John Walker

Sandy, rocky and very bad country..

A Map of the hitherto explored country contiguos to Port Jackson, lain down from actual survey, 1789-1791 was produced by engraver to the Admiralty, John Walker. It was included in Captain Watkin Tench’s published account, A Complete Account of the settlement at Port Jackson in New South Wales. This was Tench's second book on New South Wales, published in London in 1793.

The map provides significant details of the early expeditions of discovery to the south and west of the settlement. Tench led a number of these exploratory parties. One of his most important discoveries was in locating the Nepean River which he traced from the Hawkesbury River.

The map depicts the regions that had been surveyed and denotes the quality of the land, rivers and mountains. The comments made are almost universally disappointing: from comments near the Hawkesbury River, "very dreadful country the whole that we saw upon this creek the ground cover’d with large stones as if paved" to, "In floods the water rises to the height of 50 feet perpendicular leaving reeds etc. in the trees", refering to the south-western areas to the west of Sydney. Walker's map names the mountains to the west the Caermarthen Mountains (later Blue Mountains).

In August 1790 Tench and Lieutenant William Dawes attempted to cross these mountains, which proved impassable to them. 

Map of the hitherto explored country contiguos to Port Jackson [cartographic material] : lain down from actual survey, 1789-1791 by John Walker from Watkin Tench's A Complete account of the settlement at Port Jackson, in New South Wales

Printed map DL Q79/64