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George Evans & William CoxPrint Page 
The plaques recognises the contribution of George Evans and William Cox to the Hawkesbury, New South Wales and Australia.
Council received a one-off grant of $2,500 from the Premier of New South Wales towards the construction of the commemorative plaques in honour of Cox and Evans contributions. They are an important reminder of two great explorers who laid the foundations for a passage to the west of Sydney. Their hard work led to the construction of a road from Emu Plains to Bathurst almost 200 years ago.
George Evans - a surveyor, artist and resolute explorer - was responsible for finding a passage into the interior of NSW over the Blue Mountains in 1813. His navigational expedition laid the foot print to which Cox would then build the road over the Blue Mountains. Evans built ‘Clarendon Park’ at Richmond, which still exists today and painted several lovely paintings including one known as ‘The Green Hills upon the Hawkesbury”.
In just over six months and with a team of 30 convicts, William Cox – a military officer, magistrate and road builder – is credited with building the road over the Blue Mountains. The team hacked through 163 kilometres of challenging terrain to construct the road between July 1814 and January 1815. The road’s completion was an incredible achievement for its day, and would still be, even in this day and age. Cox and Evans were both some of the first farmers of the Hawkesbury, supplying much needed food for the starving colony in Sydney. Cox was the builder of some of our finest buildings, including Windsor Court House and St Matthews rectory, both designed by Francis Greenway.
Location
| Address: | Hawkesbury Valley Way , Tourist Information Centre, Ham Common, Clarendon, 2756 |
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| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -33.606139 Long: 150.780793 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Exploration |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Saturday 30th November, 2013 |
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George Evans and William Cox resided on adjoining Clarendon properties near this site.
George William Evans (1780 - 1852) surveyor, explorer and artist was instructed by Governor Lachlan Macquarie to survey the route recommended by Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson in 1813 and explore westward. He left his farm in November 1813 accompanied by five men and proceeded across the Great Dividing Range and beyond.
His explorations of the Central West led to the creation of Bathurst and he is credited as the first European to cross the Dividing Range.
William Cox (1764 - 1837) roadmaker, builder, magistrate and military officer was commissioned by Macquarie to supervise the construction of a road, following the route surveyed by Evans. Cox travelled from his farm in July 1814 with a selection of assistants, convicts and soldiers to build theroad which opened up the new country explored by Evans.
The road covered a distance of 163 km over difficult terrain and was completed in January 1815. Cox was rewarded for his endeavours with the first land grant west of the mountains.
Together their achievements were an outstanding contribution to the development of Australia.
