Cox's Road - 200 years of history

[wmholgate]

The Central West Bushwalking Club and Greening Bathurst are jointly hosting a one-off opportunity to walk Cox’s Road from Mount York to the Flag Staff at Bathurst over 7 days, including one rest day, commencing on the 26th of April through to the 2nd May 2015. This once in a lifetime opportunity to walk the western section of Cox’s Road also coincides with the bicentenary of Governor Macquarie’s grand tour across the mountains in 1815 with his supporting entourage of 50 persons along Cox’s Road to the Bathurst Plains. Macquarie commenced his tour at Emu Plains on April 21st arriving in Bathurst on the 4th of May to the rousing cheers of the small party stationed on the Bathurst Plains. In 2015 we have or will celebrate three important bicentennial events:
*the completion of Cox’s Road on the 21st of January 1815,
* the bicentenary of the first official crossing of Cox’s Road and the arrival of Macquarie at the Bathurst Plains on the 5th May,* and of course the focal point of this bicentennial year, the Proclamation of Bathurst by Governor Macquarie on the 7th May as Australia’s first inland European settlement.
The dates of the walk: Sunday the 26th of April – Saturday 2nd May 2015
The aims of this walk are to:
*retrace the steps of the men who constructed Cox’s Road in 6 months in 1814/15 (the Mt York to the Bathurst Plains section, November 5th - 21st January 1815);
* follow the line of Cox’s Road taken by Governor Macquarie in 1815 from Mount York to Bathurst (April the 29th - 4th May 1815);
* observe traces of the original Cox’s Road and subsequent modifications and upgrades, including features along Cox’s Pass and locations where bridges needed to be built etc as well as the natural history of the route;
* provide a photographic record of the event;
* Climb Evans Crown to enjoy the view observed by George Evans in 1814 across the Bathurst Plains to Mount Canobolas and Mount Macquarie (Evans actually climbed Mount Tarana a nearby higher peak that is not accessible on this excursion). Evans Crown summit provides a very similar view;
* be respectful of property owners along the way and not disturb their stock or property;
Registering your interest:
Register your interest in this expedition by emailing coxsroaddreaming@gmail.com and place the following wording in the subject line: Retrace the Steps expedition.
Further information about registration, payment and logistics will be provided subsequently in a timely manner. The final list of participants will primarily be determined by the order of expressions of interest received.
Wayne Holgate and Tim Cox, Retrace the Steps – Cox’s Road Dreaming walk organisers