The Hume River, an Erroneous Statement

Wodonga and Towong Sentinel

5 October 1906

In the course of it recent article on Charles Bonney, Mr. Ernest Favenc (the well-known Australian journalist and explorer), referring to the naming of the Hume, or Murray, says:- "None of the residents living and travelling on the Murray in the early days ever wrote of the river except by the name of The Murray.

In all the letters, public and private it is always called The Murray." In this matter Mr. Favenc (usually a good authority on the subjects of Australian exploration and early settlement) seems to have fallen into an error.

The late Mr. David Reid, Mr Williant Huon, the Mitchells, the Dights, and other pioneer settlers all remember when the river was known as the Hume, and the name is perpetuated on the Hume monument in the Albury Public Gardens.

Mr. John H. Mitchell (of Ravenswood, Vic.), writing to his brother (Mr. Edward Mitchell, of Albury), on the subject, says - "Now, you and James (Mr. Mitchell, of Table top), will remember that letters from our sister (Mrs K. Hume) and other branches of our family in N.S.W. were always addressed, as late as 1845, ' Mungabareena or Thurgoona Crossing place (or later, Albury), Hume River." Sometimes "Upper Murray or Hume".

Some of these letters reached this address by post, many by private hand. I fail to see why Murray takes precedence of the first discoverer of this river, which Hamilton Hume named after his father.''

It may be added that when Hume led the expedition from Lake George, N.S.W., to Port Phillip, he was only 27 years of age.