On This Day

English surveyor George Evans is the first European to discover the Lachlan River, Australia

George William Evans (5 January 1780 – 16 October 1852) was a British-born surveyor and early explorer in the interior of the Australian colony of New South Wales.

George William Evans (5 January 1780 – 16 October 1852) was a British-born surveyor and early explorer in the interior of the Australian colony of New South Wales. Evans received early training in surveying and cartography. He arrived in Sydney in October 1802 and was briefly appointed acting-surveyor of the New South Wales colony and later assistant to James Meehan in Van Diemen's Land. In 1813, following the instructions of Governor Macquarie, Evans surveyed a route across the Blue Mountains and became the first European to describe the Bathurst Plains. In 1815 he explored further inland, including country adjoining the Abercrombie, Belubula and upper Lachlan rivers.

Historical Significance

George William Evans (5 January 1780 – 16 October 1852) was a British-born surveyor and early explorer in the interior of the Australian colony of New South Wales.

Events Before

  1. Field Marshal Blücher's troops cross the Rhine at Kaub

    Field Marshal Blücher's troops cross the Rhine at Kaub

  2. Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 in F major premieres in Vienna

    Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist.

  3. Napoléon Bonaparte abdicates unconditionally and is exiled to the island of Elba in the Mediterranean

    Napoléon Bonaparte abdicates unconditionally and is exiled to the island of Elba in the Mediterranean

  4. King Ferdinand VII of Spain signs the Decree of the 4th of May, returning Spain to absolutism

    King Ferdinand VII of Spain signs the Decree of the 4th of May, returning Spain to absolutism

  5. English engineer George Stephenson introduces his first steam locomotive, a traveling engine designed for hauling coal o

    English engineer George Stephenson introduces his first steam locomotive, a traveling engine designed for hauling coal on the Killingworth wagonway, named Blücher

Events After

  1. Gioachino Rossini's comic opera "Barber of Seville" premieres at the Teatro Argentina in Rome, Italy

    The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution is an opera buffa (comic opera) in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini.

  2. Dutch (King) Willem II marries Russian grand-duchess Anna Paulowna

    Dutch (King) Willem II marries Russian grand-duchess Anna Paulowna

  3. Leading Romantic poet Lord Byron signs Deed of Separation dissolving his marriage with Lady Byron at her request after 1

    Leading Romantic poet Lord Byron signs Deed of Separation dissolving his marriage with Lady Byron at her request after 1 year of marriage

  4. Léopold (Léopold I)of Saxe-Coburg, 1st King of Belgium following independence from the Netherlands marries British Princ

    Léopold (Léopold I)of Saxe-Coburg, 1st King of Belgium following independence from the Netherlands marries British Princess Charlotte Augusta

  5. English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (24) marries 2nd wife writer "Frankenstein" Mary Godwin (19) and daughter of

    English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (24) marries 2nd wife writer "Frankenstein" Mary Godwin (19) and daughter of early feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft

More from the 1810s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on May 24, 1815?
George William Evans (5 January 1780 – 16 October 1852) was a British-born surveyor and early explorer in the interior of the Australian colony of New South Wales. Evans received early training in surveying and cartography. He arrived in Sydney in October 1802 and was briefly appointed acting-surveyor of the New South Wales colony and later assistant to James Meehan in Van Diemen's Land.
Why is English surveyor George Evans is the first European to discover the Lachlan R... significant?
George William Evans (5 January 1780 – 16 October 1852) was a British-born surveyor and early explorer in the interior of the Australian colony of New South Wales.

Explore More