INDEX

• Introduction
• Maps
• Significant Places in Australia's Maritime History
• Naming Australia
• Naming Australia's Coastal Features

WHO DID DISCOVER AUSTRALIA?

• The Phoenecians & Egyptians
• The Greeks & Romans
• The Chinese
• The Muslims
• The Portuguese
• The Dutch
• The British
• The French

COLONIAL EXPLORATION

• Index
• The French
• The British
• Other
• Inland explorers

Colonial Exploration: 1844 - Capt. Charles Sturt (1795 - 1869)

Sturt was a British military officer who made several explorations of Australia.

On Sturt's first expedition he had explored along the Darling River in 1828 and 1829. Sturt chose the Australian-born explorer Hamilton Hume as his assistant. Illness and water shortages continually delayed the expedition, but, on Feb. 2, 1829, they came upon what Sturt called "a noble river." The expedition was amazed and disappointed when they found the river's water was salty. Sturt named this river the "Darling", after the colonial governor Sir Ralph Darling.

Sturt's third journey began in August 1844 with a large party. They took 11 horses, 32 bullocks, 200 sheep, 6 drays, a light cart, a boat and 7 tonnes of equipment. They left Adelaide in 67 degree heat to find the river was almost dry. They followed the Murray to where it joined the Darling. The party took two months to travel from Adelaide to present-day Menindee, on the Darling River. Sturt next explored the Barrier Ranges near the site of Broken Hill.

He believed that there was a huge inland sea in the centre of Australia and they then followed the Darling northwards for 6 months, they were trapped by a severe drought at a permanent waterhole "Rocky Glen" on "Preservation Creek". They were forced to stay here because of the unbelievable heat and the lack of water ahead. Some of the men became sick with scurvy and Poole later died. Finally, after heavy rain, Sturt and his companions, set off to travel to the centre of the continent where they suffered terrible hardship. They reached a stony desert now known as "Sturt's Stony desert" and came to the "Simpson Desert".

By now they were very ill and had not enough water for their stock so were forced to turn back, Sturt now realised that there was no inland sea as he had believed as they were only 150 km from the very centre of Australia. knowing they would not make it across the desert, the party returned nearly 400 miles to Rocky Glen in November as the waterholes were drying up and not wanting to get caught at Rocky Glen they pushed on another 270 km to the Darling River, often travelling 24 - 36 hours without water they finally reached safety. On returning to Adelaide where the people had thought the party had perished he was given hero status and a gold medal.