Wistorical Woads of GNew South Wales
EXTRACT FROM MARCH, 1961 ISSUE OF "MAIN R O A m t
JOURNAL OF DEPARTMENT OF MAIN ROADS
NEW SOUTH WALES
Q U E E N S L A N D
-- -- -
Historical Roads of
HEN selecting names for the State Highways of
New South Wales, the Departnlerlt of Main Roads
has generally drawn upon the names of explorers, or
some geographical feature, associated with the route of
the highway for which a name is being selected.
In the case of the Castlereagh Highway, the names of
the explorers who penetrated the area through which
the Highway passes, had already been perpetuated in
the Oxley, Sturt and Mitchell Highways, respectively,
and the name "Castlereagh" was selected because, for
much of the length of the Highway, it runs parallel
with and close to the Csstlereagh River.
The Castlereagh Highway (State Highway No. 18)
commences at Gilgandra, where it connects with the
Newell Highway (State Highway No. 17) and the Oxley
Highway (State Highway No. l l ) , and runs for 213
miles in a north to north-westerly direction through the
Shires of Gilgandra, Coonamble, Walgett, and Brewarrina, to the Queensland border, near Hebel. The country through which it passes is mostly pastoral in character and forms part of the vast inland plains of the western interior. Close to the Highway, but not on it, is
the opal-mining centre of Lightning Ridge, said to be
the only place at which the distinctive "black" opal
is found. With this exception, the country served by
the Castlereagh Highway is given over, almost entirely,
to the raising of sheep and cattle and related industry.
W
t
Locality sketch
Discovery of the Castlereagh River
In 1813, following several attempts to penetrate the
mountain barrier which confined the settlement at Port
Jackson to a comparatively narrow strip of coastal land,
a practicable route over the Blue Mountains was found,
resulting in the despatch of the Deputy SurveyorGeneral, G. W. Evans, to survey the route and to
penetrate into the western interior.
In the course of his exploration, Evans discovered a
river which he named the "Macquarie" and entered an
area of country which he was "at a loss for words to
describe". The need for increased pastures and cultivable land, in order to provide for the needs of the
rapidly-increasing colony, was so great that immediate
steps were taken for the building of a road over the
mountains to give access to the newly-discovered lands.
The Macquarie River shortly after emerging from the
Macquarie Marshes
P
ew South Wales
Work on the road was commenced on July 18,
and towards the end of April in the following year
Governor Macquarie, with his wife and an official
party, including Evans, travelled over the new road and
descended into the country of which Evans had given
such glowing accounts. The Governor was equally
enthusiastic and he direcled Evans to further his
exploration and, in particular, to examine the country
towards the south and west. In the pursuit of these
instructions Evans discovered another river flowing,
like the Macquarie, towards the west, which he named
the "Lachlan".
The Macquarie Marshes
It was believed that the two rivers would be found
to water rich and extensive tracts of country and in
March, 1817, an expedition led by the SurveyorGeneral, John Oxley, set out to trace the courses of
the rivers and to ascertain the nature of the country
they watered.
Oxley first directed his attention to the Lachlan River
and he followed its windings until its waters were lost
in a succession of marshes from which there appeared
to be no outlet. In the following year, Oxley followed
the course of the Macquarie River, but was again
checked by interminable marshes and beds of high
reeds which made progress towards the west impossible.
From his observations on both journeys, Oxley came
to the conclusion that the country beyond the points
he had reached was of a uniform level and, for the
most part, uninhabitable. H e recorded in his Journal
that the country over which he had travelled bore
unmistakable signs of frequent and extensive inundation.
On both of his journeys Oxley was accompanied
by G. W. Evans and when it was found that further
progress towards the west was not practicable, Evans
was sent to examine the country to the north-east, in
which direction Oxley proposed to extend his exploration. Progress in this direction was, however, also
found to be impossible due to the many channels in
which water was flowing through beds of high reeds, but
in the course of his search for a practicable route, Evans
came across another river, wider than the Macquarie
The bed of the Castlereayh River at Gilgandra during
a dry spell
Mount ~arris-the
site of Oxley's depot
I
*A,'
. $?fd&
MAIN ROADS
86
but not so deep, flowing towards the north. As the
country in the direction of this river seemed to offer
prospects of an escape from the marshes they had been
unable to penetrate, Oxley determined to make an
easterly course to the new river which he "honoured
with the name of Lord Castlereagh".
