by Brian Madden
Lachlan Macquarie arrived in Sydney on 31 December 1809 to succeed William Bligh as Governor, after the Rum Rebellion. During the next 12 years, he made a number of extensive tours through NSW and Van Diemen’s Land (renamed Tasmania in 1856). He kept a journal during his tours, and in 1956, it was published by the trustees of the Public Library of NSW (renamed “State Library of New South Wales: in 1975). The original is held in the Mitchell Library.
His first tour commenced on Tuesday, 6 November 1810, and, during the next five weeks, Macquarie visited and named Liverpool, Windsor, Richmond, Castlereagh, Pitt Town, and Wilberforce. Using Parramatta as his main base and covering up to 65 kilometres in a day, he inspected farms in the area bounded by Menangle, Baulkham Hills, and the Nepean at the foot of the Blue Mountains. This covered the full extent of settlement at the time.
On the last day of this first tour, Thursday, 13 December 1810, he set out from Parramatta to visit the farms to the south of the Parramatta Road, before returning to Sydney. On this day’s journey, he visited Kogarah Bay, Kingsgrove and Canterbury, by way of what is now Campsie, Kingsgrove and Hurstville, and returning the same way.
Macquarie travelled with ceremony and state. On this tour, in addition to the carriage conveying the Governor and his wife, Elizabeth, there were his staff (usually five or six), and sometimes there is mention of servants with two carts for tents, food and other gear. One day there is mention of four troopers. There is no reference to troopers on the day of his visit to this district, but they may have been present. There would certainly be the servants to prepare the ‘breakfast (which we had carried along with us)’ and presumably a cart to carry it.
The most interesting point to be gained from Macquarie’s entry in his journal is that there was a track through the ‘thick forest’ which was good enough for a carriage and a cart to use. The track ran from Parramatta Road, Homebush, to Kogarah Bay, by way of Campsie, Kingsgrove, and Hurstville, and this was only six years after Hannah Laycock was given her grant at Kingsgrove, and two years after the Townson brothers were given their initial grants in the area between Bexley and Peakhurst. The track was sufficiently good for the journey (21 km as the crow flies) to take only two hours from Homebush to Kogarah.
The entry for Thursday, 13 December 1810, in Macquarie’s journal is quoted in full. Some notes follow:
“Thursday 13th. Decr. 1810. —
The Farms lying on the shores of Botany Bay, on Cook’s River and in the small District of Petersham, between Sydney and Botany Bay, being the only ones in the Colony now remaining unexplored in my present Tour of Inspection, I set out this morning at 7 O’Clock from Parramatta with Mrs. Macquarie in the Carriage, and accompanied by the Gentlemen of our Family and the Surveyor, to visit those Farms on my return home to Sydney. — We struck off at Powell’s Half-Way-House1 through the Woods, and after a very pleasant Drive through a thick Forest, arrived at Capt. Townson’s Farm House on Botany Bay2, at half past 9,O’Clock. We found the Captain at home in his very pretty neat clean little Cottage, where he received us with hospitality and in a Gentlemanlike manner; and whilst our Breakfast (which we had carried along with us) was getting ready, he walked with us to shew us his Garden, and all the other little improvements of his Farm. — His Garden we found in excellent order, and producing the largest and best Strawberries I have yet seen or eat [sic] in this Colony. — After Breakfast we embarked on the Water in Capt. Townson’s Boat, in order to see his own and his Brother Doctor Townson’s Farm3, which join each other at this Place. — The Doctor’s Farm we found in miserable bad order, with only one Solitary Hut on it, occupied by two of his indented Servants, a man and his wife – the latter being very sickly and to all appearance half starved; there were no appearance whatever of any improvements on this Farm, which is as yet in a state of nature.
Having viewed these Farms, we proceeded for five or six miles down Botany Bay until we opened the Heads and Entrance of it, and then returned to Capt. Townson’s Cottage after a two hours very pleasant Water Excursion. — At 1. P.M. We set out again from Capt. Townson’s for Mrs. Laycock’s Farm near Cook’s River4, and arrived there at half past 2,O’Clock. — We found Mrs. Laycock and her two Daughters at home, in a very neat comfortable well built Farm House and well furnished; the good old Lady’s Farm being also in a forward state of improvement in other respects. — After resting for half an hour at Mrs. Laycock’s, we pursued our Journey on to Canterbury; thus crossing Cook’s River5 twice over a very slender bad Bridge within two miles of Mrs. Laycock’s Farm, and is rather dangerous for a Carriage. — At 4. P.M. we arrived at Canterbury6, a Farm belonging to Mr. Robt. Campbell Senr. Mercht. at Sydney. — It is an extensive Farm, and a good deal of the wood has been cleared,;but the Soil is bad, and neither good for Tillage or Pasturage.
I quitted the Carriage and mounted my Horse at Canterbury in order to inspect the few remaining small Farms between this and Sydney; Mrs. Macquarie proceeding in the Carriage by the Main Road, to meet and wait for me at Grose Farm. — I called at Mr. Moore’s, Mr. Blaxcell’s, Mr. Blaxland’s, Capt. Rowley’s and several other smaller Farms in the District of Petersham7, all of which are poor and of little value; the Farm Houses, however, are tolerably good; and considerable pains have been taken to clear, enclose and improve the Lands.— At half past 5. P.M. I joined Mrs. Macquarie, whom I found in the Carriage near Grose Farm8, and there getting in to the Carriage again, we drove in to Sydney, arriving at the Government House at Six O’Clock in the Evening, having been absent on this very pleasant Tour of Inspection 5 weeks & 2 Days.”
This article was first published in the March 1982 edition of our magazine.
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Unless noted, images courtesy of the Bayside Library Service Local History Collection.
- This was at Homebush, near the present railway station ↩︎
- Captain John Townson’s house was called the Retreat on Kogarah Bay, north of Carss Park. It took half an hour from Parramatta to Homebush, so it took two hours from Homebush to Kogarah with a carriage and a cart through thick forest – so the track must have been in reasonable condition. ↩︎
- In actual fact, they didn’t adjoin, being separated by the present Carss Park. Dr Robert Townson’s grant of 75 acres comprised the whole of Tom Uglys Point. ↩︎
- Hannah Laycock’s 500 acres extended from Stoney Creek Road to William Street, between Kingsgrove Road and Bexley Road. I believe that her cottage was situated near the present corner of Homer Street and Rosemeath Avenue. ↩︎
- The crossing was probably at the northern end of the present Beamish Street. Beamish Street was the road leading to Laycock’s and Townson’s. ↩︎
- Canterbury Vale was originally granted to Reverent Richard Johnson in 1793. ↩︎
- This refers to a much larger district than the present suburb of Petersham. ↩︎
- Grose Farm became the site of the University of Sydney. ↩︎