History
Mount York was the point where Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Wentworth viewed the Hartley Valley and the 'west' for the first time, although some Europeans had already reached the valley before them. However, their 'first crossing' and opening of the west to farming in 1813 is commemorated with several memorials atop the summit, one with their faces set in stone. There are two metal fenced lookouts, a westward facing and northward facing one.
Mount York was the site of various attempts to build a pass to the plains west of the Blue Mountains. The first was Coxs Road, constructed in 1813. The next was Lockyers Road, which was begun not long after Coxs Road, but which was never finished. Still another was Lawsons Long Alley, which was a little east of Lockyers Road. These roads were all abandoned eventually, but in recent years they have been developed into walking tracks by the Department of Lands in New South Wales. Also still visible is Berghofers Pass, which was abandoned because of later developments, and which has also been turned into a walking track.
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The view at the end of Berghofers Pass
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Historic inscriptions along Berghofers Pass
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