When Lachlan Macquarie was appointed Governor of NSW in 1810 he took over a settlement with a rapidly growing population that occupied a narrow coastal strip where farming land was becoming scarce. In an effort to open up more land for agriculture he granted permission in May 1813 for Gregory Blaxland and his party including William Lawson and William Wentworth to try to find a way over the Blue Mountains and see what was on the other side. Following the mountain ridges the party found a way through what seemed to be an impenetrable maze of valleys and high cliffs. Upon their return to Sydney they reported their success to Governor Macquarie who subsequently sent Assistant Surveyor George Evans out to confirm the discovery and venture even further into the interior.