CHARLES DARWIN CROSSES THE BLUE MOUNTAINS IN 1836

Painting by G Richmond

CHARLES DARWIN CROSSES THE BLUE MOUNTAINS IN 1836

Today when we hear or read about “The Voyage of the Beagle” we immediately think of the young Charles Darwin gathering material for his research into the theory of evolution. While it’s true that he made use of a lot of the information and specimens he collected on that voyage, the story of the Beagle, or at least Darwin’s part in it, is that of a young naturalist being given the opportunity to explore a world full of undiscovered and unexplained wonders.

The “Beagle” was on a world trip of scientific exploration (1831-36). In January 1836 the ship arrived in Sydney and Darwin (along with several others) made his only inland journey in Australia, across the Blue Mountains to Bathurst. Read his account in the pages below.

Reproduction of frontispiece by RT Pritchett from the first Murray illustrated edition, 1890. “HMS Beagle in the Straits of Magellan at Monte Sarmiento".  

The Voyage of the Beagle is the title most commonly given to the book written by Charles Darwin and published in 1839 as his Journal and Remarks, bringing him considerable fame and respect. This was the third volume of “The Narrative of the Voyages of H.M. Ships Adventure and Beagle”, the other volumes of which were written or edited by the commanders of the ships. Journal and Remarks covers Darwin's part in the second survey expedition of the ship HMS Beagle. Due to the popularity of Darwin's account, the publisher reissued it later in 1839 as Darwin's Journal of Researches, and the revised second edition published in 1845 used this title. A republication of the book in 1905 introduced the title The Voyage of the "Beagle", by which it is now best known.

The pages below are from an 1845 printing, located by searching “Trove”.

One final word. The point where the Mudgee track left the Bathurst road is quite close to where I live. Mudgee St is still there. The map dates from 1842.

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EVANS LOOKOUT, BLACKHEATH NSW AUSTRALIA

EVANS LOOKOUT, BLACKHEATH NSW AUSTRALIA

View from Evans Lookout October 1960

Every Blue Mountains lookout has a story attached to it. This lookout has one of the finest views of them all, but it’s not simply the view we are interested in here.

The first questions which come to mind are these: who was George Evans and how does his name come to be attached to this lookout? Because we have recently celebrated the bicentenary of the first Blue Mountains crossing by the British settlers in NSW, many will be aware that Governor Macquarie sent out an expedition late in 1813 to follow up on the discoveries of Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth. This was led by George Evans, assistant surveyor to John Oxley, who went on to the site of Bathurst and beyond.  Be assured that this is a different George Evans from the one whose name is attached to the lookout.

The monument at the lookout has this inscription: “This memorial was erected in memory of George Evans Esq. Solicitor of Sydney & London who was a pioneer of this district. He discovered this lookout and entrance to Grose Valley in the year 1882. Erected by his daughter Mrs E.E. MacLaurin 1932.” This information appears to be accurate, except that it is unlikely that Evans was the first to discover the nearby access into the valley.

There are several valuable books you might like to locate. “Blackheath – Today from Yesterday” (produced by the Blackheath Rotary Club, 2005) is a great source of information on early Blackheath, including material on George Evans. “Back from the Brink” (Andy Macqueen, second edition 2007) is the story of the Grose Valley and is a great read.

Note: "Mr Evans" lower centre of map

 A useful download from a blog called Dossier 48 (here) will also save me repeating a lot of material.

That Evans’ country home had already been built in Blackheath by 1882 is beyond doubt. It’s also clear from a report in the Nepean Times (Saturday 15^th June 1889, page 4) that a track ran from there to what is now known as Evans’ Lookout. You can download this from Trove here. Also of interest is a map (probably dating from 1882) in the “Pictorial Guide to the Blue Mountains” by JEM Russell, which you can download from Trove here.

There is good reason to believe that, although Evans came across the site of the lookout in 1882, he was preceded by others who found the access into the Grose Valley, probably by way of the present Horse Track.

Hayward Gully Falls from Pulpit Rock Lookout

Evidence for this comes from two letters by one William Hayward, the first in The Sydney Morning Herald for Thursday 26^th January 1860, page 8 (downloadable here). Hayward claims to have shown the route for the proposed railway line through the Grose Valley to the surveyors in 1857 or 1858. The second letter tells us that a route he used to get into the valley was near today’s Evans Lookout. (Australian Town and Country Journal for Saturday 16^th October 1875, page 33.) This letter is downloadable here. He states that he was last in the valley in 1849, a fact which is not inconsistent with the 1860 letter. Obviously, the way into the Grose Valley near Evans Lookout was known before George Evans came there in 1882.

