Percy Simpson’s Marked Line
from Wellington Valley to the Government Stock Station at Summer Hill (1823)

© Geoffrey Svenson 2022
Last updated 13 February 2023

On 8^th November 1822 Lieutenant Pierce (“Percy”) Simpson arrived in the penal colony of New South Wales bearing a letter of introduction from Henry Bathurst, then Secretary of State for War and the Colonies in London.[1] This letter led to the Governor of the day (Sir Thomas Brisbane) to make a land grant of 2,000 acres to Simpson at Eraring, on Lake Macquarie, and to allow him six convict servants[2]. The arrangement included provision that both Mr Simpson and the convicts allowed him were to be victualled from the Government Stores for a period of six months from the date of his taking possession of the land grant. Governor Brisbane also made arrangements to provide employment for Mr Simpson. However, “reading between the lines” it is apparent that Percy’s arrival with his letter of introduction did not go down particularly well with the Governor or his assistants.

Correspondence dated 1^st January 1823[3], from the Colonial Secretary to Simpson, confirms the Governor appointed Simpson “Commandant of the New Station about to be formed at Wellington Valley.” The correspondence incorporated his instructions to Simpson in regard to the role. He was to proceed to the township of Bathurst – then just eight years old and on the frontier of European expansion – “along with Soldiers, Convicts, Stores and means of conveyance that will be provided for you by the Engineer Department”. In addition, he was to be supplied at Bathurst with “a dozen Milch Cows and a flock of forty Sheep under the charge of careful and experienced Stockmen, together with as much Wheat as your teams will allow you without difficulty to transport, and you will there also be provided with a guide competent to conduct you to the confluence of the Bell and Macquarie Rivers”.

Of particular relevance to Simpson’s Marked Line was the next paragraph, which instructed Simpson as follows: “During your route to this station you will take pains personally to examine as far as you are able on each side of the line of your March for the purpose of forming as accurate opinion as possible as to whether a road could be carried with greater advantage by any other line than that which you are then pursuing. If you think this practicable the empty waggons on their return are to be required to explore it.”

In reporting Simpson’s appointment the Sydney Gazette described the new outpost as “a fresh appendage to our Colonial Establishments”[4], but for Percy it was a poisoned chalice. He had no authority to discipline his extremely wayward charges, the colonial establishment at Bathurst did everything they could to make life difficult for him, and apart from a few soldiers, he had no help – no other person of authority, quite limited authority in regards to discipline of either the soldiers or the convicts, and no decent equipment. In fact the timbers in at least one of the drays supplied him were absolutely rotten. Further, the person who Governor Brisbane had suggested might assist him find his way to Wellington Valley flatly refused to do so on the pretext that it would take too long…

His problems were perhaps compounded by his tendency to exhibit a somewhat superior attitude towards The Establishment in Sydney. The nature of that relationship becomes quite clear in a further letter ( dated 10^th February 1823[5] from the Colonial Secretary to Simpson. This indicates, after a somewhat testy preamble, the route that was to be taken from Bathurst to the Wellington Valley station.

“Having received accidental intelligence of your safe arrival at Bathurst on the 2^nd Inst, I expect that you will be in as perfect readiness to proceed forward to Wellington Valley by the time this communication reaches you, as at the hour you left Sydney. – My long letter of instructions to you bearing date the 1^st January last, leaves scarcely any observation to be added on the present occasion. Your further route from everything I am able to learn, will experience but little impediment.- Mr. Caley is the bearer of this and has promised to employ every facility, which the presence of Mr McBrien will afford him to render your future line of March easy and perspicacious – At all events without any foreign assistances, and with nothing but the Compass in your hand, by taking a West course until you bring a remarkable Hill named Mount Lachlan¹ Now the Canobolas, to bear South by East half East, and then steering North by West half West, you cannot fail to hit upon the confluence of the two Rivers intended to be the scite (sic) of your future settlement; and avoid by keeping so far to the Westward, a connected chain of very intersected and Rocky country reported to extend along the left Bank of the Macquarie and impedes very much every attempt to reach Wellington Valley by a line perfectly straight.

