These excerpts were researched by John Tendero - President U3A Pine Rivers

Good story AUSTRALIAN EXPLORERS

 

In the hundred years that followed the first settlement at Sydney Cove, the Australian continent was opened up by a diverse group of men. Some were government officials and surveyors; others were scientists keen to unravel the mysteries of this strange continent; some were graziers searching for pasture land; others were lured by rewards offered by governments eager to increase settlement in their colonies and others simply by the challenge of tackling a difficult task or the desire to become the first white person to set foot on new land.

 

The first expansion was westward. Driven by an urgent need for fresh agricultural land, Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth successfully crossed the Great Dividing Range in 1813. Then in 1824, Hamilton Hume and William Hovell found an overland route to Port Phillip and, in doing so, opened up the rich grazing land they found along the way. Five years later Charles Sturt sailed down the Murrumbidgee and entered the mighty Murray River.

 

The centre remained a mystery until Edward John Eyre struggled across the Nullarbor in 1841. Ludwig Leichhardt disappeared in 1848 trying to cross Australia from east to west. In 1844 Charles Sturt came within 140 kilometres of the centre of the continent. He found salt lakes and a great stony desert but none of the grazing land for which he was searching. In 1860 Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills led a party from Melbourne in a futile and tragic attempt to cross the continent from south to north. Two years later John McDouall Stuart became the first to achieve this honour.

 

This is a very brief chronological summary of some of the exploits of the key explorers of this continent.

 

 

First Fleet - 1788

After the first party of settlers arrived on the First Fleet on 26 January 1788, the officers of the expedition began exploring Australia from their new land base.

 

Captain Phillip rejected Cook's suggestion of Botany Bay for the new settlement because he considered the land to be too poor to sustain a settlement. With some of his officers he took a party north hoping to find a better harbour and land. He found a harbour which he called Port Jackson and ordered the entire settlement to move from Botany Bay to Port Jackson, because it was a safer and more sheltered harbour, and boasted a fine stream of fresh water - the Tank Stream.

 

This was the beginning of several years of exploration near the new settlement many by parties lead by Governor Phillip himself.

 

Governor Phillip: 1788-1792

 

In April Governor Phillip took a group of explorers and found a tract of arable land which they called Rose Hill (now Parramatta).

 

In June he took another expedition to look for a river which had been reported north of Sydney in Broken Bay. He found the river and named it in honour of Baron Hawkesbury. From a nearby hill, which they named Richmond Hill, they could see fertile lands ideal for cultivation.

 

In September he sent Captain William Bligh to explore Van Diemen’s Land. Bligh sent parties ashore and botanist David Nelson planted fruit trees, vegetables and seeds in a clearing. The following year Bligh was to be cast adrift from the HMS Bounty by 25 mutineers. He eventually found his way to islands near the Great Barrier Reef and found a passage through it into smooth water and sailed west along the coast and through Torres Straight.

 

In September 1791 Captain Vancouver, in the survey ship Discovery entered a sheltered expanse of water on the south west coast. He claimed the territory surrounding the bay for Great Britain and named it King George Sound (the town of Albany is now situated on its shore).

 

Bass & Flinders: 1795-1798

George Bass, ship’s surgeon, and midshipman Matthew Flinders on the Reliance discovered a mutual interest in maritime exploration. They secured a small boat which they called the Tom Thumb and embarked on a number of expeditions to explore and survey the coast of the new continent.

 

The first major discovery by the new settlers in Australia was the 1798 discovery, by them of the strait between Tasmania and the mainland, as this meant ships could save days by sailing straight along the south coast rather than around the bottom of Tasmania. Bass and Flinders had earlier explored the south-eastern coast of Australia as far as Westernport Bay leading them to suspect the existence of a strait.

 

They sailed around Tasmania in their sloop Norfolk, built especially for the voyage, and explored the Derwent River on their way back to Sydney, where they reported the discovery that shortened the distance to England by days.

 

In 1796 Bass attempted to find a pass through or around the mountain barrier called the Blue Mountains, but failed to do so.

 

Grant 1800 and Murray 1802

Lt. James Grant was the first to sail through Bass Strait on an outward voyage from London in 1800, pioneering this passage for ships. Then in 1802, Lt. John Murray in the Lady Nelson sighted and explored a bay which he called King's Bay after the Governor of New South Wales, who changed its name to Port Phillip Bay.

