Travel Story: leigh wilkins - australia
This was all new land to me, I’d never been this far west through the centre of Australia’s oldest state. The land was becoming harsh, I could see why 180 years ago it had been described as a desert, devoid of life and not worth the effort of establishing settlements. I chuckled to myself, I couldn’t agree with Mitchell’s assessment, Australia’s deserts are far from devoid of life and to me are some of the country’s most beautiful aspects.
This far west I relied on following the Lachlan River and then the mighty Murrumbidgee, much as Mitchell had done, until I reached the middle reaches of the Murray River which ultimately leads me (and Mitchell) into Australia Felix, later to be known as Victoria. Once south of the Murray, now the border between New South Wales and Victoria, the familiar sight of a hill confirmed I was still on Mitchell’s trail. Pyramid Hill, a strange rocky outcrop provided a vantage point to the next hill and I headed for it. I found this to be Mount Korong, another rocky pimple on the otherwise flat land. From this vantage, a few things became apparent; Mitchell’s assessment that the land would make fine farming seemed to be confirmed, he’d discovered this land during winter, it was extremely green and lush, I’d discovered this land after unprecedented winter and spring rains, the land was even more green and lush, it’s not uncommon for it to be brown and dried for years on end. The other observation was the sight of great peaks in the south-west. I rode on.
Blue Mountains. Natural beauty, turned into nothing more than a tourist stop. Mitchell knew he would be the “harbinger of change”.