Sir Thomas Mitchell Print Page

The cairn commemorates the crossing of the Balonne River and the origin of the naming of St George by Sir Thomas Mitchell on St George`s Day in 1846. The original cairn was unveiled in 1936 and a new site and memorial were dedicated in 1988. 

Mitchell`s fourth expedition into the interior in 1845-46 opened up major routes through the rich eastern pastures of the south-west, leading to the establishment of centres including Roma, Surat, Charleville, Mitchell and St George.

SIR THOMAS MITCHELL'S discoveries in Queensland in the 'forties opened up a vast extent of pastoral country. But he was not honoured by having a public monument erected to his memory. However, this deficiency is now to be remedied with the erection of a cairn at St. George's Bridge, on the Balonne River, in south-western Queensland. St. George`s Bridge is a natural bridge of rocks which extends right across the river, and it was so named by Mitchell because he discovered it on St. George's Day, 1846. The present town of St. George nearby was named after the bridge. In Western Queensland Mitchell is also claimed to have been the inventor of the canvas water-bag. Whilst exploring in the west Mitchell had some trouble with the wooden receptacles in which water was carried, so, as an experiment, he sewed pieces of canvas together to make a bag, which he greased with mutton tallow. The idea was a success, and is claimed to have been the origin of the popular canvas waterbag. — E.
Sydney Mail (NSW), 18 March 1936.

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