 

It was discovered fresh water entered the bay from the Yarra River, which was explored by Charles Grimes in 1803. Grant recommended settlement of this safe harbour, which in time, became the site of Melbourne.

 

Flinders: 1801-03

From 1801 to 1803, Flinders sailed around Australia on the Investigator, charting the coastline to create the first comprehensive chart of the new continent. Starting his survey off the west coast, he sailed east through the Great Australian Bight and then north along the east coast, completely circumnavigating the island continent which he mapped thoroughly as he went.

 

Flinders proved Australia was not a series of islands, but one island, and created such accurate charts that they were used for many years afterwards.

 

But he had great problems getting these charts back to England as his ship was wrecked on route. He had to go off in a row boat for help to save his crew, who were marooned on a desert island. Later, when he called into Mauritius, his replacement ship was taken prisoner by the French. He was detained for several years as a spy before being allowed to go free and continue to England. By the time he arrived there and published his charts, the French had already published theirs, and he only just published his book the day before he died in 1814. In this, he was the first one to recommend the name Australia, which was adopted in 1824.

 

Blue Mountains 1813

From 1788 onwards, the new settlers had attempted to cross the Blue Mountains. Many explorers had tried but failed, including the navigator George Bass in 1796, a French army officer Ensign Francis Barrallier in 1802, and George Caley in 1802 and 1804.

 

A team of three explorers, Gregory Blaxland, William Charles Wentworth and William Lawson finally crossed the Blue Mountains in May 1813 after many years of failed attempts by others. They managed to find a route through the dense undergrowth by following the ridges.

 

The fertile plains beyond enabled the settlement to spread out, because other explorers including George Evans in 1813, and then John Oxley in 1818, followed up the Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson crossing, pioneering new roads through to the Macquarie River and the Liverpool Plains.

 

Wentworth went on to become a political leader helping build a new democratic government.

 

Oxley: 1817- 1823

In 1817, the New South Wales Surveyor-General, John Oxley, extended the area of fertile grazing grounds by exploring land up to the Lachlan River, and drawing maps extending as far as the Murrumbidgee River. In 1818 he followed the Macquarie River until he was frustrated by marshes. He then turned east and blazed a trail across to the Liverpool Plains and across the Dividing Range through to Port Macquarie.

 

In 1823, Oxley explored the Brisbane River 80 kilometres from its mouth in the Mermaid, showing settlers where they could settle along the banks of this fertile fresh water source.

 

In 1825, Major Edmund Lockyer explored the Brisbane River further, sailing up it for 195 kilometres in the same Mermaid, and recommended settlement in this fertile area.

 

Hume & Hovell: 1824

Although the new settlers now knew Bass Strait was the southernmost limit of the mainland, nobody knew what the character of the land was between Sydney and the Strait. Hamilton Hume and William Hovell set off from the Lake George area to explore the land as far south as possible. They discovered the Australian Alps and the Murray River and eventually reached Port Phillip Bay, which had already been discovered by Lt. Murray in 1802.

 

As Hume and Hovell miscalculated their navigational position, they described Port Phillip Bay as Westernport Bay, and this confused settlers and delayed the eventual settlement of this new fertile harbour area for some years.

 

Stirling: 1827

Captain James Stirling discovered the Swan River and a fertile grazing area for new settlers at the opposite end of the continent to Sydney. If English settlers claimed this area they would control the whole continent, which was necessary as the French were still showing interest in different ports and rivers in Australia.

 

In June 1829, Stirling fixed the sites for Fremantle and Perth and the settlement began, giving the British possession of the whole of the island continent.

 

Sturt: 1829

In the eastern part of Australia, the direction and layout of the rivers still remained a mystery. Captain Charles Sturt began a series of expeditions to solve the mystery of the rivers once and for all, by starting at the humble sources of rivers and following them till they flowed into other bigger rivers or the sea.

 

In 1829 he traced the Macquarie River to its source in the Darling River, which he discovered. Then in 1830 he investigated the Lachlan and Murrumbidgee Rivers, tracing them down into the "broad and noble" Murray River. With six explorers in two open boats, they sailed down the Murray past the junction where the Darling River flowed into the Murray, all the way to South Australia and Lake Alexandrina at the mouth of the Murray.

