The well equipped expedition was, at the time, the largest and most costly yet seen, comprising 11 horses, 52
bullocks, 100 sheep, 22 carts and a boat carriage. His assistant on the journey was
Assistant Surveyor Granville Stapylton, and there were 22 convicts providing the man power
for the trek.
The group left Orange in western New South Wales and followed the Lachlan and Murrumbidgee
Rivers to the junction with the Murray, then travelled west along the river to the
Darling junction. Having confirmed his theory, the party returned east and crossed the Murray River
at Boundary Bend, near the Murrumbidgee River Junction, on the 13th.
of June to enter what is now Victoria.
His explorations through Victoria were broad and rewarding. Turning south-west from
Pyramid Hill, near Swan Hill, he passed through rich farming country and named the
Grampians Ranges, the Glenelg River which flows through to Portland, visited the
first settlers there, the Henty Family, and trekked east to near present-day Melbourne and
visited a small settlement at Mount Macedon. He returned to Sydney in November 1836
after covering 1700 kilometres (1000 miles).
As a result of his glowing reports of the regions he had visited and described as
"Australia Felix" (fortunate land), within months settlers from New South Wales were
making their way to the 'promised land'.
In his travels he named many rivers, the Loddon, Avoca, Campaspe and Wimmera Rivers
and the mountains, Mount Abrupt and Mount William (which he climbed and camped atop)
in The Grampians, and Mount Macedon.
The route taken by Mitchell and his party is now a tourist route known as the Mitchell
Trail and you will see many markers beside the road along the trail which follows
the route as closely as possible. A book of the trail is available from the Victorian
Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands or Tourist Information Centres in Western
Victoria. The Major Mitchell Trail was developed under the Commonwealth/State Bicentennial
Commemorative program (1988).
Mitchell - The Man
Mitchell married Mary Blunt in 1818 and had 12 children, 6 boys and 6 girls. he was
arrogant and independent and was known for an explosive temper.
Although he was considered a fair and trusted leader by his contemporaries and those
under him, he was regarded with some trepidation by his superiors.
In 1850 Governor Fitzroy wrote of Mitchell.
"It is notorious that Sir Thomas Mitchell's unfortunate impracticability of temper
and spirit of opposition of those in authority over him misled him into frequent
collision with my predecessors".
His interests included drawing, sketching and painting. He had an interest in mammalian
fossils, poetry, geometry and mechanical design. He spoke Spanish and Portugese and
could manage French.
Mitchell died on the 5th. of October 1855 and a newspaper of the day reported:
" For a period of twenty eight years Sir Thomas Mitchell had served the Colony, much
of that service having been exceedingly arduous and difficult. Among the early explorers
of Australia his name will occupy an honoured place in the estimation of posterity".
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