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Dictionary of Sydney

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Geography and cartography

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Geography and cartography

Subject

Geology and geography of the Georges River

Mapping the Georges River

McGarvie’s list and Aboriginal Dyarubbin

The Dyarubbin Project: Aboriginal history, culture and places on the Hawkesbury River

Bailliere's New South Wales Gazetteer and Road Guide 1866

Dyarubbin: Mapping Aboriginal history, culture and stories of the Hawkesbury River, New South Wales

Real Secret River: Dyarubbin project

Rev John McGarvie's list of 'Native names of places on the Hawkesbury’ 1829

Geographical Names Board of New South Wales

Geographical Society of New South Wales

Royal Geographical Society of Australasia

Burnley, Ian

Robinson, Herbert

Thompson, John

Karemooloomooloo

A map of the hitherto explored country contiguous to Port Jackson: lain down from actual survey 1791

Australia, Port Jackson 1857

Australia-East coast. Port Jackson 1890

Birds eye view of the Port of Sydney 1913

Comparison of the modern mean high water mark of Sydney Harbour shoreline with Roe's 1822 'Survey of Port Jackson', 2013

Fifth page of John McGarvie's list of 'Native names of places on the Hawkesbury’ 1829

First page of John McGarvie's list of 'Native names of places on the Hawkesbury’ 1829

Fourth page of John McGarvie's list of 'Native names of places on the Hawkesbury’ 1829

Passage of the River Hawkesbury at Wisemans Ferry 1820

Plan du Port Jackson (Nouvelle-Galles du Sud) d'apres le Capitaine John Hunter assujetti aux observations faites a bord des corvettes Francaises en 1802; Plan du comte de Cumberland (Nouvelle-Galles du Sud) d'apres les cartes Anglaises assujetti aux obser

Plan du Port Jackson: leve a bord de la fregate la Thetis commandee par de M. le Baron de Bougainville Capitaine de vaisseau, Chef de l'Expedition 1825, published 1837

Plan of land at Parsley Bay resumed by Crown for public recreation : Parish of Alexandria, County of Cumberland c1906

Portrait of Commandant en Chef Nicolas Baudin c1802

Second page of John McGarvie's list of 'Native names of places on the Hawkesbury’ 1829

Sixth page of John McGarvie's list of 'Native names of places on the Hawkesbury’ 1829

Survey of Port Jackson New South Wales 1822

The Channel to Rose Hill from the beginning of the flats at the head of Port Jackson from the wharf where Stores are landed for Rose Hill: Survey'd 1 Jany 1790

Third page of John McGarvie's list of 'Native names of places on the Hawkesbury’ 1829

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Geography and cartography

Geology and geography of the Georges River

There are three main geological layers in the Georges River catchment that can be seen along the river's route through south western Sydney.

Mapping the Georges River

Maps of the Georges River were made from the time of Cook's visit onwards, but it was not until the maps of Dixon and of Mitchell in the 1830s that the river was accurately charted.

McGarvie’s list and Aboriginal Dyarubbin

This essay follows on from Introducing the Dyarubbin Project: Aboriginal history, culture and places on the Hawkesbury River, New South Wales

The Dyarubbin Project: Aboriginal history, culture and places on the Hawkesbury River

The winner of the State Library of NSW Coral Thomas Fellowship in 2018-19 was a collaborative project, The Real Secret River: Dyarubbin. Based on a list of Aboriginal words recorded along Dyarubbin (the Hawkesbury River) in the 1820s by Reverend John McGarvie that is held in the Mitchell LIbrary, winning the Fellowship allowed the team behind the project to work on the recovery, recognition and revitalisation of the river's Darug and Darkinjung history, culture and Language.

Bailliere's New South Wales Gazetteer and Road Guide 1866

Geographical dictionary and atlas with information of the colony for the year 1866.

full record »

Dyarubbin: Mapping Aboriginal history, culture and stories of the Hawkesbury River, New South Wales

full record »

Publicly available, online interactive map created by NSW State government department Spatial Services in 2021 using the results of the Real Secret River: Dyarubbin research project led by Professor Grace Karksens with Aunty Edna Watson, Leanne Watson and Jasmine Seymour, and supported by the State Library of NSW 2018-2019 Coral Thomas Fellowship.

