Curio

State Library of New South Wales
Blue Mountains crossed 1813

Blue Mountains crossed 1813

c. 1913
POSTERS/NEW SOUTH WALES/21
Poster

This poster was probably produced in 1913 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the crossing of the Blue Mountains. The image depicts three bushwalkers looking out into an expansive landscape. The three figures possibly mirror the three men who made the 1813 crossing – Gregory Blaxland, William Wentworth and William Lawson. As well as the likelihood of this poster being a commemoration of the crossing, it also highlights the stunning scenery and bushwalking opportunities offered in the Blue Mountains.

Bushwalking has a long history in the Mountains. Europeans started to create walking tracks through the area around the 1820s, when wealthy land owners banded together to clear trees to open up view points and a network of tracks on their properties. However it wasn’t until the introduction of the railway 1868 that bushwalking became popular. By the 1880s, tourism to the area was booming, with young couples and families visiting the Mountains on day trips and weekend getaways. The most popular method to explore the landscape and take in the breathtaking views was embarking on a leisurely bushwalk.

Footnotes

The ways of the bushwalker : on foot in Australia by Melissa Harper. Sydney : UNSW Press, 2007

Australian conservationist Myles Dunphy (1891-1985) helped form the National Parks and Primitive Areas Council (1933) which lobbied for the foundation of the Blue Mountains National Park. The Park was finally formally sectioned in 1959.*

Australian Dictionary of Biography http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/dunphy-myles-joseph-12446

The Blue Mountains National Park today has more than 140 km of bushwalking trails.

National Parks and Wildlife Service http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/

The Blue Mountains National Park covers 248,148 hectares of bushland.

National Parks and Wildlife Service http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/

The term ‘bushwalking’ didn’t appear until the mid 20th century; however recreational hiking such as walking for the purpose of immersing oneself in nature began in the Mountains around the 1820s.

Australian conservationist Myles Dunphy (1891-1985) founded the Mountain Trails Club in 1914. As part of the Club, he drew maps of new bushwalking trails in the Blue Mountains.*

Australian Dictionary of Biography http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/dunphy-myles-joseph-12446