From the NSW State Archives
On this day in 1788 the French explorer La Perouse arrived at Botany Bay. Jean-Francois de Galaup, comte de Laperouse entered Sydney Harbour only days after the First Fleet had arrived and settled on the northern shore of Botany Bay (now named after him) for his six week visit. La Perouse sailed from Sydney in March and his fleet was wrecked in the Solomon Islands soon after.
This day in Australian History from NSW Archives
On this day in 1815 the first road over the Blue Mountains was completed by William Cox. Cox, along with a workgang of 30 convicts built the 161 km road in six months and followed the route used by Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth. The Great Western Road, also known as “Cox’s Pass”, allowed Governor Macquarie to travel from Sydney to Bathurst in eleven days and opened up the western plains for settlement.
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