1899 - To the Top of Mount Bryan.

21 March 1899 - Henry Tilbrook was 51 years of age and staying for a week or so with Charles Dawson of one square-mile Aldina Farm on Mount Bryan Flat. He had his camera with him and taken numerous views and thought he would like to do a one day’s tramp ‘solus’ (alone) to the top of Mount Bryan. When he heard that the Church of England parson was coming for the day he decided that was the time to clear out. He started at 8 am to try to find Mount Bryan.

‘My load consisted of a whole-plate camera, paraphernalia, heavy stand, and an umbrella to protect the camera from the wind whilst giving long exposures with isochromatic color-screens. When I got back that night long after dark Charley weighed the lot and found the weight to be thirty-seven and a half pounds - or two and a half short of 40 lbs. This I lugged about over the mountains to Mount Bryan and back for twelve long hours.’

He met Charles Bowman who told him that there had never been any satisfactory photos taken of Mount Bryan, which probably spurred him on. He passed a hut he had seen in 1864 and photographed a dingo trap and some other views, then at 3 pm he saw the Mount Bryan trig point in front of him.

‘The trig of loose stones had the usual stick built into the centre of it… Having had a rest I sheltered the camera from the roaring gale by placing it under a projecting slate rock… Then adjusting the thread and focussing the trig I went up and stood beside the latter. I then gently wound up the thread in one hand, the camera clicked and the photo was taken. But for the shelter of the rock, the howling wind would have carried the camera somewhere into the big Murray scrub to the eastward. The umbrella came in very handy for the other photographs which I took on the return journey.’

Henry had taken seven hours to reach the top of Mount Bryan but expected to take less on way home. ‘Tramping for several hours with my heavy load I stopped occasionally and took a few views - some on whole plates, others on 8½ x 3¼ inch plates. One or two plates were spoilt through underexposure owing to the lateness of the evening when the shadows were in semi-darkness… It was dark before I arrived at my journey’s end. And to make matters worse my boots pinched me severely. I had to sit down repeatedly to ease my aching feet. At 8 pm I came out of the darkness into Charley Dawson’s house. The parson had come and gone… Out all day with nothing to eat or drink and not back by dark… It was after tea that Charley decided to register the weight that I had humped all day… He gave it as his opinion that I had walked thirty miles that day. I slept well that night. I had not been on any proper track, road or trail the whole day.’