Military Stockade Springwood - Graves

The Sydney Morning Herald dated 20 June 1877 carried an article headed New South Wales Parliament.  It would appear that a recent sitting of the Legislative Assembly Mr. Macintosh asked the Secretary of Lands:
1. If he was aware that the 'old stockade at Springwood had been used as a burial ground and that there are graves still to be seen there. 
2 If he was aware that the land had been improved at the date of 'Boland's conditional purchase, in 1862 and 1876, by clearing, fencing and waterholes to the value of one hundred pounds.
3. Will he cause an investigation of the foregoing to be made, and take the necessary action should the statement prove correct.
A Mr. Driver answered:
1. The selection is known to have included the old stockade; but attention has not been called to the fact of there being any graves upon it.  The selection would not have been invalidated thereby,
2. The improvements formerly upon the land are understood to have fallen to decay or been removed.
3. Reference will again be made to the papers in the case, which are not at this moment accesible, and should any ground appear for further action or inquiry, it shall be taken.

There is no indication if any further action was taken, however, Springwood Cemetery does have a headstone that is thought to have been taken from that area.

Mr. Driver is thought to have been Hon. Richard Driver jnr. who was Secretary for Lands in Sir Henry Parkes ministry (1877) while the other gentleman is thought to have been John Macintosh who was at one time the Minister for Lands.

Other ministers in Parkes 1877 ministry (which lasted from 22 March 1877 until August 16 1877 a period of 147 days) were:
Hon. William Piddington MLA - Colonial Treasurer
Hon. Francis Suttor MLA - Minister for Justice and Public Instruction
Hon. James Hoskins MLA Secretary for Public Works
Hon. William Windeyer - Attorney General
Hon. George Lloyd MLA - Secretary for Mines & Representative of the Gov. in Legislative Council
Hon. Saul Samuel MLC - Postmaster General

Pamela Smith

The Beginning - Springwood

From Our Correspondent

Thursday, 21^st June 1832 – It is said that the military barracks recently erected on the mountain road at Springwood and the  Weather-boarded Hut (or more properly speaking, “Jamison Vale”) from which the detachments have lately been withdrawn, will shortly be put up for public sale. The buildings, their position and appurtenances render them peculiarly well-adapted for road-side inns or public-houses, and being regular and old-established halting places will no doubt be sought after with avidity.  Another great consideration in favour  of their eligibility is the certainty that the line of road between Springwood and Mount Victoria can never be changed from its present course. From the latter, where the new road commences, the work proceeds rapidly, and it will be well worth the while of two or three enterprising persons to bear in mind the extraordinary advantages which naturally accrue from the establishment of the first houses of accommodation.  The old line has always been deficient thereof; between Collet’s and Bathurst, a distance of 50 miles, there is not one licensed house.  The traffic between the Capital and Bathurst is daily increasing; and when the route of travellers is made uniform by the completion  of one good road, no doubt can exist of the success of such speculation.

This appeared in The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser Tuesday 26 June 1832 on page 3. The article is interesting because there was acceptance even then that the course of the road could not be altered.  In fact, the present alignment of the Great Western Highway - over the Blue Mountains - varies little from those early roads and even the railway follows the same course.  Also, it would seem that Wentworth Falls had been known as Jamison Vale perhaps in honour of Sir John Jamison who accompanied Governor Lachlan Macquarie and his party on a tour of inspection of the new road in April 1815. 

Springwood encampment 1815 - Painting J.W. Lewin

Others in the party were:

Jno. Thos. Campbell, Esqr. Secry.
Captain H.C. Antill, Major of Brigade
Lieut. Jno. Watts, Aide de Camp
William Redfern Esquire., Assistant Surgeon
William Cox Esquire., JP
Jno. Oxley Esquire, Surveyor General
Mr. Jas. Meehan, Deputy Surveyor General
Mr. Geo. W. Evans, Deputy Surveyor
Mr. J.W. Lewin, Painter & Naturalist