General Map of the South Eastern Portion of Australia

Colouring: Coloured

Condition: Good

Description: Thomas Livingstone Mitchell, a British surveyor, arrived in Sydney with his family in 1827. The following year, he was appointed Surveyor-General of New South Wales, a position he held for nearly three decades. During his tenure, he led four major expeditions into Australias interior (18311832, 18351836, 1836, and 18451846). After completing his first three expeditions, Mitchell returned to England, where in 1838 he published Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia (View Record (#4)View Record (#9)), documenting his explorations between 1831 and 1836. A decade later, he published Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia, which features this map.nThis map represents the culmination of Mitchells extensive surveying work from 1827 to 1850, spanning the coastline from southern Queensland through New South Wales and into Victoria, extending westward toward the South Australian border. It details land divisions, settlements, and infrastructure as they developed over two decades of exploration. The routes of key explorersincluding Mitchell himself, Hamilton Hume, and Charles Sturtare marked, with notes on encampment dates and the surveyed boundary between Victoria and South Australia.nAdditionally, the map records areas of interaction with Aboriginal communities, including locations north of the Gwydir River and east of Bombello Ponds, as well as an Aboriginal burial ground south of Lake Three Guns, southeast of the Darling River.nIn the bottom right corner, cross-sections illustrate many rivers surveyed by Mitchell, showing riverbanks and water depths. Along the edges, profile views depict islands in Bass Strait, while an inset in the lower left corner provides details of the Glenelg River's mouth, explored by Mitchell during his third expedition.

Engraver: Carmichael, John (18031857)

First published: Sydney:

Mapmaker: Mitchell, Thomas Livingstone (1792-1855)

Notes: Purchase details

Primary Category: Southern Continent

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

This state: 1850