Hume and Hovell Expedition - Crossing The Great Divide

Crossing The Great Divide

Hume and Hovell tried again to breach the Great Divide and finally succeeded at Pretty Sally. In the next few days they crossed the volcanic plains north and west of Melbourne. They continued southwards towards the junction of the Maribyrnong River and Jacksons Creek.

Soon they arrived at Corio Bay which the aboriginals called 'Iramoo Downs' near the present site of Geelong. Because of damaged instruments they believed they had reached Western Port, the large bay further east which had been discovered by Matthew Flinders and George Bass in 1798. Twenty-two years later, in 1825, James Meehan, who had accompanied John Murray in exploring Port Phillip Bay 18 month earlier, was to tell Hume that there were no large islands in Port Phillip, and that therefore had reached Port Phillip, not Western Port as Hovell had insisted.

They spent three days recuperating before retracing their steps back to Sydney arriving back to Mr. Hume's station near Lake George on 18 January 1825.

Colonel Stewart, Captain S. Wright, and Lieutenant Burchell were sent in H.M.S. Fly (Captain Wetherall) and the brigs Dragon and Amity, with orders to proceed to Western Port and establish a colony. On 18 November 1826. They took a number of convicts and a small force composed of detachments of the 3rd and 93rd regiments. Attached to the party was Hovell, who had travelled overland from Sydney to Port Phillip at a point about twelve miles from the present town of Geelong with Hamilton Hume the previous year. Hovell had insisted that it was Western Port, not Port Phillip they had visited on that occasion ; but on viewing the former water with the expedition under Colonel Stewart he was soon aware of his mistake.