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The Surveying Career of William Swan Urquhart, 1845-1864

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The Surveying Career of William Swan Urquhart, 1845-1864 The surveying career of William Swan Urquhart, 1845-1864 Ken James ‘The surveying career of William Swan Urquhart, 1845-1864’, Provenance: The Journal of Public Record Office Victoria, issue no. 8, 2009. ISSN 1832-2522. Copyright © Ken James. Ken James is a secondary teacher in Melbourne who has an interest in the history of small rural districts in Central Victoria. Recent publications include The Career of Surveyor William Swan Urquhart 1843-1864, A History of Fryerstown State School, A History of Glenluce, A History of the Lyal District, A History of Myrtle Creek, Muddy Water: A History of Burrumbeet, A History of Weatherboard, Schools of the Redesdale District, Chinese Entries in Various Land and Mining Records held by the Public Record Office Victoria, and with Noel Davis, A History of Sutton Grange, and A History of Elphinstone. Abstract William Swan Urquhart’s career surveying for the Victorian Government commenced in 1845 as an I first became aware of surveyor William Swan assistant surveyor and ended as a district surveyor. He Urquhart when researching a history of the retired in 1864 and died in 1881 in East Melbourne. Elphinstone district, Central Victoria, with a friend, Much of his early work involved surveying county Noel Davis, for it was Urquhart who surveyed the boundaries and his skills were quickly recognised township and parish of Elphinstone. I started to by Superintendent La Trobe who referred to him in investigate his background only to discover that 1849 as ‘a man of excellent character, diligent and information about him was almost non-existent. My able in the performance of his various branches of interest in him was heightened when I discovered that duty’.[1] Urquhart Bluff on the Great Ocean Road was he had laid out many other settlements, including named after him by fellow surveyor George Smyth. Ballarat and Castlemaine, and that Urquhart Bluff on [2] Settlements laid out by Urquhart in the period up the Great Ocean Roadwas named after him. to 1853 include Ballarat, Carisbrook, Castlemaine, Elphinstone, Lockwood, Malmsbury, Sunbury and By now I was determined to find more about the Taradale, and most of these have an Urquhart Street in man and struck gold at Public Record Office Victoria recognition of his work. where I discovered his Taradale Survey Office Outward Correspondence Register 1854-1856 in As the district or senior surveyor of the central goldfields VPRS 1330/P0, Unit 1. It was there that I also found from mid-1853, Urquhart undertook very important work outward correspondence from survey headquarters directing the layout of agricultural lands, towns, roads in Melbourne to Urquhart in VPRS 6/P0. Fortunately and reserves in 47 government parishes. Evidence of the correspondence has been indexed so I was able his career from 1845 to 1864 can be found throughout to find a list of all entries relating to Urquhart. I also the 231 survey map plans bearing his name, accessible discovered some of his correspondence to the Head on microfiche at Public Record Office Victoria as part Office in Melbourne for the period 1847 to 1852 in of VPRS 15899 Historic Plan Collection. These maps VPRS 97/P0 and for the late 1850s to 1862 in VPRS were prepared by other surveyors while working under 44/P0. In addition, I was able to identify 231 of his Urquhart as assistant surveyors.[3] His is a story worth map plans in VPRS 8168 Historic Plan Collection (a telling. copy of which can be accessed on microfiche in PROV reading rooms as VPRS 15899). 64 Born in Ross Shire, Scotland in 1818, Urquhart arrived following year involved a number of surveys including in the colony of Victoria around 1840. He first worked the boundary of the County of Grant between Cape as a private surveyor for squatters in the Western Otway and the mouth of the Barwon River; part of the District, then as a contract surveyor for the colonial County of Bourke near the Mullum Mullum Creek; and government. In December 1845 he was appointed to a general survey of the Dandenong Ranges between the public service as an assistant surveyor, then in the Yarra River and Westernport as well as a general 1853 promoted to the position of surveyor. In 1854 survey of the ranges north of the Great Dividing Range, he is referred to in Melbourne Survey Office internal including the sources of the Lederberg River. correspondence as the surveyor in charge of the Mt Alexander goldfield and the senior surveyor on the goldfields.[4] In 1861 he was granted leave and notifications of this in the Victoria Government Gazette refer to him as District Surveyor of Castlemaine.