Visit of Charles DarwinPrint Page

The monument commemorates Charles Darwin`s visit to New South Wales in 1836 and his time in the Wallerawang area as well as his contribution to science. 

Lithgow sculptor Tim Johnman applied his talents to the finishing touches on the restoration of the Charles Darwin monument at Lake Wallace in 2008.  Tim created an extremely lifelike platypus and crayfish combination to add to the monument. He also replaced the brass plaque commemorating the historic visit to the Wallerawang area by Charles Darwin in 1836. The original plaque was stolen and its replacement and subsequent enhancement of the monument was commissioned by the district branch of the National Trust

Wallerawang became a major stopover for those headed between Sydney and the farming areas beyond Mudgee and for those travelling between Sydney and Bathurst. One of the latter was famous natural historian Charles Darwin who stayed overnight at `Wallerawang` farm in 1836 as a guest of Mr Brown. Charles Darwin stayed at "Wallerowang House" (later to become Barton Park) in 1836, and in the book "Voyage of the Beagle" he describes the area at the time and the wildlife that included a number of platypus.

Charles Robert Darwin FRS FRGS FLS FZS (1809 – 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist and biologist best known for his contributions to the science of evolution. His proposition that all species of life have descended from common ancestors is now widely accepted and considered a fundamental concept in science.In a joint publication with Alfred Russell Wallace, he introduced his scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection, in which the struggle for existence has a similar effect to the artificial selection involved in selective breeding. Darwin has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history. 

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