Being still convinced of the existence of an inland
sea, Oxley wrote in his narrative of the journey"Castlereagh River is certainly a stream of great magnitude; its channel is divided by numerous islands
covered with trees; it measured in its narrowest part
one hundred and eighty yards and the flood that had
now risen in it was such as to preclude any attempt
to cross it. . . . This river doubtless discharges itself
into that interior gulf in which the waters of the Macquarie are merged. . . . . .
,?
Exploration and Settlement of the Castlereagh
Country
The information brought back by Evans concerning
the behaviour of the Castlereagh River, and Oxley's
own experience when he crossed the river at a point
considerably up-stream from that at which Evans had
crossed, strengthened Oxley's belief that the Castlereagh River terminated, as the Lachlan and Macquarie
Rivers did, in a succession of marshes and that their
united waters formed an inland sea or basin. The
flooded state of the country did not permit him to test
correctness, or otherwise, of his theory and although
Oxley was convinced that his view was a correct one,
doubt concerning the nature of the country he had been
unable to explore, remained for several years after his
death.
In 1828, in an attempt to resolve the doubt, Governor
Darling appointed Captain Charles Sturt to lead an
expedition to investigate the nature and extent of the
marshes which stopped Oxley's progress in 1817 and
1818. Sturt was instructed to endeavour to determine
the fate of the Macquarie River by tracing it as far as
possible beyond the point to which Oxley had penetrated and by pushing westward "to ascertain if there
(were) any high lands in that direction or if the
country (was) as it (was) supposed, an unbroken level
and under water".
The conditions which had been experienced by Oxley
in 1818 were in marked contrast to those existing in
1829 when Sturt arrived in the Castlereagh country.
On 25th July, 1818, Oxley had written in his Journal"At nine o'clock we set forward with anxious hopes of
reaching Castlereagh River in the course of the day ; we
struggled for nine miles through a line of country that
baffles all description: we were literally up to the middle
in water the whole way . . . . Mr. Evans thinking we
could not be very far from the river, went forward a
couple of miles when he came upon its banks. This
same river which last Wednesday week had been
crossed without any difficulty, was now nearly on a level
with its first or inner bank and its width and rapidity
precluded all hope of our being able to cross it until its
subsidence . . . . I t was most providential that Mr.
Evans and his companions crossed .the river when they
did ; a single day might have proved fatal to them '.
7
Vol. 26, No. 3.
Sturt reached the Castlereagh River on the 10th
March, 1829, but although its channel was some 130
yards wide there was no water whatever. The river bed
consisted of sand and reeds. Sturt pushed on beside the
channel exploring a network of tributary creeks, often
at the point of perishing for lack of water, but for fortyfive miles the bed of the Castlereagh River was absolutely dry. When later describing his experiences, Sturt
wrote-"During the short interval I had been out I had
seen rivers cease to flow before me and sheets of water
disappear . . . . So long had the drought continued
that the vegetable kingdom was almost annihilated and
minor vegetation had disappeared . . . . The largest
forest trees were drooping and many were dead. The
emus with outstretched necks, gasping for breath,
searched the channels of the rivers for water, in vain;
and the native dog, so thin that it could hardly walk,
seemed to implore-some merciful hand to despatch it".
In the hope of finding some detached pond from
which water could be obtained, Sturt retraced his steps
but turned aside to follow a small channel or depression which proved to be an outflow of the Macquarie
marshes, waters of which, after trickling through the
reeds, found their way into the Castlereagh River and
later, the River Darling.
The discovery of this outlet froin the marshes enabled
Sturt "to put to rest for ever a question of much previous doubt". "Of whatever extent the marshes of the
Macquarie might be", he wrote in his narrative of the
expedition, "it was evident they were not connected
with those of the Lachlan. I had gained a knowledge
of more than 100 miles of the western interior and
had ascertained that no sea, indeed that little water,
existed on its surface; and that, although it was generally flat, it still has elevations of considerable magnitude
upon it".
Sir Thomas Mitchell visited the Castlereagh River
area in 1846 as the leader of an expedition seeking an
overland route connecting the settled districts of New
South Wales with a port on the shores of the Indian
Ocean.
Mitchell had intended following a route earlier taken
by him to Fort Bourke and from thence, by a large
river which he believed would be found flowing northward to discharge into the Gulf of Carpentaria. Such a
river did not, in fact, exist but the absence of water
deterred him from venturing into unexplored country
before rain fell and when about thirty miles north of
Ny~igan,he turned east in the hope of finding water in
the Macquarie River. In this he was not disappointed
as, although the river bed was dry when he reached
it on February 22, 1846, within a few hours of his
arrival, the river became flooded and all anxiety concerning the sunply of water for the party ceased.
