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Geoff Ogden would like to see the area east of Bathurst
given a proper geographical
name.
| Naming ranges Geoff's mission
By AMY
EDWARDS
NAMING the ranges to the east of Bathurst has become a
mission for high school geography teacher Geoff Ogden.
"It
would seem inconceivable that after a century of seeking out this
view Bathurstians still have no name for the ranges over which they
gaze," Mr Ogden said.
"Local real estate advertising, as well
as some National Parks publications, to their shame, at times refer
to them as the Blue Mountains."
Mr Ogden, who teaches
geography at Blayney High School, said the range people are looking
at is essentially the eastern boundary of the Macquarie Valley,
marking the point where the land rises abruptly to a higher
elevation.
"It starts in the south above the point where the
Macquarie begins on the O'Connell Plains ... and stretches as far as
Wattle Flat. Some of the distinguishable high points along the range
have been named and are known to keen bush walkers but they are not
part of the 'knowledge culture' of the city," Mr Ogden said.
Mr Ogden said the ranges surpass the Blue Mountains in
height and it is therefore an impossibility to see any of the Blue
Mountains from Bathurst; not only are they too distant but they are
obscured from our view behind the Great Divide.
Mr Ogden's
first step towards naming the ranges is to spark community consensus
about a name and then apply to the Geographical Names
Board.
"As much of the area is now incorporated into the
Winburndale Nature Reserve, it may make most sense to refer to the
whole line of escarpment visible from Bathurst as the Winburndale
Range or Wambool (the Aboriginal name for Macquarie) Range. If this
is acceptable let us make a decision and get Evans Shire Council to
act by making application to the Geographical Names Board for
registration of the name for its official maps."
"This will
bring it into the public domain and with some strategically located
signage it will become part of the knowledge base of the city's
inhabitants. We will then at last have a name for our
view."
For more information residents can visit Mr Ogden's
website on www.bigfoot.com/~gogden
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