History of the Blue Mountains Australia

	Key to colour coding
	Transport, infrastructure
	Exploration
	Administration
	Accommodation
	Residential, agricultural
	Mining
	See also Development of: Katoomba



	18th Century
1788	First European settlement in Australia established at Sydney Cove.
1789	Lt. William Dawes reaches a point several miles north of Faulconbridge and Linden.
1793	Capt. William Paterson explores up Grose River to vicinity of Wentworth Ck
1794	Henry Hacking followed an unknown route, probably reaching Kings Tableland.
1794	Governor Hunter succeeds Phillip.
1795	John Wilson, around this time, probably reached vicinity of Hartley.
	Matthew Everingham reached Mt Wilson.
1796	George Bass followed Burragorang & Cox's Valleys, reaching a high point with a commanding view of the Kanangra Plateau.
1798	John Wilson explored, via Burragorang & Wollondilly Valleys, to Mt Towrang, 12km short of Goulburn.

	19th Century
1800	Governor King takes command.
1802	Francis Barrallier reached the Bindook Plateau, and a point 2km from the Great Divide.
1804	George Caley reached Mt Banks, just short of Darling Causeway.
1806	Governor Bligh, of "Bounty" fame, appointed to replace King.
1808	Bligh deposed in the Rum Rebellion. Ringleaders include Blaxland & Lawson.
1809	Lachlan Macquarie arrives to assume governorship.
1813	Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth crossed the Blue Mountains. Turned back at Mt Blaxland, just short of the Great Dividing Range.
1813	George Evans followed the same route, continuing on to the Macquarie River near Bathurst.
1814-15	First road over the Mountains, and on to Bathurst, constructed by William Cox.
1815	Military depot established near Glenbrook Lagoon.
	Cox's "Weatherboard Hut" Store opens at Wentworth Falls.
1816	Military depot moved to Springwood.
1823	Collitts' Inn opens in Hartley Vale
	Lawson's Long Alley supersedes Cox's Rd at Mt York.
	Archibold Bell discovers new route. Becomes Bell's Line of Road.
1824	Lapstone zig zag road (now Old Bathurst Rd) supersedes Cox's Rd.
1825	Barnett Levey granted 900 acres at Glenbrook; named Mount Sion.
1827	James' Hut opens for travellers at Woodford.
1827	John Mills' Weatherboard Inn offers better accommodation on 100 acres at Wentworth Falls.
1828	Maj. E Lockyer begins Lockyer's Pass at Mt York. Abandoned 1829.
1830	Pilgrim Inn opened at Mt Sion by James Evans
1831	Pembroke's Hut, Lawson Scotch Thistle Inn opened by Andrew Gardener on 20 acres at Blackheath Shepherd and His Flock Inn, west of Katoomba
1832	The Valley Inn opens in Valley Heights The Woodman's Inn opens in Woodford, becomes Buss's Inn in 1855.
1833	Mitchell's Pass & Lennox's Bridge become main route up Lapstone Hill.
	Victoria Pass (near Mt York) opened.
1835	Stockade, became Bull's Camp in 1842. Between Linden & Woodford.
1837	The Late Lord Byron Inn, Blaxland
1840	The Blue Mountain Inn, Lawson
1843	Kings Arms replaces The Woodman's Inn, Woodford.
1844	Blackheath Stockade. Mounted Police Station and Lock-up in 1849.
1845	Springwood Inn opens
	Springwood Military Depot closed
1849	Toll Bar & house, Linden; also Broughton's Waterhole (Mt Victoria)
1855	Police lock-up and mounted patrol depot, Woodford
1857	Toll Bar Inn, Linden
1860+	Kerosene shale mining commenced in Hartley Vale. Glen Shale Mine established in Megalong Valley.
	The Engineer's Track constructed up the Grose Valley.
1863	Welcome Inn opens at Mt Victoria
1865	Kerosene shale discovered in the Wolgan Valley
1866	One Tree Hill Post Office opened at Mt Victoria.
1867	Railway opens to Weatherboard (Wentworth Falls).
1868	Railway reaches Mt Victoria
1869	Railway reaches Bowenfels, near Lithgow, via the Great Zig Zag.
1870	Kerosene Inn / Meads Farm opened at Little Hartley.
1870	Mt Wilson - land put up for auction.
	"Everton" built at Faulconbridge by the Hon. John Meeks by local stonemason Paddy Ryan. John Lucas MLA builds "Logi" above Lapstone Zig Zag. Geoffrey Eager MLC converts Welcome Inn to a country residence, "Wyoming".
1872	"Katoomba Coal Mine" registered by John Britty North
1875	Eager's Platform, later Valley Heights, opened for Geoffrey Eager.
1876	Henry (later Sir Henry) Parkes applies for land in what would become Faulconbridge.
	Charles Moore MLA, MLC constructs "Moorecourt" at Springwood.
1877	"Numantia" built by Sir James Martin, former premier of NSW, on a large property at what would become Faulconbridge.
	"Alphington" built by Sir Alfred Stephen MLC on land purchased from Sir James Martin.
	"Metchley", followed by "Western House", built by Prof. Charles Badham on land purchased from Sir James Martin.
	Faulconbridge Platform opened near Henry Parkes' "Faulconbridge".
1878	The Imperial Hotel, said to be Australia's oldest tourist hotel, opened at Mt Victoria
1879	The Comet Inn, named after a brand of kerosene, opened at Hartley Vale.
1880+	John North began mining shale at Ruined Castle.
1884	The Bridle Trail (Six Foot Track) surveyed. Katoomba to Jenolan Caves.
1886	"Yester Grange" built by John Smith at Wentworth Falls.
1888	Fairfax family residence built at Mt Victoria. Later becomes Cooper's Hotel. "Norwood" built at Blackheath
1890	"Lilianfels" constructed by Frederick Darley at Leura
1892	The Chalet built at Medlow Bath
	"Braemar" built for James Lawson Snr, at Springwood.
1897	Old Mt Victoria Post Office opened.

18th Century

19th Century