A Chart of part of the Interior of New South Wales

Acquired From: Gowrie Galleries

Colouring: Coloured

Condition: Very Good

Confirmed: 29/09/2024

Date Acquired: 14/8/2024

Dealers ID No.: (STK 1994.01)

Description: The map covers an extensive area, stretching from the Solitary Isles (near Coffs Harbour) in the north to Pigeon House in the south and extending inland to the marshes of the Lachlan River. Below the title, a note provides navigational details for Port Jackson and lists the navigable distances for the Hawkesbury, Parramatta, Georges, Shoalhaven, Hunter, and Hastings Rivers. Three countiesCamden, Argyle, and Northumberlandare delineated, with Northumberland featuring major roads and marked distances.n''Exploration of the Lachlan River (1817)''nFollowing George William Evans's discovery of the Lachlan River in 1815, Earl Bathurst, Secretary of State for the Colonies, instructed Governor Lachlan Macquarie to organize an expedition to explore the region westward. In March 1817, Governor Macquarie appointed John Oxley to lead the expedition, with Evans as second-in-command and Allan Cunningham (View Record (#170)) serving as botanist.nOxley departed Sydney in April 1817, with the goal of tracing the Lachlan River. After turning southwest at Disappointment Hill on 16 May, the party reached Mount Brogden on 4 June and returned north to the Lachlan at Strangfords Plains on 23 June. By 8 July, they pushed westward into the marshes, where they were forced to halt as "the morasses closing on the exploring party rendered all progress impossible." Oxley noted that "the river contains abundance of fish, some very large, the largest caught weighing 70 pounds."nThe party retreated to Staples Plains by 1 August, then continued northeast to the Macquarie River depot, reaching it on 22 August. They arrived in Bathurst on 29 August, exhausted after 19 weeks and covering approximately 120 miles of uncharted territory.n''Exploration of the Macquarie River (1818)''nDespite the challenges of the Lachlan expedition, Oxley was tasked with exploring the Macquarie River in 1818. He and Evans departed Sydney in May and arrived at the Wellington Valley depot on 2 June. As they followed the Macquarie, marshes once again impeded progress. Oxley divided the team, continuing along the Macquarie while Evans explored northeast, where he discovered the Castlereagh River.nBy 3 July, Oxley determined he could not proceed further through the Macquarie Marshes and hypothesized that the river drained into an inland lake or sea. He wrote that "they deemed themselves in the vicinity of an inland sea or lake," a theory that influenced colonial thought for decades.nAfter regrouping, the expedition explored the Castlereagh River and moved eastward, uncovering fertile lands in the Liverpool Plains, Peel River, and New England tableland. By late September, they reached the Hastings River and Port Macquarie Harbour in October 1818. The team returned to Sydney by boat from Port Stephens in early November.nThe map also records other significant exploratory routes, including:n South-westward routes from the Cowpastures to Lake Bathurst.n James Meehans 1820 journey from Camden to Wellington Valley.n Commissioner John Thomas Bigges expedition to Lake George.n Tracks from Windsor along the Paterson River to the Hunter Valley.

First published: Separate Publication. London: Aaron Arrowsmith, 1822

Mapmaker: Oxley, John

Price: A16,000 plus gst

Primary Category: Southern Continent

Purchase Reference: Inv. 4196

Rarity: R2 Very rare – one or two copies appear on the market

References: Prescott 1822.A01, Tooley 939, p.126, Wantrup pp.180-182.

Technique: Copper Engraving

This state: 1822