Biographical entry Blaxland, Gregory (1778 - 1853)

Summary

Gregory Blaxland crossed the Blue Mountains in 1813 with W Lawson and W C Wentworth, thus opening up the interior to pastoralists.

Details

Born Fordwich, Kent, England, 17 June 1778. Died New South Wales, 1 January 1853. Influenced by Sir Joseph Banks (q.v.) to emigrate to Sydney in 1805, granted 4000 acres of land, bought 80 head of cattle and an extra 450 acres at the Brush farm, near Eastwood, later bought a stockyard, granted 2000 acres at Evan 1809, 2280 acres there 1810 and 500 acres in the district of Cooke 1812, crossed the Blue Mountains with William Charles Wentworth and William Lawson 1813, was critical of Macquarie whose refusal to allow him land in the interior meant that he had to dispose of his livestock, settled down by 1820 on his Brush farm estate, where he produced award winning wine. Commemorated by the town of Blaxland in the Blue Mountains.

Related entries

Published resources

Book Sections

• Conway, Jill, 'Blaxland, Gregory (1778-1853)', in Douglas Pike (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 1, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1966, pp. 115-117. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A010109b.htm. Details

Online Resources

• National Library of Australia, 'Blaxland, Gregory', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-618190. Details

See also

• Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/scripts/tia-dynindex.php3?EID=P003029. Details