Major Mitchell's Expedition and a Recent Exciting Discovery

Some time back, four bushwalkers making their way along a rocky gorge in the Upper Loddon State Forest near Drummond, stumbled upon some inscriptions on a rock wall next to a creek. In an article published in the June 2024 edition of the Friends of the Box Ironbark Forest newsletter, but which I'd missed reading at the time, they suggested that the date seemed to be 1836 and, as you can see, it does look very much like that date.

    A few months passed, and over coffee, one of the walkers who I've known for a long time, alerted me to their discovery. Immediately he had my attention. This wasn't a minor discovery, I told him. This was huge news!

    Here's a photo of a second inscription found close to the  one above.

    

    So why would I be so intrigued by such ancient graffiti? Well, we know that Major (Thomas) Mitchell's expedition passed through Central Victoria in 1836. If this inscription was authentic it would raise an interesting possibility. That a member of his party might have carved his initials and the date on this rock face during the ride south to climb Mount Macedon on September 30th 1836. It was only a short ride to Boundary Creek, where the inscriptions occur, from their path. 

extract from map of Major Mitchell's route through Victoria showing the region in question

    Okay now I was getting really excited. Who from the expedition might Mitchell have taken with him on the side journey to Mount Macedon? Might not have he taken with him his plant collector John Matthew Richardson? And mightn't John Richardson have headed into the nearby hills to gather plant specimens? Have a look at the second inscription. Might RJM actually be R, JM, his surname first? 

    This was a discovery too good to be true! Here's a map showing John Richardson's possible journey.

    There was nothing left for me to do but to go to the gorge in question, fight my through the scrub, clamber my way along a treacherous rock strewn gully and stand in wonder at one of the great historical discoveries of the age. I started planning what I might wear for the press photos. 'Amateur historian discovers, er, helps discover, vital relic of the golden era of exploration'!

    There was just one small fly in the ointment. Once I arrived at the scene it was quite obvious to me that the inscription wasn't '1836' but '1936'! The confusion had been due to two factors. Lichen had filled in the loop (see top photo) and the engraver had drawn the 9 around the wrong way. Like a letter P!!

    Drying my tears, I trudged mournfully home vowing never to count my facts before they're checked. There was only one consolation to this whole sorry episode, I thought. At least it'll make a good story for the Blog! :)