Mitchell followed the Macquarie to its iunction with
the Castlereagh River which he then followed to its
junction with the Darling River. This he crossed on
March 4, 1846, and continued his journey through
country now crossed by the Castlereagh Highway, to
the border of what is now Queensland, at Hebel, the
terminating point of the Highway.
March, 1961
MAIN KOADS
Exploration of the Castlereagh River country was
more or less incidental to the purposes of the explorers. The discovery of the river resulted from the
conclusion reached by Oxley that further progress to
the west was impracticable and to his decision to return
to Sydney by way of the coast. Sturt's main purpose
was to determine the nature and extent of th; marshes
of the Lachlan and Macquarie Rivers and his exploration of the country bordering the Castlereagh River
was secondary to his search for water. The same may
be said of Mitchell's journey through the area. Had
there been any prospect of finding water along the route
he had intended following northwards of Fort Bourke
he would not have travelled along the line of the
Castlereagh Highway, at least not in 1846. By this
date settlement was well established along the route of
the future highway and the discouraging reports of
Oxley and Sturt did not appear to have prevented the
settlement which followed closely in their footsteps.
Settlement was in fact prompted, primarily, by the
desire of the pastoralists for new and more extensive
pastures for their rapidly increasing flocks and herds.
There is some uncertainty as to the date settlement
of the Castlereagh River area actually began but by
1840 several large runs had been established. One of
the earliest settlers on the river was John Ross Paterson,
a Scottish carpenter who arrived in Sydney in about
1837 with the intention of working at his trade. The
reva ailing conditions in Svdnev being not to his liking.
he travelTed inland and secureh empi6yrnent on a catTe
station called "Wallerowong" near to which the town
of Wallerawang is now located and from which the
town takes its name. The occupier of this station was
one James Walker, also born in Scotland, who, after
service under Nelson at Copenhagen, came to Australia
in 1823 to engage in pastoial p6suits. Soon after his
arrival at "Wallerowong", Paterson was sent by Walker
to search for grazing land and with a pack train of
donkeys and an aboriginal guide, he travelled north
through 130 miles of unexplored country to the Castlereagh River which he reached at a foint near to where
Mendooran is now situated. Here he established, on
behalf of Walker, a station which they called "Caigan".
At about the same time a run was taken up at Bullarora, some 100 miles north of the point which Paterson had reached, and some time later this was combined
with an adjoining run called "Wingadee", the two runs
embracing a total area of 360,000 acres. It is on record
that during the early '901s, 260,000 sheep were shorn
07 the coxbined properties.
By 1846 several stations had been established by
James Walker along the banks of the Castlereagh River,
the head one of which he called "Canamble". There
is in existence an official plan, dated 1847, which shows
"Canamble" sauattage owned by Walker at the junction
of "Canamble" (Coonamble) Creek and the Castlereagh River. The town of Coonamble is now located
on the site.
The early Governors had had authority to make
grants of land to suitable .persons, but the system of
grilnts was abolished in 1831 and the sale of land by
87
auction then commenced. Land was not usually sold
until it had been surveyed but the need for grazing
land had led to the occupation of large areas of the
outback country by "squatters" who, technically, were
trespassers on Crown lands. Official recognition was,
however, given to this occupation by the issue annually
of grazing licences, but the owners of the stock had no
fixed boundaries and no security of tenure. As a result
of the Land Acts of 1846 and Imperial Orders-inCouncil of the following year, the "squatters" were
given security without purchase but they were required
to apply for the areas they occupied and to define the
boundaries of their runs. In the Government Gazette
of September 21, 1848, there is recorded a claim by
James Walker for a lease of the Crown lands known
as his "Koonamble" run which then covered 50,000
acres and was estimated to be capable of carrying
15,000 head of cattle. Walker is believed to have been
the first to have been granted a grazing licence in the
Castlereagh River area.
By 1848 settlement along the river exten,ded from the
present locality of Mendooran, in the south, to that of
Walgett in the north. According to "A Geographical
Dictionary and Gazeteer" (W. H. Wells) published in
that year, there were contained in the squatting District
The Castlereagh Highway near Gulargambone
88
MAIN ROADS
Vol. 26, No. 3 .
The Warrumbungle Mountains from the Castlereagh Highway
of Bligh alone, a population of 788 and stock' numbering 35,754 head of horned cattle and more than
124,000 sheep. The District of Bligh covered only the
more southerly section of country through which the
Castlereagh Highway now passes.
