Gregory Blaxland Print Page

The bust commemorates the explorer Gregory Blaxland (1778-1853), a member of the party who crossed the Blue Mountains in 1813.  The bust was unveiled during the bicentenary of the event and contains a series of plaques listing the names of donors responsible for the erection of the memorial, including a list of Blaxland's descendants and relatives.

In 1813, Gregory Blaxland, William Charles Wentworth, and Lieutenant Lawson, along with four servants, four pack horses and five dogs, set off on an exploration which was to create history. On the 11^th May 1813 the explorers departed from Emu Plains reaching the foothills of the Blue Mountains, or Glenbrook as it is known today.

For Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson, the trip across the Blue Mountains was a tremendous struggle. Having insufficient food for their journey, they recorded the trek required constant hacking through thick scrub and treading through "damp dew-laden undergrowth". They were also in fear of attack by Aborigines. These factors, in combination with sickness, nearly saw the men defeated by the rugged terrain.

Eighteen days later, on the 29^th May 1813, the Blue Mountains was no longer considered an impassible barrier following the discovery of the gently sloping mountains to the west.

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