(Surveyor) John Oxley

John Oxley (1784 – 1828)

John Oxley is probably best known for having traced the courses of the Lachlan and Macquarie Rivers. His previous naval experience, however, probably fitted him better for coastal survey work than for inland exploration.

In 1812 he was appointed Surveyor General of NSW. Whilst holding this position, he undertook two major expeditions into the western part of NSW that resulted in the first detailed description of the Australian inland and paved the way for later exploration by Charles Sturt and Thomas Mitchell.
From September to December 1819 he made a trip by sea to Jervis Bay, concluding the country did not offer the smallest inducement for the foundation of a Settlement on its shores, being ... for the most part Barren and generally deficient in Water...we saw no place on which even a Cabbage might be planted with a prospect of success.

It seems that Oxley, as Surveyor General, was not a good administrator, with Thomas Mitchell having to clean up many departmental backlogs when he was appointed to the position in 1828.