Francis BarralierPrint Page

The monument was erected to mark the site where Francis Barralier camped in 1802 and became the first European to hear the Australian call "Cooee".

Francis Barralier was a French born explorer of Australia.   He was appointed an ensign in the New South Wales Corps by Governor Hunter in July 1800. In March 1801 he sailed with Lieutenant James Grant in the Lady Nelson to further explore Bass Strait, and was responsible for the charting of Western Port and other parts of the coast. Barrallier's work on the maps of Jervis Bay, Western Port and some of Bass Strait were recognised by Governor Philip Gidley King, who made him engineer and artillery officer in the Corps.

In October-November 1802 he was directed by Governor King to try to find a way over Blue Mountains to the west of Sydney. He travelled about 225 kilometes in seven weeks, but had to turn back - at one stage due to unfriendly Aborigines, and later due to a lack of supplies. This failure did much to deter further attempts on the mountain barrier for some years, and Barrallier's hearing on this trip of the word 'coo-ee', which the Aboriginals used as a bush call, was hardly an adequate compensation.
 

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