Use the External Link with this record to go directly to the map at Spatial Services.

Real Secret River: Dyarubbin project

Collaborative research project led by Professor Grace Karskens as the Coral Thomas Fellow at the State Library of New South Wales 2018-2019. Once every place on Dyarubbin and its tributaries had an Aboriginal name, reflecting ways in which this Country was understood, used and experienced. Now only a handful survive on maps and in common usage. Using a list made by Reverend John McGarvie in 1829 that records the place names used by the Aboriginal people along the Hawkesbury River (Dyarubbin), a team of Darug people, historians, archaeologists and linguists identified the original locations, allowing for the recovery, recognition and revitalisation of the river's Aboriginal history, culture and Language.

full record »

Rev John McGarvie's list of 'Native names of places on the Hawkesbury’ 1829

full record »

List of 178 Darug and Darkinyung names of places along Dyarubbin (Hawkesbury River) compiled in 1829 by the Reverend John McGarvie, Presbyterian Minister at Ebenezer and Pitt Town, as he and his Aboriginal informant/s travelled along the riverbanks. The words appear in geographic order and often with locational clues, like settlers’ farms, creeks and lagoons. The list is in McGarvie's papers in the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales.

Geographical Names Board of New South Wales

Board established by legislation to administer place names within the state.

full record »

Geographical Society of New South Wales

Professional organisation dedicated to the promotion and support of geographical research and education.

full record »

Royal Geographical Society of Australasia

Learned society founded in 1883 to encourage interest in geography and sponsor expeditions of discovery.

full record »

Burnley, Ian

Academic and teacher in population geography and demography.

full record »

Robinson, Herbert

Map maker and publisher who despite bankruptcy in the 1880s saw business flourish in the 1920s with a range of wall maps, street directories and atlases.

full record »

Thompson, John

Deputy Surveyor General who as a competent sketcher and draughtsman, used his leisure hours to record views of New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land whilst on official surveying expeditions.

full record »

Karemooloomooloo

Location on the Hawkesbury River (Dyarubbin) near Sackville, the name of which was shared by local Aboriginal people with the Rev John McGarvie in 1829 as he wrote a list of place names used by the Darug and Darkinyung people along the river. The word means something like the intersection of clusters of falling stars. Two branches of Roberts creek flowed into the Hawkesbury here as well.

full record »

A map of the hitherto explored country contiguous to Port Jackson: lain down from actual survey 1791

full record »

By

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[a928468 / Q79/64]

(From Watkin Tench's 'A complete account of the settlement at Port Jackson, in New South Wales [...]' 1793, London, G. Nicol) (Dixson Map Collection)

Australia, Port Jackson 1857

full record »

By

Great Britain. Hydrographic Department

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[MAP British Admiralty Special Map Col./33]

(surveyed by Lieut. J. Hutchison ; Messrs J.W. Smith & E. Wilds, Mastrs. ; E. Howard & F. Hixon, 2nd Mastrs ; under the direction of Captn. H.M. Denham R.N., F.R.S., 1857 ; engraved by J.& C. Walker, London : Published at the Admiralty under the superintendence of Captn. Washington, R.N., F.R.S., Hydrographer : Sold by J.D. Potter, Agent for the Admiralty Charts, 31 Poultry & 11 King St. Tower Hill, 11th Feby. 1859)

Australia-East coast. Port Jackson 1890

full record »

By

Great Britain. Hydrographic Department

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[MAP JOHNSTON SPECIAL COL./21.]

(Compiled by Lieutenants T. F. Pullen and G. W. Gubbins, H.M.S. Lark, from information supplied by the New South Wales Government. Engraved by Davies & Company. London : Published at the Admiralty, 15th Feby. 1890 under the Superintendence of Captain W. J. L. Wharton, R.N., F.R.S. Hydrographer : sold by J. D. Potter Agent for the sale of Admiralty charts, 31 Poultry & 11 King St, Tower Hill, 1890.)

Birds eye view of the Port of Sydney 1913

full record »

By

Sydney Harbour Trust

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[MAP RM 2757/1]

(Sydney : Published by the Sydney Harbour Trust Commissioners, 1913, In: The Port of Sydney, N.S.W. : official handbook. Sydney : Sydney Harbour Trust Commissioners, 1913. Second edition.)