Presumably Myles Dunphy named the nearby gully “Hayward Gully” in recognition of this man’s feat.

Apparently it is only a happy coincidence that my uncle Philip Hayward and his family were living in the vicinity around the time that Dunphy was investigating the area (1950’s).

Here are the links to several of my videos on the Evans Lookout area. Evans Lookout Tracks here. The Grand Canyon here. The Cliff Top Track here.

There has been considerable redevelopment of the lookout area in recent years. (Note February 2024)

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MERMAID’S CAVE BLACKHEATH NSW AUSTRALIA

“There is a beautiful gully near Blackheath, leading from what is known as the Mermaid's Cave - why so called only those who named it can know: one thinks of a sandy beach with white-crested waves, a cavern decked with glistening shells, and a lady with a long tail combing her hair. There is nothing of that sort to be seen, but after scrambling down a stony path and jumping over rocks, where a fall would be most inconvenient, one comes upon a shining pool, which, fed by a stream trickling through a cleft in the over-arching nook, in its turn feeds another stream, which gurgling over a rocky

path makes a deep gorge glorious with greenery. Here are ferns, from the majestic tree spreading protecting arms over the clear water to the tiny plant whose delicate fronds beautify every nook and corner and make all nature lovely. "Oh, if I could only take a little bit of the gully home," said one of us, "I shouldn't want a bush-house." "Just so, my dear madam, but this is a world of work, and nothing good can be got without effort." We appreciated this answer when the time came to go back, but hard work though it was we felt amply repaid by the memory of beauty, which once seen can never be forgotten.”

Charles Bayless photograph circa 1885

This poetic description comes from the Illustrated Sydney News, February 16, 1884 and is similar to several others of the time. Blackheath was in its infancy in those days, the first lots having been sold at a government auction in 1879. Development was slow at first and by the time of the Illustrated Sydney News report the population would have been only a few hundred. Nevertheless, Mermaid’s Cave appears to have been the first Blackheath attraction after Govett’s Leap and the Recreation Reserve surrounding it must have been declared in the 1880’s. It is now administered by the Blue Mountains City Council.

Naturally, the history of the place goes back into the Dream Time. Whether this is based on folk memory or not I cannot say, but it is a place which all visitors should enter with respect.

From the movie - source given on right

That this has not always been the case is apparent by comparing the scene today with old photographs, which reveal the amount of destruction of the rain forest which has taken place. I doubt that filming scenes from the movie “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” in 1985 did it much good either. For more information see here.

Other useful references are my You Tube video (here) and Jack Merriman’s photographs (here).

The place is easy to find. Cross the railway at the level crossing in Blackheath and immediately turn left into Station Street. Turn right along Shipley Road soon after, which you follow for about a kilometre to the Megalong Valley turnoff on the left. About another kilometre further on, the road goes through a deep cutting, at the end of which you will see the Mermaid’s Cave car park on the right. The track is signposted opposite the car park. Take care here – descending traffic cannot see you crossing the road! The walk takes 10-15 minutes and you can return by following the road back to the car park. All this is shown in the video. Fortunately traffic is light, except perhaps at weekends.

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Source: JEM Russell's Pictorial Guide to the Blue Mountains 1882-85

THE GRAND CANYON BLACKHEATH BLUE MOUNTAINS NSW AUSTRALIA

THE GRAND CANYON BLACKHEATH BLUE MOUNTAINS NSW AUSTRALIA

Blackheath’s Grand Canyon is one of the Blue Mountains’ icons. The track through it was opened by the Premier of NSW (Mr JH Carruthers) in February 1907. This was a period when the competition between the Blue Mountains communities to attract tourists and their spending money was at a peak. Blackheath, Katoomba and Wentworth Falls in particular were constructing new tracks and lookouts and the Grand Canyon track is one of the best.

Walking conditions were a lot tougher in those days. Ladders, where required, were constructed out of bush timber on the spot. Steps were hewn out of the sandstone along hundreds of tracks. Lookout railings were made of whatever could be found cheaply, often

bush timber but sometimes old water pipes and odd bits of scrap iron were called into service.

While many well-made steps from those days remain in the Grand Canyon, the rough and ready railings and ladders have gone. In recent years, the National Parks and Wildlife Service has done a remarkable job replacing steps, ladders and railings while preserving the wild character of this beautiful place.

At the time the track through the canyon was completed, it linked up several existing tracks – at the Fernery on the Rodriguez Pass (just above Beauchamp Falls), at Neate’s Glen and at Wall’s Cave.

