By JOHN TAYLOR OAM
Myrtleford and District Historical Society
THIS past week sees the passing of another anniversary of the arrival of the first European explorers in North Eastern Victoria in 1824.
Back in 1924, Myrtleford and district took the opportunity to celebrate the centenary of exploration and formed a “Hume & Hovell Cairn Committee” based on community interest of the time.
What then is the historical background which led over 30 locations across Victoria to erect centennial monuments in 1924?
Sir Thomas McDougall, Governor of the Colony of New South Wales, was anxious to examine the possibility of establishing a settlement at Westernport in the Port Phillip District of the colony.
He appointed Hamilton Hume (1797-1873) and William Hovell (1786-1875) to lead a party which left Hume’s “Appin” property south of Sydney on October 2, 1824.
Hume was a “currency lad”, an experienced bushman and explorer born into a family of free settlers in Australia; Hovell was an English mercantile marine captain who had come to the colony in 1813.
The explorers were accompanied by six convicts, three horses, five bullocks (to haul their supplies) and a pack of “kangaroo dogs”.
Crossing the Lachlan and Murrumbidgee rivers, they continued on south west and reached “a mighty stream, far bigger than the Murrumbidgee”.
Today we know it as the Murray River.
Its width downstream and lack of a fording place upstream caused them to use a tarpaulin over a timber frame to cross it on November 19 at the location today of Ebden, above the Hume Weir wall.
They then forded the Mitta Mitta and Kiewa rivers and followed the valleys of the Middle and Yackandandah creeks up into hilly, open forest country in the vicinity of Baarmutha.
On Wednesday, November 24 they started out at 6am and descended the range and followed the Burgoigee Creek.
They were in the Murmungee Basin.
Hovell’s diary records: “The land is dry and parched by the drought; beside this nearly-dry creek we stopped for breakfast, having travelled 7 3/4 miles, by 10 o’clock. At 4pm we proceeded on, through pleasant country, it is quite level, the grass tolerably good, and some very fine timber. At 6 o’clock, we came to the north bank of the 8th river”.
The explorers camped that night just 3km from today’s Whorouly township.
Hovell observed: “I think from appearances that it is at times flooded, the land adjoining is exceedingly good.....the timber which grows on its banks is thin, but of very good quality...there are fine hills and grazing land at the back....in my opinion it is as pretty a spot, and as valuable, as any I have seen since leaving home....”.
The river the explorers named the Ovens, in compliment to Major Ovens, secretary to Governor Brisbane.
On November 25, the river was crossed with ease.
It was forded in no more than one metre of water, the current was strong below a waterfall and the pebbly bottom gave little trouble for the cattle as they crossed with a full load upon their backs.
Looking to the south east, the explorers name a “singular looking mount” Mount Buffalo and they noted snow on the peaks of the Australian Alps.
Plants such as flax, honeysuckle and grass trees were observed; much of the country had been subject to mosaic burning by local Indigenous people.
Hovell noted “in every direction the bush is all on fire, a little west of our course we can see the blaze some feet above the ground”.
Evidence of other Indigenous activity was observed in the removal of bark from trees and clearly defined tracks and campsites.
Use of a steel headed tomahawk was noted.
On November 26 they crossed the King River and camped on Fifteen Mile Creek.
The Hume & Hovell exploration party eventually reached their destination after much hardship at 4pm on December 16, 1824 but they were not at Westernport.
They were at Corio Bay, near today’s Geelong.
Using signs and actions with local Indigenous people, Hume learned of William Buckley who had lived there for nearly 20 years, having escaped from a Port Phillip settlement at Sorrento in 1804.
On December 18 the return journey commenced, Hume using the evidence of heavy Indigenous traffic on bush tracks and tree markings to take a more westerly route.
They would not return to the old trek until New Year’s Eve, 1824 at their Ovens River crossing at Whorouly and it was to be January 18, 1825 before the explorers were home.
Myrtleford’s “Hume & Hovell Cairn Committee”, chaired by David Black the head master at the Myrtleford State School (1823-25), raised finance for the building of the monument and organised the dedication ceremony.
The monument was sited near the main entrance to the Reform Hill Mine and built by John Clancy and Tom Gunson (snr.) under the supervision of Perc Edwards, using Reform Mine stone.
The unveiling occurred on November 17, 1924 before a party of 30 visitors, townspeople and school children.
The “Myrtleford Mail & Whorouly Witness” reported “Mr. Black, in welcoming everyone, remarked that 100 years of history had been erected in stone and that from its solid appearance it would probably last hundreds of years more”.
It was further reported “Master C. Hume then placed a laurel wreath at the foot of the monument, this being made by local school girls. After ‘God Save the King’ was sung by school children and all present, the monument was unveiled by Sir James Barrett, chair of the Central Centennial Committee, who removed a large Union Jack from the top of the structure”.
Three other monuments were unveiled nearby on November 17: at Whorouly, Murmungee and Everton.
On the next day Stanley, Back Creek, Staghorn Flat, Allans Flat and Ebden monuments would follow.
All these monuments acknowledge the endurance of the exploration party in 1824-25, but also remind us that within 15 years large parcels of land would be occupied by squatters and the lives of the original inhabitants would change forever.
