William Romaine Govett facts for kids

William Romaine Govett (born October 3, 1807 – died August 22, 1848) was an English painter and an assistant surveyor in Australia. He is famous because a beautiful waterfall and area in the Blue Mountains, called Govetts Leap, was named after him!

Govett's Early Life and Work

William Govett was born in a town called Tiverton in Devon, England. He went to school at Blundell's School.

In 1827, when he was 20 years old, he got a job as an assistant surveyor. He worked for the government in New South Wales, Australia. He arrived in Sydney in December 1828.

Discovering Govett's Leap

Part of William's job was to survey land. This means he measured and mapped out areas. He worked on the old Bathurst road. During this work, he found a special spot in the Blue Mountains. This place was later named Govett's Leap in his honor. The Surveyor-General of New South Wales, Major Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell, named it after him.

Mitchell described Govett as a talented young man. He said William was very good at drawing maps of the land. He was also clever at exploring new areas.

Changes in His Career

In February 1829, Govett was sent to the Hawkesbury River. Many farms there needed to be measured. However, in 1833, his job ended suddenly. This happened because the surveying department was made smaller.

William Govett returned to England in March 1834. He had a letter of recommendation from Mitchell. This letter was for the British government.

Life After Australia

After returning to England, Govett lived in Tiverton. He wrote several articles about New South Wales. These articles were published in The Saturday Magazine. They appeared between 1836 and 1837.

His articles were called Sketches of New South Wales. They talked about the land he had helped survey. He also wrote about the customs of the Aboriginal people. He described what life was like in Sydney. Twelve of his own paintings illustrated these articles.

William Romaine Govett died in London on August 22, 1848.

The State Library of New South Wales has a portrait of Govett. The artist who painted it is unknown.