On this head, therefore, of your meeting with a plain and ready access to your intended destination I feel little alarm – Not so upon another – From the number of persons that accompany you, your party is composed in my opinion, of more mouths that you will ever be able to victual, and imposes upon me the necessity of requiring from you an explicit adherence to the following indispensable instruction “Not to quit Bathurst without three months un-ground, and three weeks ground consumption of Wheat for every soul in your Detachment, and to leave everyone behind accordingly for whom your means of conveyance may not enable this store to be carried. This one Grand precaution punctually adopted, remembering too, to travel slowly so as not to injure the Animals, with moderate vigilance against the Native Dog at night, and the straying of cattle at all times…”

On 1^st March 1823 Simpson wrote to Frederick Goulburn advising that “It is with much pleasure that I do myself the honor of acquainting you of my arrival here on the 24^th Ultimo without having encountered any loss or accident during a journey of ten days from Bathurst including one days halt. I could have performed it in less time but thought it advisable to make short stages for the ease of the cattle particularly as it rained with little interruption for five days making the ground very boggy – the drays being frequently up to their naves in soil – which with little exception is composed of a fine vegetable material. In summer the present line of road will be found excellent but I have no doubt may be improved and perhaps made more direct – particularly as I have pointed out a direction for the drays to return which will shorten the distance upwards of twenty miles and save crossing a considerable river (Molla or Bells River) twice – the general direction of our route lay through extensive and fertile plains …” –  Simpson had identified a shorter route to Wellington Valley.

The next day (2^nd March 1823) Simpson wrote to the Colonial Secretary (Frederick Goulburn) that I shall avail myself of the next opportunity that presents of forwarding some notes I made on my journey here in compliance with your directions, but what I cannot dignify with the title of a “journal” from not having had convenience or opportunity of keeping regularly being constantly exposed during my route to very bad weathers as well as my time chiefly occupied in attending to our line of march. Then, on 18^th April 1823, he wrote to Goulburn advising that “I am happy to acquaint Gov that from hence on my way to Bathurst I made out a new line of road by which the drays returned not only shortening the distance by upwards of twe(nty?) miles on a firmer soil but avoiding many swamp(s) and difficult hills which I left to the Westward of the line of route.

The potentially shorter route which Percy Simpson identified in 1823, and by which the drays returned to Bathurst, was known for at least the next thirty years as “Simpson’s Marked Line”. The earliest mention of the route by that name is found on a map prepared in April 1929, by Surveyor John Richards.[6]This mention is of the southern end of the route, near Summer Hill. A very detailed survey of the other (northern) end of Simpson’s marked line was completed by a contemporary of Richards,  Surveyor John Rogers, between 1829 and 1830[7]. This shows the route from a junction with the Burrendong Road[8] a kilometer or so north of the present town of Mumbil to a point on Larras Lake Creek (now Kerrs Creek) just west of the present village of Kerrs Creek. Rogers notated his map “Simpson’s Line from Summer Hill to Wellington” with a dotted line indicating a continuation from Curriguran – “to Bathurst via Summer Hill”.[9] Curriguran was the name then in use for the location that fifty years later became known as Kerrs Creek.

A little more clarity on the general route of Simpson’s Line has been gained from records created in 1851 by Major Thomas Mitchell, then Surveyor-General of NSW.

Early in 1851 Mitchell was instructed to undertake a survey of the newly-discovered gold country around Ophir. His survey started with a section line which he plotted from Molong more or less easterly along the highest ridges, to a point on Frederick’s Valley Creek a little downstream of Ophir. In his field book he noted a point on this section line where it intersected the Wellington Road.  In his journal he clarified this notation, stating that the road involved was “the old road to Wellington (Simpson’s)”. Mitchell initially tried to work his survey northwards along a newly cut track, but, after his “cart overturned, horse and all” (as also noted in his journal) resort was had to Simpson’s old road as the line that would form the base for his triangulation survey of the country.

Mitchell’s field book together with his overall map of the district, confirm that, in addition to plotting the route of Simpson’s Road from the vicinity of the Mullions. [MFN] The Mullions are a range of sometimes rugged hills that run north-west to south-east between Wellington and the vicinity of Bathurst [/MFN] , Mitchell plotted high points and the course of creeks he encountered, supplementing his original survey with other work by J.W. Davidson, then crown surveyor for the district, The end result was a map which appears to show all of the roads then in use between Orange, the site of the gold rush at Ophir, and Wellington. In particular, it showed all the roads then in use along the Mullions, and from there to both Ophir and Summer Hill.