 

Sturt survived sinking boats, attacking Aborigines, and months in cramped conditions, rowing and sailing little boats in the hot sun that sent him temporarily blind. But he worked out how most of the rivers connected up and flowed into the Murray, thus giving the new settlement the first comprehensive map of its major south-eastern river system.

 

In 1844 he again left Adelaide, determined to reach the centre of the continent. For six months, however, he and his men were stranded near Mount Poole, waiting for a fierce drought to break. There they erected a cairn as a monument and surveyor’s mark.

 

Mitchell: 1831

The Scottish explorer Thomas Mitchell, who succeeded John Oxley as surveyor-general in New South Wales, explored vast areas of south-eastern Australia opening up new grazing lands in the southern parts of Victoria which he called "Australia Felix."

 

Mitchell led three main expeditions during which he had to fight Aborigines frequently, killing some of them and losing a few of his members as well. The first expedition was across the Liverpool Plains exploring the Namoi, Barwon, and Gwydir Rivers, the second along the Upper Darling River and Darling River, and the third down the Lachlan, Murrumbidgee, and Murray Rivers to Portland Bay, where much to his surprise in 1834 he met the Henty Brothers, who had settled this part of Victoria ahead of anyone else. On his return to Sydney, Mitchell gave such good reports of Australia Felix that this area was soon settled. Melbourne was founded by Batman and Fawkner in 1834.

 

Hawdon & Bonney: 1837-38

A good deal of the inland of Australia was explored by graziers and cattle farmers, who drove stock overland from one settlement to another, looking for new grazing land.

 

In November 1836, John Gardner, Joseph Hawdon, and John Hepburn drove a mob of cattle from New South Wales to Port Phillip Bay.

 

In March 1837, Charles Bonney became the first to overland sheep, when he drove a mob of 10,000 of Ebden's flock to a station on the Goulburn River.

 

In January 1838, Joseph Hawdon and Charles Bonney drove cattle from New South Wales to newly-established Adelaide - which had been founded by the surveyor Col. Light in 1836. On this trip they covered land previously unknown to Europeans, and fought their way through Aboriginal areas to cross from New South Wales to South Australia, ahead of any explorers. Thus the overlanders also discovered and reported on much of the Australian continent.

 

Eyre: 1839

John Eyre discovered a great deal of Australia on a series of expeditions. First he found Lake Torrens, north of Adelaide, in 1839 while searching for grazing land. Then in 1840 he set out from Adelaide to explore the unknown regions north of Lake Torrens. After many false starts across the deadly desert, he gave up saying it was too difficult to travel north.

 

He then set out west instead, and walked from Fowler's Bay, west of Port Lincoln, all the way to Western Australia, stopping at King George's Sound on 8 July 1841 - becoming the first white man to cross the continent from South Australia to Western Australia. Two of the Aborigines in his party murdered his overseer Baxter, but the remaining black man Wylie stayed loyal to the end.

 

Strzelecki: 1839

The Polish-born explorer Count Strzelecki crossed the Australian Alps to Gippsland and on route discovered and climbed Australia's highest mountain - Mt. Kosciusko, which he named after a democratic political leader in Poland. In March 1987, the Geographical Names Board announced that Mt. Kosciusko would be spelt with a 'z' - Kosciuszko.

 

He then explored Gippsland, recommending settlement of this fine grazing area which he named after New South Wales Governor Gipps.

 

 

Kennedy: 1846–48

Kennedy was N.S.W. Assistant-Surveyor under Sir Thomas Mitchell when he joined Mitchell’s expedition to Queensland. In 1846, he led and expedition to Coopers Creek and Barcoo River.

 

In June 1848, Kennedy, with 13 men, set off from Rockingham Bay north of Townsville planning to reach Cape York where a ship would await their arrival. After appalling hardship and persistent attacks by hostile natives, Kennedy was killed within reach of his objective.

 

Leichhardt: 1848

German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt set off on the first of his expeditions in October 1844, crossing from Brisbane across the central north-west of Queensland to the Gulf of Carpenteria, through to Port Essington, returning to Sydney in March 1846. He covered 5,000 kilometres on horse, camel, and foot and wrote reports that taught people much more about the interior.

