Maclean (on the Clarence River) to cut cedar and for many years made a good living as a guide in the Clarence River area, travelling and blazing trails through previously inaccessible country. In what may have been his first job as a guide, he was employed by a Thomas Small of Sydney who, inspired by Craig's reports, sent on 5 May 1838 his brother and two dozen sawyers on board the schooner Susan to the "Big River" (later named the Clarence by Governor Gipps). It was the first European vessel to enter the river. During his 12-month journey from Moreton Bay to Port Macquarie in 1831 Craig had explored the upper reaches of the Clarence River, including the western section of what was then known as Guy Fawkes Plateau (now Dorrigo Plateau). After he was pardoned he returned and used his unique knowledge of the area to blaze a trail from Guy Fawkes (Ebor) to The Settlement (South Grafton). This track was known as Craig's Line and pioneered the traffic link between Grafton and Armidale, allowing the movement of large parties of new settlers from the New England Tableland into the Clarence Valley. In 1843 he was superintendent of a property, Eatonsville (on the Clarence River) but by 1855 was again a butcher. He married Anne Baker and had six sons and one daughter. He died on 14 July 1855 in Grafton from complications arising from a fall from a horse. References External links Richard Craig profile from Grafton and the Early Days on the Clarence, Clarence River Historical Society 1812 births 1855 deaths 19th-century Irish people Irish emigrants to colonial Australia People from Grafton, New South Wales Australian stockmen