W. C. (William Charles) Wentworth

Born in 1790, William Charles Wentworth became one of the best-known public figures in early colonial Australia. He is remembered for crossing the Blue Mountains with Gregory Blaxland and William Lawson in 1813, an expedition that opened the way for further inland settlement.

Wentworth was more than an explorer. He wrote poetry, studied in England, practiced law, and became a powerful journalist and politician in New South Wales. He was closely linked with the newspaper The Australian and spent years arguing for greater rights for colonists, trial by jury, and representative government.

His public career was often controversial, but his influence was lasting. He played an important part in the movement toward self-government in New South Wales and is also remembered as a supporter of what became the University of Sydney. He died in 1872, leaving behind a reputation for energy, ambition, and fierce independence.