when governor lachlan macquarie visited stanwell park in 1822 he remarked that: "on our arrival at the summit of the mountain, we were gratified with a very magnificent bird's eye view of the ocean, the 5 islands, and of the greater part of the low country of illawarra ... after feasting our eyes with this grand prospect, we commenced descending the mountain ... the whole face ... is clothed with the largest and finest forest trees i have ever seen in the colony."