 

Leichhardt then set out again from Brisbane to cross the whole continent from east to west with seven members in his exploring party. Sadly they disappeared in the vast interior of Australia and despite many searches by explorers like Gregory, they have never been heard of since.

 

Leichhardt's disappearance is one of the greatest mysteries of Australian exploration.

 

Burke & Wills: 1860

Burke and Wills became Australia's most famous explorers because they died crossing from south to north in tragic but unnecessary circumstances after going through hell.

 

On 20 August 1860, Robert O'Hara Burke and John Wills left Melbourne with a most expensive exploration party ever assembled in Australia. There were 18 men, 25 camels and enough food for two years. The objective of the expedition was to cross the continent from south to north. It was sponsored by the Victorian government in a race against the South Australian government. However, despite these elaborate preparations, the expedition was a tragic failure.

 

Establishing a depot at Coopers Creek, and after carving his depot number on a tree near their camp, Burke, Wills, King and Gray then set off in "a dash for the gulf". Riding camels or horses and walking, they reached the mangrove swamps of the Gulf of Carpentaria on 11 February 1861, becoming the first to cross the continent. Gray died on the return journey and the other three reached Coopers Creek on 21 April 1861 - seven hours after the base party had themselves departed for the settled districts.

 

Burke and Wills then died waiting to be rescued and only King survived - thanks to the help of the Aborigines - till the rescue party eventually returned.

 

Stuart: 1860-61

First from south to north who lived to tell the tale, John McDouall Stuart set off to be the first explorer to cross the continent from south to north in March 1860, supported by the South Australian government. He was competing against the Victorian government's expedition led by Burke and Wills who also set out in 1860.

 

By April, he had reached the centre of Australia, where he climbed Mount Stuart and planted a flag on the top. Having run out of water by June he decided to return to Adelaide.

 

He tried a second time, but only got another 160 kilometres further before having to turn back because of exhaustion and water shortages.

 

In December 1861, he tried for a third time, setting off from Adelaide in December, arriving after great hardship at the northern coast of Australia at Chambers Bay, becoming the first European to cross from south to north and survive.

 

Forrest: 1860 & 79

John Forrest led an expedition to Central Australia to explore the interior and look for any traces of Leichhardt. Then in 1870, he and his brother Alexander became the first to cross the continent from the west to the east, travelling overland from Perth to Adelaide - the opposite direction taken by Eyre some years earlier.

 

In 1879, Alexander Forrest explored the remaining areas including the Kimberleys, where he recommended settlement, and discovered the Ord River which later became a successful irrigation source.

 

Warburton & Gosse: 1873

With the interior of west Australia still a mystery, a series of expeditions set out to cover this area towards the end of the nineteenth century.

 

In 1873, Col Peter Warburton, sponsored by merchant Thomas Elder, using camels that had been imported for work on the Overland Telegraph line, took a party of men and explored a good deal of the area from Alice Springs across to Perth, before retreating from exhaustion and starvation.

 

In the same year, William Gosse, led an expedition from Alice Springs to the Macdonnell Ranges. They found blocks of bare, red conglomerate stones. They named the largest one Mount Olga. Six months later they found “an immense rock rising out of the plain” which they named Ayers Rock after the former Premier of South Australia – Sir Henry Ayers.

 

Giles: 1875

In 1875, Ernest Giles crossed the western half of Australia from Beltana in South Australia to the west, and then back again to South Australia. He then tried to find a route from the Central Australian desert across to the Western Australian coastline, losing his colleague Alfred Gibson on the way, after whom he named the desert.

 

On reaching Perth, after trekking thousands of miles through deserts and the Nullarbor, Giles told reporters that apart from losing his friend, his only regret was that he had found no areas suitable for settlement and suggested that settlers should avoid the area.

 

Giles’ expedition was the last major one undertaken. However, many other intrepid and adventurous settlers continued to explore and discover new grazing lands or mineral deposits that eventually saw the establishment of pastoral leases, towns and cities in many parts of the continent. At the end of 1877, the “European” population of Australia was estimated to have reached the 2 million mark.

 

John Tendero

Updated April 2007

 

Sources:

Encyclopaedia Britannica

Australia’s Heritage – Hamlyn House

Historic Australia – Golden Press