Early explorations in New South Wales: A collection

Early explorations in New South Wales: A collection by Various brings the daring 1798 journeys beyond the Blue Mountains into sharp focus, blending travel narrative and colonial history into a vivid primary-source record. Governor John Hunter’s unlikely expedition—made up of convicts, soldiers, guides and the bush‑dwelling ex-convict John Wilson (Bunboee)—is told through the diaries of John Price, the party’s literate recorder. Their accounts describe crossing rugged country, the first sights of the open plains at the Wollondilly and Wingecarribee junction, and the view from Mount Towrang over the Great Divide. This compilation situates those routes within the broader context of an early penal colony eager to map and mythologize the interior, touching on themes of survival, cross-cultural contact with Aboriginal people, and the fevered rumours of routes to distant lands. The journals’ passage from Price to Sir Joseph Banks, later publication in the Historical Records of New South Wales, and subsequent route studies underscore the material’s value to historians and travel chroniclers alike. Perfect for listeners drawn to history and travel narratives, colonial Australia enthusiasts, students of exploration and anyone who enjoys authentic, first‑hand accounts of discovery and landscape.