Charles Sturt

1795-1869

Australian Explorer

Charles Sturt was an Australian explorer best known for his expeditions down the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers in Australia. Born in India on April 28, 1795, and educated in England, Sturt entered the British Army at the age of 18. His military career took him to such places as Spain, Canada, France, and Ireland. In 1827, he traveled to Australia to become the military secretary to the governor of New South Wales, Ralph Darling. The following year, Darling commissioned Sturt to explore this new land.

Calling on his military field experience, Sturt organized and outfitted his group for anticipated hardships and difficult terrain. In December of 1828, he departed Wellington and soon came upon Macquarie, Bogan, and Castlereagh Rivers. He also discovered a new river, which he named Darling River in honor of his governor. On his second major trek, Sturt ventured along the mighty Murrumbidgee River, where the riparian growth was abundant and productive in many areas. He observed the dominant tree species along the banks, which were the native river red gums (a type of Eucalyptus). The bountiful trees and shrubs supported numerous species of birds, mammals, and creatures which had never before been seen or recorded. The fish in the river provided sustenance for the group and were a welcome change from the "salted meat" diet.

Following the Murrumbidgee River, Sturt discovered another huge river, which he named the Murray River to honor the Colonial Secretary Sir George Murray. This river is the principal waterway of Australia, flowing 1,609 miles (2,589 km) across southeastern Australia from the Snowy Mountains all the way to the Great Australian Bight of the Indian Ocean. Its size can be gauged by the number of rivers which flow into it: the Darling, Murrumbidgee, Mittta Mitta, Ovens, Goulburn, Campaspe, and Loddon.

Sturt followed the Murray all the way to its source near Adelaide. Along the way he met and dealt peaceably with many aborigines along the banks. However, poor diet and physical hard-ships took their toll, and nearly blind and totally spent, Sturt returned to England, where he wrote Two Expeditions into the Interior of Southern Australia, 1828-31 (1833). This publication inspired the choice of South Australia for a proposed new British settlement.

Sturt returned to Australia in 1834, where a grateful British government rewarded him with a 5,000-acre land grant. He could have easily lived out his life on a profitable sheep station or other agrarian pursuits, but Sturt was still an intrepid explorer. Once again, in 1844-46, he led an expedition into northern Australia, departing from Adelaide and arriving at the edge of the Simpson Desert. This time there were no new discoveries to report, although his group was the first party to penetrate the center of the continent. They were finally driven back by the paralyzing heat and an outbreak of scurvy.

Once again, he served his country as registrar general and colonial treasurer before he left Australia to settle permanently in England (1847). It was there that he wrote Narrative of an Expedition into Central Australia (1849). He lived in England on an annual pension of 600 pounds ($3,500). Sturt died in 1869.

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