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Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Thomas Mitchell Print Page 
The cairn commemorates Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Thomas Mitchell who passed through the area in 1846.
This area was named by Thomas Mitchell, after the Neapolitan 17th Century artist, Salvator Rosa, who portrayed the same rugged mountainous terrain in his paintings that Mitchell seen in the landscape.
Thomas Mitchell passed and repassed through this area between July and September 1846, in search of a route form Sydney to Port Essington (Darwin). Mitchell set up his base camp at the spring-fed oasis he discovered, which is now known as Major Mitchell Springs.
A letter sent to the secretary of the Royal Geographical Society advised that the council would undertake to erect a cairn at the site of Major Mitchell's camp at Lake Salvatore Rosa. It was expected that the cairn would be completed in time for the unveiling ceremony scheduled to take place in April.
Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld.) 31 January 1951.
Location
| Address: | Major Mitchell Springs, Mitchell`s Yards , Salvator Rosa Carnarvon National Park |
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| State: | QLD |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -24.866671 Long: 147.183331 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Exploration |
| Link: | http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/adbonli… |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Saturday 30th June, 1951 |
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Lt-Col. Sir Thos. L. Mitchell K.t.
1792 - 1855
On an expedition into tropical Australia, passed and repassed through this valley during July and September, 1846 naming it Salvator Rosa. He camped near this site and wrote - " it was a discovery worthy of the toils of a Pilgrimage"
Plaque donated by Arthur Squire Esq. F.R.G.S.A
Unveiled 30 - 6 - 1951 by Wm. Hy. Hoch Esq., Chairman Bauhinia Shire Council.