[5] His staff at one stage included six assistant surveyors. Urquhart was responsible for organising the surveying of township reserves, roads and agricultural lands, his assistant surveyors being responsible for carrying out the work. In 1857 his duties increased when he was one of two district surveyors appointed by the government as a census enumerator. In 1859 his duties further increased with his appointment as a Crown lands commissioner, then in 1860 as a Crown lands appraiser and collector of imposts.[6] Survey of part of the Murray River from Swan Hill to the Gunbower (detail), PROV, VPRS 8168/P2, Unit 3575, Murray River Survey 9. Appointed Assistant Surveyor, 1845 On 24 October 1845 Urquhart was informed by This work on county boundaries continued in 1847 and Robert Hoddle that there was a probability that included a survey of the Lal Lal Creek and the sources an assistant surveyor might be required and could of the Moorabool and Yarrowee rivers; the ranges of Mt he be in Melbourne within ten days to a fortnight. Bunyinyong, Warraneep and Black Hill; and the Dividing [7] Hoddle followed up with further correspondence Range between the Werribee and Yarrowee rivers, on 14 November, informing Urquhart that indeed an including the future site of Ballarat and its surrounding assistant surveyor was needed as he (Hoddle) had goldfields. Urquhart finished the year with a survey been instructed by the Surveyor-General to mark the of part of the Great Swamp ‘Kooweeroop’ as far as boundaries of the counties of Bourke and Grant.[8] ‘Buneep Buneep’, Western Port. The extent of the county boundary survey work In 1848 he surveyed about 2,000 acres of rich accomplished by Urquhart is astonishing, but more agricultural lands into suitably sized lots for farms so when one considers the conditions under which of 80 to 200 acres each between Geelong and Point it was achieved. He was assisted by a team of four Richards; a line of road from Keilor to Pentland Hills labourers, a bullock driver and a tent keeper, acquiring through Bacchus Marsh; the Loddon River from Jim an assistant only in 1851. The men were with him for Crow Creek to the Murray River and the Avoca River eight months of each year, the other four months being rivulet; and the ranges between the Avoca and the spent drawing up his maps. His surveying equipment Loddon. The following year (1849) he surveyed the consisted of theodolite and circumeter, ‘and the ranges Avoca River, Callums Creek, Deep Creek, Bullarook and and creeks were carefully traversed and corrected Burrumbeet creeks and Lake Learmonth as well as by back sights and trig points and all lines carefully the Dividing Range from the sources of the Yarrowee checked so that no errors could occur’.[9] to Mt William in the Grampians including Mt Misery, Mt Cole, Mt Ararat and the ranges now known as the Commencing his duties in December 1845, Urquhart Pyrenees. Mt William became the northern boundary of surveyed the boundaries of the counties of Bourke and the County of Ripon. He also surveyed the volcanic hills Grant between Mt Macedon and Mt Blackwood near around Dowling Forest and Glendaruel. the sources of the Loddon and Werribee rivers.[10] The 65 This led to the experience in his career which forever now in hand and inform me by means of post when you touched him. will be able to start with your equipment and party’.[12] He then surveyed land for sales in the neighbourhood In 1849 I was deeply impressed with a circumstance that came under my notice. The subject has never of Warrnambool and Belfast as well as Mt Hope Creek, escaped my memory and I trust never will. I was at the Pyramid Creek and Pyramid Hill and the Terrick Terrick time surveying the general features of the rich volcanic Ranges. Urquhart was lucky to escape with his life hills around Dowling Forest, Learmonth, Burrumbeet and Glendaruel, the fine rich quality and beauty of while undertaking this work when an Aboriginal man which could not be surpassed. About 50,000 acres of tried to murder him. The circumstances were that this this fine country lay before me, where I could have run person had been erroneously informed by someone a plough furrow without stump or stone to stop my progress for 8 or 10 miles either way. On this same rich on a station that Urquhart planned to take him to land many thousands of Merino sheep were scarcely Melbourne to be hanged for stealing possessions able to walk and were miserably poor from foot rot. belonging to Urquhart’s party. At the same time, Mr W Clarke of Dowling Forest was boiling down thousands of his big Leicester sheep, each I happened to be examining part of the County back weighing from 80 lbs to 120 lbs, for their tallow. from the River Murray for water, I was alone and it being the time of the full moon was not in a hurry to return At that very time I happened to peruse a copy of the to my encampment and just at dusk about three miles London Times, and by it saw that thousands, both in from my camp I came on a native encampment, an the west of Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland were assembly of about 100 young and old who met for the dying of starvation.
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