Tuesday, November 03, 2026
Mount Disappointment
Mount Disappointment is an 800-metre peak in the Mount Disappointment State Forest in Victoria, Australia, located about 60 kilometres north of Melbourne.
December 1824, explorers Hamilton Hume and William Hovellclimbed the range during their overland expedition from New South Wales to Port Phillip Bay. They were the first white men to cross what is now Victoria, and the first white men in Australia to see the snow-capped peaks of the Australian Alps.
The expedition originated in a whimsical proposal by Sir Thomas Brisbane, then Governor of New South Wales. The Port Phillip district then, and for many years after, part of New South Wales, was unknown territory. In order to discover the character of the country, the Governor proposed that a party of convicts should be taken by water to the southern coast, and turned loose, to find their way overland to Sydney. If they succeeded, they were to obtain free pardon, and a land grant. To facilitate their chances of success, His Excellency thought it wise to put them in charge of an experienced bushman and he offered the leadership to Hamilton Hume, who declined it. But Hume’s love of adventure was stirred by the proposal, and he volunteered to lead an exploring party from his father’s station at Lake George, which is close to where the capital city of Australia is now located.
The journey was acrimonious and the party were not well equipped. Just eight. The equipment consisted of two carts, drawn by four bullocks, and two horses; a spare horse, and spare bullock, a tent and some bullets for a gun and one blanket apiece.
Now if you have ever been to Canberra in winter you know what cold is.
The expedition had not been out ten days before the cart had to be left behind. With such a meagre outfit, it was certainly good bushcraft which enabled the party to travel a thousand miles, without the loss of a man or a hoof.
The entire journey from Lake George to Geelong and back took three months, crossing large strong rivers and tall mountain peaks covered in snow even during the hot Australian summer.
But Mount Disappointment nearly crushed their spirits. They hoped the summit would offer a sweeping view of the bay, but dense tree growth completely blocked their horizon—leading them to name it Mount Disappointment. The rugged, thickly timbered country severely tested the expedition team. During their struggle through the thick brush and fallen timber, Hume fell off a log and impaled his groin on a sharp stake.
Sometimes in God’s sovereignty. We need our Mount Disappointments. They bring us the blessings of brokenness.
"The Blessings of Brokenness" is helpful book by Dr. Charles F. Stanley. The core message explores why God permits difficult, shattering seasons in our lives, reframing personal trauma, loss, and hardship not as a punishment, but as a deliberate process of spiritual maturity, renewal, and deep intimacy with God.
- The Target of Brokenness: God uses suffering to break down our "self-life"—our stubborn desire for total independence, pride, and control over our own destiny.
- The Potter's Wheel: Much like a potter reshaping flawed clay, God handles our shattered pieces to reassemble them into a new, spiritually mature vessel
- Preparation for Ministry: True fruitfulness and the power to effectively comfort or disciple others are born directly out of our own seasons of pain.
Still, when you finally make your way up Mt Disappointment there is still a view; it mightn’t be the one you were looking for, but it is the view God has for you anyway.
# posted by Groseys messages @ 7:07 AM 
