Thirty-five cairns or tablets commemorate the 1836 expedition of Major Thomas Mitchell in Victoria. These include monuments near Ararat, Lexton, Talbot and Newstead.
Sunraysia Daily (Mildura, Vic.), Thursday 30 January 1930, page 2
MEMORIALS TO MAJOR MITCHELL
The Historical Society of Victoria is engaged in an extension of the memorials to Major Mitchell, the explorer. About 10 have been erected, and a further 12 are being built. It is expected that memorials at Talbot, Lexton, Shirley, Buangor, and Stawell will be unveiled at the end of March the Governor of Victoria, Lord Somers. Writing to a keen Mildura supporter of the society's aim, the secretary states that probably an article will be supplied to the Education Gazette, accompanied by pictures, relative to the recently unveiled memorials to Captain Sturt.
Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), Saturday 29 March 1930, page 24
From Wikimedia Commons uploaded by User Mattinbgn, CC BY-SA 3.0
AUSTRALIA FELIX.
MITCHELL'S EXPLORATION.
TWO MEMORIALS UNVEILED.
(BY OUR SPECIAL REPORTER)
BEAUFORT Friday -In the early spring of 1836 Sir Thomas Mitchell, having penetrated Victoria as far as Portland turned north again for Port Jackson, whence he had set out on his famous exploration. On September 24 of that year he made a camp near what is now Lexton, and on the following night he halted within a mile or so of Talbot. Today the Historical Memorials Committee, which has followed the explorers' trail from Albury along the Murray River to the South Australian border, marking it by the erection of cairns, unveiled memorials near the sites of his camps at Lexton and Talbot. Ten memorials now mark the path of the expedition, and the work of the memorials committee is almost completed.
The cairn at Talbot stands on the summit of Mt Greenock. In a gully to the south Sir Thomas Mitchell pitched camp. On the following day, so he recorded before continuing his journey north, he climbed alone to the summit of the mountain and looked out on the country, to which he had given the name of "Australia Felix." The cairn marks the spot where he stood that morning. The view which it com-mands is beautiful. To the west are the Pyrenees and to the east, the Cotswold Hills; to the north and to the south rolling plains are lost to sight in heavy bush. Sir Thomas Mitchell was looking for pastoral grounds, and on his return to Sydney, so enthusiastically did he describe the country which he had viewed from Mt. Greenock, that two years later McCallum, a Scottish settler, took up 60,000 acres in the district, and remained there for more than 20 years. Other settlers quickly followed his lead. Less than 50 years after Sir Thomas Mitchell had announced the results of his ex pedition Talbot was a well-established township, with two breweries and 20 hotels.
The cairn, which can be seen from several miles on all sides, was unveiled by the president of the memorials committee (Sir James Barrett), in the presence of a large gathering of residents of the surrounding districts, children from the Talbot school, the president (Councillor J. Carter) and members of the shire council and members of the memorials committee. The story of the exploration was briefly told, and the children were asked to preserve the cairn as one of the greatest memorials in Australia's history. Praise was given by all the speakers to the work of the memorials committee and the chairman of the local committee (Mr W. H. Hutchins).
Sir James Barrett also unveiled the memorial at Lexton. The cairn stands almost in the centre of the township at the junction of two roads. The gathering included the president of the shire council (Mr W. Coutts). Sir James Barrett and other mem bers of the committee thanked Mr J. V. Parsons, head master of the Lexton school, for his part in erecting the memorial.
Age (Melbourne, Vic.), Thursday 24 September 1936, page 14
ARARAT.
This year the Ararat district completes 100 years of history with the anniversary of the travels of Major Mitchell and his thirty odd followers. After passing through the county slightly to the north and west of Ararat, and ascending Mount William on 14th July, 1836, the party travelled over the plains to the south from the vicinity of Mount Stavely and halted near the foot of Mount Cole on 23rd September of the same year. A cairn on the Western Highway, near Middle Creek, marks the line of the explorer's route, and on Wednesday a ceremony will be held at the spot to commemorate the occasion. The first settler in the neighborhood of Mount William was Matthew Gibson, who pitched his tent on the Hopkins River in 1839. C. B. Hall, who gave his name to Hall's Gap, at the Grampians, made on overland trip from Sydney In 1840 ln search of a station, and took up the Lexington run, near Moyston.
Earlier monuments had been also erected in the district in 1929 and 1930.
Argus, 3 October 1929.
Representatives of the Ararat Shire and Borough Councils and the Ripon Shire Council at a conference here discussed the proposal to commemorate the passing of Major Mitchell, the explorer through this district in 1836. It was decided to join in erecting a cairn about 16ft high near Buangor, at a point where Major Mitchell’s track crossed the Western Highway, and also to place a memorial tablet on the cairn at the summit of Mount William, in the Grampians which the explorer climbed during his 1836 journey.
Argus, 31 March 1930.
Middle Creek, Sunday - Another erection on the path of Sir Thomas Mitchell`s exploration of 1836 was unveiled in the Western District yesterday was unveiled by Sir James Barrett, president of the Historical Memorials Committee. The memorial which was erected by the Shire of Ripon and Ararat and the borough of Ararat stands in a conspicuous position on the side of the Princes Highway, within a short distance of Middle Creek.
Age, Tuesday 29 September 1936, page 12
MAJOR MITCHELL'S CENTENARY.
Celebrations at Talbot.
TALBOT, Monday. — The celebrations in connection with the centenary of Major Mitchell's journeyings to Mount Greenock took place on Saturday afternoon, and were very successful. Although a bitterly cold wind was blowing, with sleet falling at intervals, some 300 persons were present. The president of the shire (Cr. H. Solomano) was at the head of affairs. Notable addresses were given by Mr. R. G. Leggett, of the His torical Society of Victoria; Mr. W. H. Elwood, district Inspector of schools; Mr. G A. Street, M.P., and Mr. D. R. O'Neill, president of the local progress association, at whose initiative the celebrations took place.
From the summit of the mount a representation of the progress of Major Mitchells party was watched with interest, twelve horsemen making a spectacular sight.
At the conclusion of the proceedings visitors from Melbourne and other centres, were entertained at the A.N.A. Hall. Numerous speeches were delivered, the general opinion being that the function had been one of the best organised and most enjoyabIe that had taken place in the town.
Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne, Vic.), Saturday 10 October 1936, page 18
MEMORIAL CAIRN UNVEILED AT NEWSTEAD
A MEMORIAL CAIRN at Newstead, commemorating Major Mitchell, was unveiled on Thursday.
NEWSTEAD, Friday, — The cairn erected in the public park opposite Newstead State school as a memorial to the explorer, Major Mitchell, was unveiled by the secretary of the Historical Society of Victoria (Mr. Daly).
School children, shire councillors and representatives of various public organisations were present.
The cairn was erected by the shire council and the progress association.