Comparison of the modern mean high water mark of Sydney Harbour shoreline with Roe's 1822 'Survey of Port Jackson', 2013

full record »

By

Contributed By

(Geographic Information System (GIS) created by Phil Mulhearn 2013.) (Modern Sydney Harbour mean high water mark outline, courtesy of Port Authority of NSW 2013) (Survey of Port Jackson New South Wales by John Septimus Roe in Phillip Parker King, charts of the coast of Australia, National Library of Australia, 1824-1826, National Library of Australia, MAP RaA 5, part 9 http://nla.gov.au/nla.map-raa5-s9)

Fifth page of John McGarvie's list of 'Native names of places on the Hawkesbury’ 1829

full record »

By

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[A 1613, Poems and prose, 1825-1835]

(Reverend John McGarvie papers, 1825-1847)

First page of John McGarvie's list of 'Native names of places on the Hawkesbury’ 1829

full record »

By

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[A 1613, Poems and prose, 1825-1835, p25]

(Reverend John McGarvie papers, 1825-1847)

Fourth page of John McGarvie's list of 'Native names of places on the Hawkesbury’ 1829

full record »

By

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[A 1613, Poems and prose, 1825-1835]

(Reverend John McGarvie papers, 1825-1847)

Passage of the River Hawkesbury at Wisemans Ferry 1820

full record »

By

Thomas Livingstone Mitchell

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[ Illustrations from Progress in Public Works & Roads in NSW, 1827-1855 , ML A 331A, Opp. p. 83]

(Mitchell Library)

Plan du Port Jackson (Nouvelle-Galles du Sud) d'apres le Capitaine John Hunter assujetti aux observations faites a bord des corvettes ...

full record »

By

Louis de Freycinet

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[MAP RaA 2. Part 31]

(Voyage de decouvertes aux terres australes : execute par ordre de S.M.L'Empereur et Roi sur les Corvettes le Geographe, le Naturaliste, et la Goelette le Casuarina, pendant les annees 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803, & 1804. [Tome 3], Partie navigation et geographie. Atlas / par Louis Freycinet.)

Plan du Port Jackson: leve a bord de la fregate la Thetis commandee par de M. le Baron de Bougainville Capitaine de vaisseau, Chef ...

full record »

By

La Pierre et Jeanneret

Contributed By

Internet Archive

[mobot31753002754585#page/52]

(Plate 52 from 'Journal de la navigation autour du globe de la fregate la Thetis et de la corvette l'Esperance pendant les annees 1824, 1825 et 1826', Publie par ... M. le Baron de Bougainville. Paris : Arthus Bertrand, 1837)

Plan of land at Parsley Bay resumed by Crown for public recreation : Parish of Alexandria, County of Cumberland c1906

full record »

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[M1 811.18131/1900/1]

Portrait of Commandant en Chef Nicolas Baudin c1802

full record »

By

Nicholas-Martin Petit

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

(Mitchell Library)

Second page of John McGarvie's list of 'Native names of places on the Hawkesbury’ 1829

full record »

By

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[A 1613, Poems and prose, 1825-1835]

(Reverend John McGarvie papers, 1825-1847)

Sixth page of John McGarvie's list of 'Native names of places on the Hawkesbury’ 1829

full record »

By

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[A 1613, Poems and prose, 1825-1835]

(Reverend John McGarvie papers, 1825-1847)

Survey of Port Jackson New South Wales 1822

full record »

By

John Septimus Roe

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[MAP RaA 5. Part 9]

(in 'Charts of the coast of Australia', Phillip Parker King, London: Hydrographic Office, 1824–1826)

The Channel to Rose Hill from the beginning of the flats at the head of Port Jackson from the wharf where Stores are landed for Rose ...

full record »

By

William Bradley

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[a138502 / Safe 1 / 14, chart 11]

(Mitchell Library) (from William Bradley - Charts from his journal `A Voyage to New South Wales', 1802)

Third page of John McGarvie's list of 'Native names of places on the Hawkesbury’ 1829

full record »

By

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[A 1613, Poems and prose, 1825-1835]

(Reverend John McGarvie papers, 1825-1847)

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