Road Communications
In the early stages of settlement, and especially in
the sparsely settled districts, it was necessary for travellers to keep as close as possible to the rivers or streams
which gave some prospects of water supplies during
their journeys. To venture far from the known sources
of water supply was extremely hazardous, particularly
in the vast plains of the western country, and the tracks
made by the settlers and their stock followed, wherever
possible, the rivers or creeks on which they could
reasonably depend.
Situated as it was on the banks of the Castlereagh
River, the "Canamble" station of James Walker became
a converging point for the early settlers and overlanders
and the natural centre qf the surrounding plains. The
"Koonamble" run covered a large extent of country
bordering the river and the tracks formed by the movement of cattle, and later sheep, between the stations of
the run, laid the foundations of the road which was to
be named, nearly 100 years later, the Castlereagh
Highway.
The road system now existing in the Castlereagh River
area began to emerge soon after settlement commenced.
On a map prepared in 1852 for the use of the Post
Office Department, a post road to the river at Mendooran is shown. This road branched from the Bathurst
Road at Bowenfels from where it went direct to Mendooran via Mudgee. At Mendooran mail and supplies
were distributed over a number of tracks leading to the
stations which had been established along the course
of the river. Another road connecting Newcastle with
Walgett is also shown, but this did not pass directly
through country served by the Castlereagh Highway.
The Castlereaph Hiahway passing through Walgett
March, 1961
MAIN ROADS
89
It ran via Singleton, Muswellbrook, Murrurundi, Breeza
and Wee Waa to Walgett, where it ended.
as a State Highway. It received the name of Castlereagh
Highway in 1954.
In an "Atlas of the Settled Counties of New South
Wales", the date of publication of which is unknown,
there was included a "Road and Distance Map" on
which a road commencing at "Mundooran" is shown to
have followed the Castlereagh River, via Gilgandra, to
Coonamble. From there this road went in an easterly
direction to Baradine and then north-westerly to Walgett
and Brenda on the Queensland border. The road from
Newcastle to Walgett shown on the Postal Map of 1852
is also marked on this map, but there is also shown
a branch, starting from Muswellbrook and running
through Cassilis, Coonabarabran and Baradine where
the road from Coonamble joined it and continued on to
Walgett and Brenda.
The Name "Castlereagh"
The Viscount Castlereagh, after whom Oxley named
the Castlereagh River, was the son of an Ulster landowner and was educated in Ireland and at St. John's
College, Cambridge. In 1790 he was elected a member
of the Irish House of Commons and in 1798 was instrumental in securing the passage of the Act of Union
which ended the Irish Parliament.
Although the date of these maps is uncertain, there
is evidence to support the belief that they were drawn
between 1866 and 1870.
In 18 12 he succeeded Wellesley (afterwards Duke of
Wellington) as British Foreign Secretary. In this
position he has been stated as having excriised a
moderating influence amongst the great powers following the defeat and subsequent death of Napoleon. One
of his more important utterances was that the buqiness
of the great powers "was not to collect trophies but
to bring back the world to peaceful habits".
The Barwon River near Walgett
Looking towards Angledool on the Castlereagh Highway
A map of New South Wales showing stock routes,
tanks, wells and trucking stations was issued by the
Department of Lands in 1884. On this a travelling stock
route is shown following the river from Gilgandra to
Walgett and from thence, by several tracks, to the
Queensland border. In the following year a map was
prepared by the Postal Department to show the postal
stations, mail roads and telegraph lines in New South
Wales. This map showed a "mail road" running northwards from Gilgandra through Curban, Gulargan~bone,
Coonamble, Walgett and Angledool to the Queensland
border. The route of this road was almost exactly thst
now taken by the Castlereagh Highway. By 1885 at
latest, therefore, the line of the future Highway had
been fully established.
A scheme of classification of Main Roads in New
South Wales was adopted in 1928 as a result of which
the road now known as the Castlereagh Highway was
classified as a Trunk Road. In 1938, it was reclassified
At the time of the discovery of the Castlereagh River
by Evans, he was Secretary of State for the Colonies
and Leader of the House of Commons.
Acknowledgements
Material used in the preparation of this article was
obtained fromThe Mitchell Library, Sydney.
"Journals of Two Expeditions into the Interior of
New South Walesm-John Oxley.
"Two Expeditions into the Interior of Southern
Australia"-Charles Sturt.
Journals and Proceedings of the Royal Australian
Historical Society.
-S.G.P.