This name refers to a place which is arguably one of the most famous in Australian history and possibly the only place referred to during 1788 when the British "First Fleet" set up a penal colony at Sydney Cove which remains in pristine condition, today believed to be still much the same as it was then. It is believed that the day after the English Governor, Captain Arthur Phillip and his party camped at this spot the continued west up a creek towards Browns Forest and hit the position of todays Mona Vale Road near its junction with Telegraph Road (there is today a memorial to this at the spot. They then continued west till they struck the edge of the North Shore escarpment, likely at Turramurra, and became the first white men to see Blue Mountains. Phillip is thought to have realized the significance of this and although 'knocked up' (Australian English for exhausted or worn out) by the Bungaroo trip, he was off again very soon heading directly west (the exploratory trip which got as far as "Belle Vue" hills which he named, and which resulted in the establishment of the second town in the Colony, Rose Hill which was later renamed Parramatta.
Bungaroo thus is a name that has come to be been applied to the inferred camp site of Governor Arthur Phillip on 16 April 1788.[1]. The party had travelled west from near Manly on what was one of the first exploratory trips out from the English Colony at Sydney Cove in search of more suitable farming ground. The following day, Phillip's party pushed further westwards, possibly to the present "Hillview" (next to Turramurra Railway Station) and there, for the first time, Europeans saw the Blue Mountains. Unlike most others in the Colony, Phillip from that time on knew the Colony would not have to be recalled and that it certainly would survive - for he reasoned from his knowledge elsewhere in the world that big mountains meant a big river (which the English could reach), and that meant rich alluvial soil such as could provide them with food. They could escape dependence on supply ships from England. Therefore this place is arguably of national heritage significance. It has sometimes been described as a rocky bar that separates the salt water tidal Middle Harbour from fresh water. The latter has commonly been taken to mean Middle Harbour Creek but they might instead have camped on the nearby Rocky Creek (which also has a tidal limit not far up from its mouth onto Middle Harbour Creek). The location is a popular destination for walkers, but there has been some confusion over the origin and application of the place name. At one stage there was a swimming pool known as 'Bungaroo' which was enhanced by relief workers in the Great Depression.[2]. That comes from a Government-preserved old photograph that has been so labeled, yet the photo is clearly of a place (now known as 'the Cascades') that is different to the spot nowadays identified as Bungaroo by the Sydney street directories, and by National Parks and Wildlife Service.
A noteworthy feature of this place, as referred to on nearby signage, is that of all the places referred to in the surviving writings of members of the First Fleet (who established the English penal colony at Sydney Cove), it is only at Bungaroo that the natural bushland setting still survives. Surgeon White, a member of Governor Phillip's exploring party, wrote of the place on their visit on 16 April 1788 that it was "the most desert, wild and solitary seclusion that the imagination can form any idea of ".
Access
edit- Founders Way leaving from Hunter Ave, St Ives leads onto the pipeline track which follows a pipeline down a steep decent down into the valley. The track is primarily a fire trail which is mostly in good condition. This route is a popular short walk for local residents.
- Middle Harbour Track leads from the Cascades in Garigal National Park to the Governor Phillip Walk. The track follows along the eastern side of Middle Harbour towards Forestville, New South Wales.
References
edit- ^ "Bungaroo Track - St Ives". Ku-ring-gai Council. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013.
- ^ "Bungaroo Swimming Pool, St Ives". GPO original locations or series - St16727 From NSW Govt Printer series - Labor & Industry: Willoughby. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
Champion, George (George Annells); Champion, Shelagh (1990), Finding the right track : Governor Phillip's inland exploration from Manly to Upper Middle Harbour and westwards, 15th to 18th April 1788, S. and G. Champion, ISBN 978-0-9596484-6-1