Road to the West, The

1965, 21 Minutes

The story of the search by the colonists for a crossing over the rugged Blue Mountains into the western slopes and plains of New South Wales.

By 1813 the colony of New South Wales had experienced consecutive droughts and weak harvests. The population continued to grow and the colony desperately needed to expand into more fertile farming land.

Through re-enactments and historical stills this is the story of the first European crossing of the rugged Blue Mountains by three explorers, William Charles Wentworth, Gregory Blaxland and Lieutenant William Lawson, each of whom had his own reason for being part of the expedition.

Produced by Artransa Park Studios for the Australian Commonwealth Film Unit. © 2011 National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.