The Tunnel

 The Wall’s Cave connection was severed years ago by the construction of a water supply dam on Greave’s Creek so that today the round trip takes in Evan’s Lookout, the descent to the canyon via the Fernery, the canyon proper, the ascent through Neate’s Glen and the track alongside the road back to the lookout. There were also connections with roads built from Medlow Bath in the heyday of the Hydro Majestic Hotel, but these have become obscure with the passage of time.

When you read old newspaper reports, it is extraordinary to discover how many people have been lost or injured in the vicinity. There have also been a number of fatalities. There are numerous complaints about poor signposting leading to visitors 

getting lost, though you could hardly say that about today’s track.

Going Down?

A modern hazard for some is the rise of canyoning, a sport which takes intrepid groups down into the narrow and often water-filled places which abound in parts of the Blue Mountains. The Grand Canyon, where Greave’s Creek vanishes into the depths for some considerable distance, is one of the best known, so do not be surprised if you encounter canyoners wearing wet suits and carrying ropes as you pass through on the walking track.

Here are some links to sites which will help you appreciate this exciting walk even more.

My video is here, made on a walk in July 2014. A video produced by the National Parks and Wildlife Service may be viewed here. Another, this time of a canyoning trip, may be found here. 

  From the Sydney Morning Herald, 18th February 1907.

"The Premier, in reply, said he took a great interest in developing the traffic to the tourist resorts. New South Wales was the best of all the States. The people did not recognise that they had the best climate and scenery in Australasia at their own doors. He was glad to see the trustees had done good work with limited means. He appreciated the beautiful canyon, and hoped it would be visited by thousands of people."

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CLIFF TOP TRACK EVANS LOOKOUT TO BARROW LOOKOUT, BLACKHEATH NSW AUSTRALIA

CLIFF TOP TRACK EVANS LOOKOUT TO 

BARROW LOOKOUT, BLACKHEATH NSW AUSTRALIA

Lockley Pylon across the Grose Valley

Just when this track was first constructed I can't say, but I believe its present route dates from after World War 11.  One thing is certain, however: the National Parks and Wildlife Service has done a great job in reconstructing the track in recent years and it is a pleasure to walk on.

At Evans Lookout, the track leaves from the left of the parking area just as you enter it. If you’re a first time visitor to the lookout, make sure you include the short walk down to Valley View Lookout as well as to the main one. You will get a better view of Hayward Gully Falls (Gossamer Falls) from here than you will along the Cliff Top track. They are on the left as you stand at the lookout.

The first landmark you will reach as you head towards Govett’s Leap is the shallow indentation of Hayward Gully. All the references I have been able to find say that this is named after William Hayward, said to be the first European to descend into the Grose Valley, in 1847. Just where he achieved this is not stated. It certainly wasn’t by going over the cliffs at this point! Just what connection there is between Hayward and the gully I don't know. Since my uncle and aunt (Phil and Bess Hayward) and their family lived along Evans Lookout Road in the 1950’s near the head of Hayward Gully, I prefer to believe the gully was named after them!

Grif Taylor

The cliff line along here has been known as Griffith Taylor Wall since Myles Dunphy named lots of Blue Mountains features in the 1960’s. Thomas Griffith Taylor (Grif to his friends) was a pioneer Australian geographer, whose ideas on the origins of the scenery we see today culminated in his well-known book "Sydneyside Scenery” in 1958. I still have a badly typed letter he sent me in 1963 after I had written an account of the geology of the Nowra district in my first year of teaching at Nowra High School (1963). It was probably typed on the very machine in the photograph!

Horseshoe Falls from near Barrow Lookout

There is no denying the influence of Grif Taylor on generations of students (and the general public) and, despite new discoveries and interpretations, we can still learn from him. His maps and sketches are a delight and I have extracted one from Sydneyside Scenery which shows just how much information can be crammed into a small space. 

Tony Luchetti

The name “Luchetti Lookout” still appears in current publications, though there is no sign of it along the track. It was approached by a side track (now lost) and is at the point of land where the Cliff Top track diverges from its cliff edge route for a few hundred metres or so. The lookout, presumably named after long serving local member Tony Luchetti, was never a developed one and had no guard rails etc.

Barrow Lookout is the subject of another blog, to be found here, and video here. It is just above the top of Govett’s Leap (the waterfall, that is) and provides great views of the Grose Valley, Horseshoe Falls, Govett’s Leap Lookout, the track into the valley and the cliffs opposite. It’s one of those place you won’t want to leave.

My video of the walk is here. 

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Track to the bottom of Govett's Leap taken from Barrow Lookout