George Blaxland

George Blaxland

Gregory Blaxland was born on the 17th June 1778 in Kent, England. In 1805, along with his brother, he arranged with the government to travel to Australia as a free settler. In 1806 he arrived in Sydney and in 1813 arranged to lead an expedition across the Blue Mountains with William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth. On May 11, accompanied by four convicts, the trio set off on their expedition. They used a specific method to achieve their goal, traveling the mountains by ridges instead of going through the valley. On May 27 they reached Mount York, and then climbed what was later called Mount Blaxland before starting their return journey. They arrived back on the 8th June, having successfully completed the expedition.

I believe that Gregory Blaxland was indeed a hero. He displayed certain qualities such as bravery, determination, skill and strength when he led the expedition over the Blue Mountains in 1813. He was definitely brave upon accepting the expedition as it was going to be a very rough one. He went ahead, knowing fully well that it could be a complete failure or else end tragically on his behalf. His bravery and success from the expedition resulted in settlement out of Sydney, leading to the discovery of more parts of Australia. He was, I believe, very determined and persistent. He didn’t give up, even when it got tough and resources began to run out, all while caring for his fellow explorers. This resulted in a successful expedition, earning them a very well deserved 100 acres. He displayed skill by being able to navigate a safe way through the Blue Mountains, having devised an extremely helpful method. Gregory Blaxland and his fellow explorers showed true strength, physically and mentally, in their expedition. They survived wild weather conditions together and never gave up.

These heroic qualities led to settlement over the Blue Mountains, and to further discovery of Australia. Gregory Blaxland is definitely a true hero to me.