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Bicentenary of Possession Island CeremonyPrint Page 
The plaque commemorates the bi-centenary of the ceremony held on Possession Island by Captain Cook on the 22nd August 1770. The plaque also commemorates the first recorded sighting of a lyrebird and koala in the Bargo area on the 26th January 1798.
During 1770, Captain James Cook charted the east coast of Australia, landing at Botany Bay on 28 April. Cook formally took possession of the whole of the eastern part of Australia in August on Possession Island, just off the north coast of Cape York Peninsula, naming the region "New South Wales".
Location
| Address: | Railside Avenue (Remembrance Drive), Park near Railway Station, Bargo, 2574 |
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| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -34.290376 Long: 150.579663 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
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| Monument Theme: | Landscape |
| Sub-Theme: | Exploration |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 22-August-1770 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 22-August-1770 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Saturday 22nd August, 1970 |
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This Memorial Has Been Erected To Commemorate The Discovery Of The Lyrebird And The Koala. The First Record Of These Famous Australians Having Been Made In The Vicinity Of The Present Town Of Bargo
On 26th JANUARY 1798
It Also Commemorates The Bi-Centenary Of The Ceremony Held On Possession Island On 22nd AUGUST 1770 When Captain James Cook Established The British Claim To Eastern Australia.
THE MEMORIAL WAS UNVEILED BY ALEC H. CHISHOLM,
O. B. E., F. R. A. H. S., Who Was Responsible For Revealing The Date And Place Associated With The First Recording Of The Lyrebird And The Koala. He Has Shown That The Lyrebird (First Termed Pheasant) And The Koala (Aboriginal Name Cullawne) Were Made Known Through John Wilson, An Ex-Convict And Bush Wanderer, And John Price, A Youthful Servant Of Governor John Hunter.
Acting On The Governor`s Instructions, And Travelling On Foot Over Difficult Country, These Adventurers Became The First White Men To Explore The Southern Tableland From The Nepean To The Wingecarribee And Wollondilly Rivers.
BARGO PROGRESS ASSOCIATION
R. H. Webster, President. 22nd AUGUST 1970 Alex P. Cooke, Secretary
