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MAJOR MITCHELL PLAQUE & Drystone Walls

Location

Summit of Mt Napier BYADUK NORTH, Southern Grampians Shire

File Number

300

Level

Stage 2 study complete

Statement of Significance

What is significant?
Major Mitchell's expedition passed nearby this place early in September 1836, when he made several side trips to the summit of Mt Napier in an effort to get bearings and to determine his way forward. Mt Napier was one of the most important places on the expedition. He climbed it on 4th September and his journal entry for that day is extensive.

Monuments and memorials to commemorate Major Mitchell's epic 1836 journey can be found in many locations throughout south western Victoria. The Major crossed Victoria's northern and western plains, found a European settlement already established at Portland, and returned to New South Wales to give a glowing account of the rich land of 'Australia Felix'. One hundred years later, local communities at points along his former route engaged enthusiastically in a bout of centennial monument building. After war memorials, the Mitchell monuments are the most common form of public commemoration in the region. The form of memorial to Major Mitchell at the summit of Mount Napier takes the form of a simple bronze plaque, mounted on a large square concrete base. This is located at the summit of Mount Napier. In the 1840s and 1850s the mountain was an important landmark used to delineate the boundaries of various squatting runs [Mount Napier, Cape Wrath, Brisbane Hill, Lyne, and Old Stockyard (later Banemore). This is evidenced by the construction of drystone walls which meet close to the summit.

How is it significant?
The Major Mitchell Plaque at the summit of Mount Napier of historical significance to the Southern Grampians Shire.

Why is it significant?
The Major Mitchell plaque and drystone walls at the summit of Mount Napier are of historical significance because the plaque commemorates the very beginning of European interest in, occupation of and subsequent exploitation of the further Western District. It is example of the way in which Major Mitchell is revered as a person of extreme importance within the community. The drystone walls are important historically as they signifiy early practices of marking out boundaries in vast landscapes, for vast areas of land. They help us to understand a previous way of life, and the often difficult nature of property ownership in the 1840s and 1850s.

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