The First Settlers of The Tablelands Region

In 1814 Governor Lachlan Macquarie authorised William Cox, magistrate at Hawkesbury, to undertake the task of building the first road over the Blue Mountains. And so on 18 July Cox and his party of eight soldiers and thirty convicts set to work carving a path to Bathurst. They reached their destination on 14 January, 1815. In 1832 the Surveyor-General, Thomas Mitchell, completed Victoria Pass, making it easier for settlers to move west. Farms and roads followed in quick succession.

Governor Macquarie granted land to those people who had served him well. Other settlers, without grants, went in search of land they could take up as their own. After heading across the Blue Mountains many settlers, who were often convicts, turned off the Coxs. Some went south in the direction of Oberon, others north in the direction of Lithgow

The first settlements of the Tablelands region consisted of homesteads and villages, set up to service the large properties established through land grants. Later, villages were created to act as government administrative centres and staging coach service centres for early travellers.

Homesteads of Early Settlers

Sydmouth Valley Homestead, Tarana
Sydmouth Valley homestead, which was built in the late 1820s, is associated with the early settlement of the area. The valley was the main route between Bathurst and Sydney. The Old Colonial Regency style homestead was originally owned by a grazier and magistrate called Robert Lowe. Lowe first took stock over the mountains in 1815.

Riversdale, Goulburn
The history of Riversdale begins in 1830 with a land grant to Matthew Healy. Seven years later Healy sold the block to coach proprietor John Richards. Richards built the house arund the late 1830s or early 1840s. The stone barn at Riversdale was built before the house and is historically significant. It is the only surviving building of the first settlement of Goulburn Plains. After just a few years this settlement was moved to the more suitable site of present day Goulburn, outside the flood plains of the Wollondilly River. It is possible that the stone barn was built for the Mounted Police camp of <Goulburn’s ST-B5> first settlement. The homestead’s Old Colonial Regency style is typical of wayside inns of the period. Riversdale has been acquired by the National Trust and is open to the public on Sundays, and at other times by prior arrangement.

Early Settler Villages

Taralga

Europeans first reached Taralga in 1819. The following year John Macarthur, father of Australia’s wool industry, established a large sheep station in the area. The property, called Richlands, is now listed by the National Trust. Taralga was created as Macarthur’s private village. It was held by the family until 1900.

There are numerous original stone buildings in the village. Some, including a house built in 1843 by one of Macarthur’s overseers, can be found on Macarthur Street, which was the main street in <Taralga’s ST-B4> early days.

At one time there were six pubs in the village. Four of these pubs are still standing today. Two of them, the Taralga and the Argyle, are licensed hotels, which have been operating continuously since they were built in 1860.
 

Hartley

Hartley was discovered by the explorers Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth, when they made the first crossing of the Blue Mountains. They identified the area as good grazing land.

The Hartley Courthouse was built in 1837 as both a judicial and administrative centre. The village of Hartley grew up around this site, with amenities such as a post office and staging facilities to service those settlers moving west. The arrival of the railway in 1887 resulted in the decline of the village. Today Hartley has 17 buildings of historic significance, including the courthouse and the post office, as well as several cottages and inns.

<O’Connell ST-B1>

The village of <O’Connell ST-B1> developed in the late 1820s, as a staging post on the road from Sydney to Bathurst. <O’Connell ST-B1> retains buildings dating back to this time. You will also find one of the earliest mud, stone and timber buildings in Australia, the former Catholic Church. It was designed by Edward Gell and built in 1866. There is also a very rare memorial avenue of 120 desert ash trees, planted to commemorate the men of <O’Connell ST-B1> who fought and lost their lives in the First World War. The historic O’Connell Hotel, which was completed in 1865, still operates today. There are many old buildings along the Oberon O’Connell Road. The village was classified by the National Trust in 1974.

Rockley

Surveyor George Evans discovered the area in 1813. The township was gazetted on July 22, 1851. The discovery, in the late 1840s, of copper and gold nearby brought settlers to the area, and the buildings of the day reflect the prosperity of that time. The village has been listed by the National Trust. There are a number of original buildings, including several churches built between 1860 and 1870. Also of interest are the local Post Office (1879), the Club House Hotel (1872), the Bank of New South Wales (1878) which was held up by bushranger Ben Hall, shop fronts, and an old flour mill. <Dunns PlainST-A1, near Rockley, was the site of a battle between Harry Keightly and Ben Hall’s bushranger gang.

Bungonia

The area was first settled by Europeans in the early 1820s, with a village plan being drawn up in 1832. Most of the town settlers were convicts or ex- convicts, who worked on five big properties in the area. Bungonia grew and soon butchers, carriers, shopkeepers, sawyers and stonemasons were all represented in the village. It served as a coach staging centre for travellers until a new road was diverted through Goulburn. A fine collection of buildings and ruins still stand today. These include Lumley Park Homestead (c.1830), the old Victoria Hotel (1837), St Michael’s Catholic Church (1847), the old parsonage (1841), and a stone school house (1882), which replaced the original timber school built in 1866.

Country roads are often narrow and winding.
Bends and curves are often dangerous due to a build up loose dirt and stones.
Be prepared for changing road conditions and surfaces in wet weather.
Always drive to the conditions, which is not necessarily the posted speed limit.

Photo Galleries for The First Settlers of The Tablelands Region

First Settlers of The Tablelands Region (5 images)