Mount Victoria, Papua New Guinea
History
Originally known as just the Great Mountain there had been several attempts to scale the peak by British colonialists in the 1880s. These attempts had failed after clashes with local villagers.
The first successful recorded ascent was in 1889 by the British New Guinea Administrator, Sir William MacGregor. MacGregor had been in the territory as Administrator for only six months before he was compelled to launch an expedition to climb the mountain for himself.
Starting on 17 May 1889, MacGregor approached the mountain from the west via the Vanapa River. His party included his private secretary J.B Cameron, a Samoan half-caste and thirty-eight Papuans and Polynesians. After ascending two smaller mountains, Mount Musgrave and Mount Knutsford, MacGregor eventually climbed the Great Mountain on 11 June and promptly renamed it Mount Victoria in honour of Queen Victoria. Brisbane-born Chas C. Baines in 1953 led a team of native carriers on a successful ascent. He had taken leave from his post as Port Moresby-based radio technician for Radio 9PA.
See also
Notes
- ^ "Papua New Guinea Ultras List". peaklist.org. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
- ^ "Torres Straits". The New Zealander. Vol. 2, no. 96. 3 April 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 3 August 2024 – via paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
- ^ Souter, Gavin (1963). New Guinea: The Last Unknown. Angus & Robertson. pp. 65–68. ISBN 0-207-94627-2.
References
- Nolan, Riall W. (1983). Bushwalking in Papua New Guinea (1 ed.). Lonely Planet. pp. 77–80. ISBN 0-908086-41-5.