Description
Second Edition, this thesis re-examines material present in the first edition plus additional evidence proving that the Hume and Hovell expedition of 1824-25 terminated at the Werribee River.
Lance Pritchard, a long time member of Werribee Historical Society, was intrigued by a map that formed part of the State Library of Victoria’s exhibition, The Changing Face of Victoria in 2018. The map showed the route of Hume and Hovell during their 1824-25 expedition. Lance said, “Having accepted all my life that the Hume and Hovell expedition terminated at Hovell Creek, Corio Bay, I was shocked to see the map indicated to me that the expedition terminated at the Werribee River”. This book is a record of Lance’s research, bringing to bear his engineering training.
The Hume and Hovell expedition was one of most important journeys of exploration undertaken in eastern Australia. Commissioned by Sir Thomas Brisbane, the Governor of NSW, the explorers were to find new grazing land in the south of the colony, and also to find an answer to the mystery of where NSW’s western rivers flowed.
Includes a Foreword by the former Surveyor General of Victoria Dr Keith Clifford Bell AM RFD. Also includes the transcript of relevant pages from Hovell’s Journal.
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R Meehan –
In review previously submitted, there is an error. Hovell was the one who realized that it was Port Phillip, not Hume.
R Meehan –
Hume and Hovell’s own journal of their expedition, released in 1831, contains very real evidence that the journey went on until their supplies were do depleted that they had no option to return north. This definitely occurred at the Corio Bay area. Obiously, it is very hard to have Hume and Hovell themselves talk out their discoveries in today’s terms. However, one thing that should be known is the fact that Hume and Hovell thought they had arrived at Western Port Bay. It was several months later that Hume sailed to Western Port and realized the mistake. The error is corrected and referred to in the 1831 Journal. Here is a paragraph from December 17th, 1824, the day before the group decided to return north :
” The harbour or bay consisted of an immense sheet of water, its
greatest length extending E. and W. with land which seemed to them
an island, to the southward, lying across its mouth, but which, in
fact, is a peninsula, with a very low isthmus connecting it to the
western shore. Hence the mistaking of this spot, Port Phillip, for
Western Port, a bay about fifteen miles to the eastward of the
latter.* This error has been since satisfactorily rectified by Mr.
Hovell, in his examination of Western Port, and its vicinities, on
the occasion of the late settlement of that place; a short account
of which will be given in the appendix.”””
Doug Mahoney –
The book presents a well-reasoned assessment of the expedition, with conclusions drawn from data provided by the explorers themselves. It leaves little doubt in my mind that Lance Pritchard is correct in his argument that the expedition ended at the Werribee river. It is an intriguing assessment.