HUME AND HOVELL'S EXPEDITION FROM LAKE GEORGE TO PORT PHILLIP.
Sir Thomas Brisbane succeeded to the Government of New South Wales on
the 1st of December, 1821. The work of exploration, which had received
such extraordinary impulse under Macquarie, was taken up with
corresponding zeal by the new Governor. The southern limit of discovery
at this period stood somewhere about Lake George; and public attention
was largely directed to the unknown country lying beyond this outpost.
The passion for exploration in this quarter had been discouraged, but
not suppressed, by a rash and unwarranted statement made by Oxley in the
journal he had given to the world. "We had demonstrated beyond a doubt,"
said he, "that no river could fall into the sea between Cape Otway and
Spencer's Gulf--at least, none deriving its waters from the eastern
coast--and that the country south of the parallel of 34 deg., and west
of the meridian 147 deg. 30 min. was uninhabitable and useless for all
the purposes of civilized man." This singularly unfortunate assertion
should have been affirmative instead of negative, for the principal
rivers of the continent enter the sea within the limits here specified,
and some of the largest tracts of good land in Australia are enclosed by
these lines of longitude and latitude. Governor Brisbane, fortunately,
was not convinced by this so-called demonstration, and felt disposed to
have the question practically tested. With this object in view, he
proposed to the late Alexander Berry, himself no mean explorer, to land
a small party of convicts at Cape Howe or Wilson's Promontory, with
instructions, under promise of reward, to find their way overland to
Lake George as they best could, and ultimately to Sydney. Mr. Berry
cordially fell in with the proposal, and recommended as leader of the
party a young man who had already made his mark as a bushman. The
latter, however, demurred to the plan of the expedition, wishing it to
start from Lake George and work its way overland to Western Port, in
Bass' Strait. This suggestion was adopted without scruple or delay, and
the offer of his services gladly accepted.
This young man's name was Hamilton Hume. He was a native of the colony,
having been born at Parramatta in 1797. In those early days educational
facilities were few, and it fell out from this cause that Hume owed all
the learning he possessed to the instructions of his kind mother. In
after life he was more indebted to his instincts than to his education.
A bushman, like a poet, is born, not made; and Hume, before leaving his
'teens, proved that genius for exploration was part of his nature. In
company with his brother, and when but fifteen years of age, he
discovered the district of Berrima, and shortly after completely
explored that part of the country. In 1817 he passed the southern
boundary of the known territory, and, in conjunction with Surveyor
Meehan, made the discovery of Lake Bathurst and the Goulburn Plains.
Again, in the year 1821, he proceeded further out, along with several
mates, and came upon the Yass Plains. All these discoveries, however
valuable for stockholders, may be regarded as but tentative essays in
the work of exploration in comparison with what was to follow; yet they
must have been highly advantageous in qualifying Hume for the arduous
expedition on which his fame must chiefly rest.
While the necessary preparations for this undertaking were afoot, Mr.
Berry intimated to the Governor that another person was desirous of
being associated with Hume in the position of leader. This was Captain
Hovell, of Minto, a retired shipmaster. Having been a professional
navigator, he was presumed to be able to reckon longitude and latitude,
an accomplishment which the defectively-educated Hume, with all his
bushmanship, did not possess. The two men being thus furnished with
complementary qualifications, their association in the conduct of the
expedition was counted as a certain advantage. This was surely a
reasonable expectation; but the event proved that a greater mistake
could not have been made. The two leaders, like jealous rivals,
quarrelled from the start, kept wrangling throughout the expedition,
and, after it was over, maintained a bitter feud, till death put an end
to their animosity. The principal share in this work, and credit for the
results, have been claimed by both, and it is not easy to satisfy
oneself as to the real merits of the case. All things considered, the
balance of evidence is in favour of Hume, and he shall have the more
prominent place in the following sketch of the expedition.
However favourable the Government might be to the progress of discovery,
a poor provision was made for this long and perilous journey. The chief
burden of the equipment fell upon the explorers themselves, who were ill
able to bear the strain. Hume keenly felt the sacrifice of a favourite
iron plough in order to purchase supplies. One way or other, a tolerable
provision was forthcoming; and then the explorers, accompanied by six
servants, started on the pioneer journey on the 17th of October, 1824.
