Mudgee Historic Camping Tree

22/04/2022

Meeting today for anyone interested 2pm at club Mudgee!
Any suggestions and comments welcome . .
We will have TWO small photo albums of the 200 years celebrations available for viewing. If you have any photos you took that you would like to share please bring them along

02/03/2022

Some light entertainment from the 200 years celebration

20/02/2022

As far as last Saturday’s celebrations go, GREAT NEWS !

The 200 years to the day afternoon went smoothly and extremely well with a large attendance. The weather was just right for the occasion with picnickers streaming in from 2.00 p.m, there were many of the Cox, Blackman and Lowe descendants as well as many other people interested in Mudgee’s First Settlement.

Christopher Cox gave a very interesting account of those first hard years at Menah, and Michael Cox cut the Bicentennial cake. Simone Kurtz came wielding a camera to record the event.

Clair Goodsell brought along some very early and highly interesting items and made a great display. On show was also the photographic album covering the work completed by our group and Mid Western Regional Council, from 2013, and earlier photographs from before 1921. All displays were well viewed and created some discussion.

Des Kelly (Blackman) from Gulgong provided some light entertainment with guitar assisted by two largerphone players.

Some wood, cut from the trimming of The Tree in 2017 was taken along with Certificates of Authenticity, but there is some left...

When a small group of us turned up on Friday last to tidy up the Reserve, we were met by a wonderful sight. Peter Raines and Jenny Neely had organised Council workers to mow, rake, trim all the “grass” from the river to the road, plus Wilbetree Road to the junction. Also delivered and placed was a fresh load of wood chips around The Tree, so a huge thank you goes out to Council for their ongoing assistance!

10/02/2022

Hello supporters of the Tree!

This coming Saturday marks 200 years to the day that George and Henry Cox set up camp to start the first European Settlement of the Mudgee Area, the second settlement after Bathurst this side of the Blue Mountains.
There will be a very casual afternoon picnic on Saturday at the M.H.C.T. Reserve (The Historic Camping Tree).
There will be a cake to cut, the M.H.C.T. photo album on display, and authentic pieces of The Tree to collect, a small donation to the M.H.C.T. Incorporated for the larger pieces would be appreciated for the larger pieces, and authenticity certificates will be available. All of these pieces are the result of The Tree being trimmed in May 2017.

We hope to see you there!

Date: Saturday 12th February 2022.
Time: 2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m.
B.Y.O. : Food, drinks, comfy chair, umbrella for rain or shine, a friend or relative, a cheery smile . . .

09/03/2021

Head over and check out the Mudgee Bicentenary page
https://www.facebook.com/Mudgees-Bicentenary-110476961105058/

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of land and would like to pass our respect to the elders,

12/01/2021

Please join us for our first Monday History Talk of the year on 1 February at 10:15am with special guest Brian Hobson to learn more about the Historic Camping Tree – the first European settlement of Mudgee.

Please RSVP by 29 January for catering purposes.

20/04/2020

Hi tree huggers! It's been awhile since an update on the Camping tree, so just a brief outline as to what's happening at the moment. The "Friends of the tree" have been working together on applying to become a Body Corporate, final preparations for up to date and accurate signage for the location, as well as new street signage making the tree easier to find. Council have approved a grant so far to go towards the cost involved in this signage and for further trimming and capping of the tree, and are in discussions with an arborist hoping to get this work done by the end of this month as a priority to seal what’s left of The Tree, Council were also looking at the problem of debris in the river, mowing to be done and the cat-heads surrounding the area.
There will be a further meeting to discuss the October long weekend 2021 Bicentenary, activities that can be held to celebrate an accurate Bicentenary. So please, if you have any interest in this cause comment here or send the page a private message and we can discuss further ideas, or if you would like to attend the odd meeting once social distancing is over that would be amazing! Even if you would just like to be added as an email contact for updates, any input or support is appreciated.
*If anyone buys ‘eclipse’ mints would they please save the tins. We need 80 more, we have 20, A great place to contain old coins, nails, etc to be dug out at the event!

13/10/2019

Hello followers!!! It's been a long time since we have updated this page due to some illness taking over the lives of our main Friends of the tree, but it's time to start getting things rolling again hopefully! For starters if you would like to receive updates, please send you email address via the private message button here and we can add you to the list, this is mainly updates of what's happened so far or what is planned and when meetings are proposed for brainstorming!
We have had several ideas from various volunteers, but would like everyone to have a good old think, and bring your ideas to the meeting.
The proposed meeting will be held at the Mudgee Bakery, Market Street, in the section closest to Lewis Street, from 10.00 a.m. on Wednesday 23rd October 2019. This will be an informal chat, but we would like you to think about the following:--before a more formal meeting can be called at a later date:--

1. Should we contact 2MG to advertise the second meeting in the FREE Community advertisements ? The Mudgee Guardian again (has previously been unsuccessful) This would be to find out if they would be interested in mentioning the work that has been, and is being done at the Camping Tree, in preparation for the bicentennial in 2021.

2. Can you think of anyone who would be interested in becoming a volunteer to assist in the planning of, or help physically in the envisaged work to be done before, or on that October weekend 2021 ?

3. If you could find time, would you visit Lawson Park and view the signage, close to the bridge and river which the Council has provided. Similar signage is at the Wet Lands car park.

4. Ideas so far are for a covered timber, similar to the one at the Munghorn Reserve (Parks and Wildlife structure) which could stand (“X” marks the spot ?) with THREE of the above mentioned signs on one side.

Board 1 . . . Pre-European history with pictures and text as decided upon by consultation with the local aboriginal community.
Board 2 . . . The first settlement by Europeans near the Historic Camping Tree with pictures, photographs and text from our local history.
Board 3 . . . The move from this site to the present site of Mudgee, and it’s gazetting as a village up to 1838.

5. If we have some money left from what has been allocated by the Council, would it be a good idea to have, on the other side of this information board, illustrations and text about the animal life found at this Reserve, such as Platypus, snakes, birds, fish (except the wonderful Carp !) ?

Thank you if you have read this far! We would love more volunteers to come on board whether it be for some fresh ideas, to offer some physical help or to offer contacts to get some things happening! Please feel free to comment below, or to private message the page, any feedback would be appreciated :D

12/07/2019

We were excited to hear that Mudgee Little Learners had an excursion with their school aged children out to visit the Mudgee Camping Tree on Tuesday. It's always wonderful to hear of people visiting the Tree, and we especially love children learning about the story behind it. If we don't preserve the history and teach generations to come the significance of this tree, it will be lost. Again with many thanks going to the Mid Western Regional Council for supporting the Friends of the tree, and helping to keep it looking tidy and loved.
Thanks Little Learners for sharing your photo with us, looks like you had a great time!

03/09/2018

Hello Friends of the tree! The main man behind the Camping Tree refurbishment, future plans and caretaking has organised to access the museum this Sunday at 2pm for a get together for anyone interested in the ongoing plans for the tree and a chance to give some feedback or ideas for the HCT. Chances are the bicentenary will not be mentioned at all *note sarcasm... Anyone is welcome to attend, all they have to do is show up. There will be coffee and tea available and possibly biscuits or cake, with the proposition of a gold coin donation to cover this. Hope to see you there!

01/09/2018

There will hopefully be a meeting soon to discuss options for celebrations (date to be advised, but looking at next weekend)

27/08/2018

Photos can say a thousand words. And just a few words from a handful of councillors can change history, apparently they can just "change" the date to celebrate another 100 years on

Mudgee, NSW...1921