Of interest for the history of McKinnon’s Spring  is that according to detail contained in Mitchell’s field book, he followed Simpson’s ”old road to Wellington” along that part of Caleula Creek which flows within McKinnon’s Spring. Page 33 of his journal (partially transcribed from the original field book held by the Mitchell Library, and reproduced as an appendix to this summary) notes as follows:

“18 June Returned to the marked tree on the hill where I yesterday left off accompanied by Mr. Davidson, there to resume the marking and measuring of the section. Still the weather was very unfavourable, thermometer very low. Marking in from that hill, we came upon the old road to Wellington at less than two miles. The country was more quartzose than what I crossed before – quartz and schist everywhere. The highest part of the country[10] was beyond Simpson’s (or Wellington road) and not rugged except in the hollows, but rather broad at the upper part with long gently sloping vallies. The country beyond this (which was called the Mullions Range) broke into deep and steep ravines with isolated summits. “

In summary, Major Thomas Mitchell’s 1851 field book clearly shows he traversed the valley of Caleula Creek within McKinnons Spring while following the route of Simpson’s marked line along the Mullions and on to Curriguran and the Wellington Valley[11]. This conclusion is based upon the close correlation of the details shown in his field book with:

• a significant bend in Caleula Creek located on Lot 3, DP756888 which adjoins Lot 10, DP756888 – notated in red “mined bend in creek” in the image above.
• the point notated “old road from Railway Crossing” where the road to Kater’s Mill (Mitchell’s “Rd to Mr Kater’s”) deviated from Simpsons Line, perhaps 150m north-west of the bend.
• the point where Simpson’s Line crossed Caleula Creek, still clear in the archaeological record (Images below)
• the “old sheep yards” he noted to the east of the line he followed, the shadow of which is still visible on satellite imagery dating from 2016.  (Google earth imagery)

Because the route of Simpson’s marked line can be so clearly identified by reference to Mitchell’s field book, there are strong arguments to support a conclusion that the Marked Line traversed the valley of Caleula Creek within McKinnons’ Spring and beyond. It is also reasonably clear that the route of the marked line closely follows that of the Railway Fire Road within Mullions Range State Forest from the point where that route deviates in a northerly direction from the forest boundary to the boundary of McKinnons’ Spring. Apart from those readily identifiable from Mitchel’s field book, other traces of the line and it’s subsequent modifications can also be seen within McKinnons’ Spring.

A combination of factors, including the statement by Simpson that his marked line represented a shorter route by 20 miles to Wellington Valley, and Coomber’s advertised statement that his Welcome Inn was on a route to Stony Creek some 11 miles shorter than others then in use, tend to support the probability that William Coomber’s 1857 Welcome Inn was located on Simpson’s marked line where it traversed the land Coomber applied for in that year.

The land Coomber sought became Country Lot 40, purchased in 1860 by Donald McKinnon, and subsequently, Lot 10 DP 756888 within the Parish of Larras Lake and the County of Wellington. That Coomber never completed the purchase is discussed in the chapter that outlines his somewhat tragic life.

FOOTNOTES
[1] This information was extracted from www.eraring.ps.education.nsw.gov.au/schoool/histry.htm which is in the vicinity of Simpson land grant.
[2] Colonial Secretary correspondence 22 November 1822.
[3] Ditto 1 January 1823.
[4]The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser  Thursday 30 January 1823, P4
[5] Ditto 10 February 1823.
[6] Archives Office of NSW Map 1367, April 1829 notated “Mr Simpson’s Marked Road to Wellington”.
[7] Archives Office of NSW Map 1392 (2 parts) , 1829-1830 “Survey of Creeks and east bank Bell River and parts of range between Bell and Macquarie Rivers
[8] Note this is a junction with the Burrendong Road not the Burrendong Way. However, the location does  approximate the junction of the present Burrendong Way with the road to Burrendong Dam, north of Mumbil. 
[9] The locality of Kerrs Creek village was known as Curriguren until 1880, when a stopping point in the newly constructed railway from Orange to Dubbo was named for the local Member of the Legislative Assembly – Mr. Andrew Taylor Kerr. Andrew Kerr also features prominently in the stories of William Coomber and Donald McKinnon. The name Curriguren was just possibly named for province of Curriguren in Hindustan, India where Percy Simpson had served.

CURRIGUREN
 (H.) – Curiguren s Kuurgren GUTSCH, eine Provinz in Hindustan, die von 22° s9 bis 24°37° nord Br. Und 8.58 (from) Allgemeine encyclopadie de Wissenschaften und Kuste in …  (vol 1)

[10] That is, along the reference line he was marking out.
[11] Mitchell’s field book also shows part of the line from McKinnons Spring southward towards Summer Hill, but only as far as the Mullions base line. The Railway Fire Rd approximates that southward extension.

• 1
  Now the Canobolas