At the close of the first day's march they encamped on the bank of a
river near the site of the present town of Yass. From the 19th to the
22nd the expedition was detained in its progress by the Murrumbidgee. In
the preceding year this river had been first seen by Europeans in its
upper course in the Monaro country; but for all that Hume had virtually
the merit of being the discoverer. The Murrumbidgee was found to be in
high flood, and threatened an effectual bar to further progress. But
difficulty aroused this explorer to Herculean effort. Being supplied
with a provision-cart, Hume took off the wheels, and, with the help of a
tarpaulin, improvised it into a rough-and-ready punt, which, assisted by
one of the men, he dragged across the swollen river. Another day's
march brought them to the Narrengullen Meadows, where the party
encamped for two nights. Again proceeding southward, the Tumut River was
discovered, and crossed without difficulty. Soon after, the expedition
was saluted by a splendid surprise. From the summit of a ridge, a little
before noon on a clear and beautiful day, the magnificent amphitheatre
of the Australian Alps, robed in snow, burst upon the view, and was now
first seen by civilized men. About this time, or shortly before, it
became evident to Hume that it would be necessary to direct the line of
march more to the west, in order to avoid the Snowy Mountains. From this
proposal Hovell dissented. Both leaders continued obstinate, and each
persisted in following a different course with his respective adherents.
A division of property had now become inevitable, and the principle of
partition seems to have been that primitive one in virtue of which the
stronger gets the larger share. There being only one frying-pan
remaining, each of the stalwart leaders simultaneously caught hold of
this handy domestic article, and the poor pan went to pieces in the
struggle, the result being such as would have followed the adoption of
Solomon's advice to halve the living child. The separation of the
leaders was not so irremediable as the division of the frying-pan.
Hovell soon discovered the folly of schism, and, better thoughts
prevailing, returned to re-unite his party with Hume's.
After this incident nothing calling for special mention occurred till
the 16th of November, which was signalled by the discovery of the
principal river of Australia. Here was an agreeable surprise, coming as
it did in defiance of the prediction of Oxley, who was reckoned the
highest authority of the period. Hume called this river after his
father; but, forgetful of this fact, Captain Sturt, having hit it in its
lower course, gave it the name of the Murray, by which it is now known
through its whole length. The party who thus found themselves brought to
a stand-still naturally looked upon the crossing of so large a river as
a formidable undertaking, and some even insisted on regarding it as the
limit of the expedition--perhaps homesickness also was beginning to
prevail over their ardour for exploration. Hume was inflexible, as
usual, threatening to throw one of the remonstrants into the river if he
would not cross over of his own free will. The menace was effectual, and
the heroic leader had the satisfaction of seeing the whole of the
expedition on the other side of the Murray, having escaped without a
hitch or accident. Soon after, a tributary, the Mitta Mitta, was
reached, and crossed by means of a float constructed of wattles, and
covered with a tarpaulin. Turning its course more to the westward, the
expedition continued to advance towards the attainment of its object.
Passing near the site of the present Beechworth, the Ovens and Goulburn
Rivers were crossed without serious difficulty. In fact, the whole
journey up to this point had been remarkably uneventful for an
Australian tour of exploration. But for the leaders' quarrels and
separations it might have sunk into a rather tame and monotonous affair.
Now at length, however, a Titanic obstacle had to be encountered. Mount
Disappointment (of which Mount Macedon is a continuation) stretched
across the track, as if to defy further progress. For a while they nobly
persevered in hewing their way through the dense, tangled, and
apparently interminable brushwood, being animated by the assurance of
Hume that the opposing barrier could be nothing else than the Dividing
Range, which betokened the near termination of their labours.
Unfortunately the life and soul of the expedition, now more than ever
indispensable to its success, here met with a disabling accident from a
stake. The way through the scrub had to be abandoned, and a more
circuitous route followed. The most serious difficulty on the march was
a boggy creek in the locality where the town of Kilmore now stands. Here
again an attempt was made to throw up the undertaking and return home.
Hume, feeling certain in his own mind that they could not have much
further to go, entered into a compact with the discontents, engaging to
turn back in the course of two or three days should the goal of the
journey fail to come in view within that period. On the same day, the
13th December, the Dividing Range, in this part known as the Big Hill,
was finally crossed, and all difficulties came to an end. Hume, having
proceeded a short way in advance, and keeping an anxious look-out,
observed an opening in the mountains and a falling of the land toward
the south. This was a clear token heralding the approach to the close
of their wanderings. Hume, alone as he was, gave way to an outburst of
gladness, and awoke the echoes of the ranges with his lusty cheers. His
men came speedily round him and shared his joy. Their fatigues and
disappointments were henceforth things to be remembered, but no longer
felt. The same evening they encamped on the splendid Iramoo Downs,
having the ramparts of the range at their backs, and in three days more
saw the long-desired billows of the ocean rolling at their feet. Having
reached the close of the journey, they formed the last encampment within
twelve miles of the present town of Geelong, after travelling, since
their start from Lake George, not less than 670 miles.