Title

View of Lake George, New South Wales, from the north east. [by Joseph Lycett].

Author

Author not identified

Source

[Not applicable]

Publication date

1825

Type

About the work

Language

English

Country of context

Australia

Full text

View of Lake George, New South Wales, from the north east.

LAKE GEORGE is situated one hundred and fifty miles south from SYDNEY, and about eighty miles from the sea-coast, exactly opposite to JARVIS'S BAY. According to ENGLEFIELD's mountain barometer, this Lake is two thousand one hundred and thirty-nine feet above the level of the sea.

Commissioner BIGGE, in his official Reports, says, “On approaching the north-east shore of LAKE GEORGE, the swampy meadows are of great extent, and reach to the margin of the Lake, where they are separated by rocky projections of sand-stone. The extent of the Lake from north to south is nearly eighteen miles, and the main breadth is from five to seven miles. Dead trees were observed in it to a consi­derable distance from its present shores; and the person who had discovered it in the month of August preceding, seemed impressed with a belief that the expanse of water had considerably increased. The water itself had been represented as salt, but was found, on experiment, to be remarkably soft, though turbid.”

The Hills represented in the distance in the annexed View are rocky towards the summits, and produce excellent Lime-stone. The Valleys are formed of exceedingly fine grass-land, and are in general watered by small streams which run into the Lake. The land surrounding the Lake is extremely good, down to the very margin.

It is a remarkable fact, that the Wild Fowl, which frequent this Lake in vast abundance, are so extremely shy, in a spot almost new to the footsteps of man, that they are got at with the greatest difficulty.

The Views from many points of the land upon the sides of this Lake, are beautiful in the extreme. The present View was taken from a height which enabled the Artist to bring nearly the whole of this very extensive sheet of water before the eye of the spectator.

Accompanying text, 1825.