Bathurst Street Lamps

Aboriginal occupation of the Blue Mountains area dates back at least 12,000 years and appears to have intensified some 3000–4000 years ago. In pre-colonial times the area now known as Bathurst was inhabited by Aboriginal people of the Wiradjuri linguistic group. The clan associated with Bathurst occupied on a seasonal basis most of the Macquarie River area. They moved regularly in small groups but preferred the open land and used the waterways for a variety of food. There are numerous river flats where debris from recurrent camps accumulated over a long period. European settlement in this region after the first documented white expedition west of the Blue Mountains in 1813 was tentative because of apprehensions about resistance from Aboriginal people. There was some contact, witnessed by sporadic hostility and by the quantity of surviving artefacts manufactured by the Aborigines from European glass. By 1840 there was widespread dislocation of Aboriginal culture, aggravated after 1850 by the goldrush to the region.[1]

Prior to European settlement in Australia, the Wiradjuri Aboriginal group lived in the upper Macquarie Valley. Bathurst was proclaimed a town by Governor Lachlan Macquarie on 7 May 1815, named after Lord Bathurst, Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies. Bathurst is Australia's oldest inland township.[1]

Governor Macquarie chose the site of the future town of Bathurst on 7 May 1815 during his tour over the Blue Mountains, on the road already completed by convict labour supervised by William Cox. Macquarie marked out the boundaries near the depot established by surveyor George Evans and reserved a site for a government house and domain. Reluctant to open the rich Bathurst Plains to a large settlement, Macquarie authorised few grants there initially, one of the first being 1000 acres to William Lawson, one of the three European explorers who crossed the mountains in 1813. The road-maker William Cox was another early grantee but later had to move his establishment to Kelso on the non-government side of the Macquarie River.[1]

A modest release of land in February 1818 occurred when ten men were chosen to take up 50 acre farms and 2 acre town allotments across the river from the government buildings. When corruption by government supervisor Richard Lewis and acting Commandant William Cox caused their dismissal, they were replaced by Lieutenant William Lawson who became Commandant of the settlement in 1818.[1]

Macquarie continued to restrict Bathurst settlement and reserved all land on the south side of the Macquarie River for government buildings and stock, a situation that prevailed until 1826. In December 1819 Bathurst had a population of only 120 people in 30 houses, two thirds being in the township of Kelso on the eastern side of the river and the remainder scattered on rural landholdings nearby. The official report in 1820 numbered Bathurst settlers at 114, including only 14 women and 15 children. The government buildings comprised a brick house for the commandant, brick barracks for the military detachment and houses for the stock keeper, and log houses for the 50 convicts who worked the government farm. Never successful, the government farm was closed by Governor Darling in 1828.[1]

Governor Darling, arriving in Sydney in 1825, promptly commenced a review of colonial administration and subsequently introduced vigorous reforms. On advice from Viscount Goderich, Darling divided colonial expenditure into two parts: one to cover civil administration, funded by New South Wales; the other for the convict system, funded by Britain.[1]

By this time, J. McBrien and Robert Hoddle had surveyed the existing grants in the vicinity. Surveyor James Bym Richards began work on the south side of the river in 1826. But the town was apparently designed by Thomas Mitchell in 1830 and did not open until late 1833 after Richards had completed the layout of the streets with their two-road allotments. The first sales were held in 1831 before the survey was complete.[1]

In 1832 the new Governor, Major General Sir Richard Bourke, visited Bathurst in October. He instructed the Surveyor General Major Thomas L. Mitchell to make arrangements for "opening the town of Bathurst without delay" and he in turn instructed the Assistant Surveyor at Bathurst J. B. Richards to lay out the blocks and streets. This was done in September 1833. It is believed that Major Mitchell named the streets, with George Street being named after King George III.[1]

Overhead view of street lamps on William Street and the junction with Russell Street, with the King's Parade at right, undated. Traffic lights are now located at this intersection.

A street lamp located on the junction of Howick and George Streets, with further lamps looking north down George Street, 2010.

An older style street lamp located in Machattie Park, painted green and situated to the left of the rotunda between the large trees, 2010.

Street lamps in William Street, looking south, 2010.

A street lamp located in King's Parade, in 2009.

A street lamp located at the corner of George and Howick Streets, in 2010.

At the end of 1863 Bathurst Council made the first attempts to light the streets and an order was placed with George Fish, a local engineer, to provide six iron lamps. In January 1864 tenders were called for the supply of kerosene street lamps. They were required to be lit between sunset and sunrise 240 days of the year. Gas was first supplied to Bathurst consumers in 1872 by J. N. Wark's company and his potential biggest client was the Bathurst City Council. The existing paraffin lamps were converted to gas, and soon after two lamps were erected at each of the intersections of George, William with Durham, Howick, Russell and Keppel Streets within the central business district. A special levy of three pence in the pound was placed on property owners in the areas to pay for it. This levy needed special legislation to be enacted. The lights required much maintenance and were often subject to vandalism and the cost of extending mains and repairs to roads afterwards was high. By 1877 Bathurst had 55 street lights. The street lamp standards were removed and replaced with the current style of lamp standard following the introduction of electricity to the city in 1924.[1]

A special lamp standard and horse fountain was installed in 1887 in Machattie Park as a memorial to the Lady Mayoress M. L. Machattie who headed a ladies committee that made a significant contribution to the Machattie Park project. She was married to Dr T. A. Machattie, the son of Machattie Park's namesake, Dr Richard Machattie. It was erected by the "Women and Girls of Bathurst".[1]

Bathurst City Council took over ownership of all the historic lamp standards in the Bathurst CBD from Advance Energy (previously Southern Mitchell County Council) in 1998.[1]

• Government Architect's Office (2005). Bathurst Hospital Conservation Management Plan.
• Carroll, Jacinta (2003). Lamps set for heritage listing (West. Advocate 29/5/03).
• Bingham, Janet (1999). Bathurst Street Lamps Standards Conservation and Enhancement Project.
• Barker, Theo (1998). A History of bathurst Vol 2.
• Heritage Office SHRP (2001). Central West Pilot Program SHRP.

This Wikipedia article was originally based on Bathurst Street Lamps, entry number 01666 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 2 June 2018.