Is a a saddle located south west of Rowans Hole and at the junction of Rowans Hole Trail and Moffitts Trail. Ben Bullen Topo Map, GR 253 192. Ref: Carne, Joseph. The Kerosene Shale Deposits of New South Wales, 1903, p. 176. Applied for by Walter Rowan. Portion 41, 23rd December 1875 as Conditional Purchase. Portion 37 and 40, 30th December 1875 as Conditional Purchase. Scale 20 Chains to an Inch. Date of Survey 26th January 1877.

The Index to the Unassisted Arrivals in NSW records, “Mr W Rowan arrived in Sydney as an unassisted passenger on the ship ‘Pluto’ from Melbourne on the 22nd February 1855.”NSW BDM records, “Walter Rowan married Sarah Murdock, district Hartley, 1863, two children, Sarah born 1864 and Thomas born 1866. Walter died 1882.” Ref: NSW BDM Rego No. 8800/1882.When Walter died, the leases were transferred to wife, Sarah. She died in 1879. Ref: NSW BDM, Conditional Purchases Register Book, State Records, Kingswood and Survey Plan R1460-1496.

Certificate of Title records, “Jonathan McLean purchased Portion 40 and 41. Portion 41 was purchased for £60.” His Title was Recorded and Enrolled in the Registrar General’s Office, Sydney, 23rd June 1904. Jonathan McLean’s grandparents, John and Marion McLean, were among the earliest settlers in the Glen Alice, Capertee Valley in 1837. Mount McLean and McLeans Pass are named after this family.

Portion 41 passed onto Kate Augusta McLean on the death of her husband Jonathan McLean on 23rd November 1907. On Kate’s death, the land was passed onto her son William John McLean, a Sydney solicitor on the 18th March 1932. On the same day, William sold to Thomas William Wolfe Gardiner, a grazier of Ben Bullen. The geographical features, Gardiners Hill and Gardiners Gap, were named after Thomas Gardiner’s father Thomas, and grandfather William.

The next owner was Ronald Horace Lillyman, a grazier from Molong, 9th October 1956, then the property was sold to Virginia Gai McCann of Ben Bullen on 16th January 1961. Ref: Volume 1540; Folio 70. Virginia Gai McCann passed the land onto Matthew Anthony McCann on 30th July 1973. It was then sold to Merevn Jack Crane on 23rd September 1977. Ref: Vol. 8268; Fol. 159. The next five owners held the land for a short amount of time each, before the land was sold to the current owners, John Christian Murray and Katherine Lynne McFarlane on the 29th May 2007.

Note: from the original Survey Plan, this Portion has never been further subdivided and is described as Lot 41, Deposited Plan 755759.

• Ben Bullen

• 253 192

• Gardens of Stone - Book 5