney at 7.15. It is just possible that the train stopped long enough at
Weatherboard for a quick trip out to the Falls, where rumour has it that the
Princes each planted a tree, but I doubt that there was time for this. It’s
more likely that Prince Alfred planted a tree there in 1868 and memories of the
two events have become intertwined.
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| Princess Mary and Prince George 1893 |
Prince Albert became engaged to Princess Mary of
Teck in May, 1891. Unfortunately, he died of influenza soon after. Princess
Mary later married his brother George, who became King George V in 1910 on
death of his father, Edward VII. King George and Queen Mary are Queen Elizabeth
II’s grandparents.
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