1825 Port Macquarie – New South Wales

John Oxley discovered the Hastings River and Port Macquarie during his famous inland exploration of NSW in 1817.Oxley was asked to do further surveys of the area in 1819 and requested he join Parker King on the Mermaid as far as Port Macquarie. King himself was travelling north on his third coastal survey expedition to finish his own hydrographic exploration and survey of Northern Australia at the time.Whilst in the area, King assisted Oxley with the detailed coastal and river hydrographic surveys before sailing.Always with sketchbook in hand, King’s detailed and accurate drawings give us an insight to the area before colonisation.