John OxleyPrint Page

Oxley`s Anchor has a tribute inscription to Surveyor-General and explorer John Oxley (1784-1828) and was originally unveiled at Kirkham where the explorer died. The anchor came the from the destroyer the Tomahawk.

The anchor was relocated to Curry Reserve in Elderslie in 2015 by Camden Council from a privately-owned site in Kirkham Lane adjacent to the Kirkham Stables. The council press release stated that the purpose of the move was to provide greater access for the community and visitors to enjoy a better piece of the past. 

John Oxley (1784 – 25 May 1828) was an explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of British colonisation. He served as Surveyor General of New South Wales and is perhaps best known for his two expeditions into the interior of New South Wales and his exploration of the Tweed River and the Brisbane River in what is now the state of Queensland. John Oxley received two properties in the Camden area from Governor Macquarie naming them Kirkham and Elderslie.

Three anchors presented by the British Admiralty and brought to Australia on H.M.A.S. Canberra to serve as memorials to Surveyor-General John Oxley, R.N., are being forwarded to their destinations. One anchor, from the destroyer Tenacious, is to be sent to Wellington, where Oxley heard of the victory at Waterloo. A second anchor, from the minesweeper Ford, will go to Harrington, to mark the spot where Oxley crossed the Manning River.  The third anchor is from the destroyer Tomahawk, and will go to Kirkham, near Camden, where the explorer died.
The Sydney Morning Herald, 7th March 1929.

Note: The images were taken at Kirkham in 2014.
 

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