Edward John Eyre

1815-1901

English Explorer and Government Official

Usually, explorers are known for their relatively short life spans. Not so with Edward Eyre. He enjoyed an adventurous, somewhat illustrious career that lasted until he was 86 years of age.

Born in England as the son of a clergyman, Eyre and his family migrated to Australia when he was just 17. Young but ambitious, he showed strong interests in both governmental affairs and the budding world of commercial enterprise. As a result, he was appointed lieutenant governor of New Zealand at age 31 and remained in this post for seven years. (Later in life, he served as governor of Jamaica for one year in 1864-65.)

It was apparent to the young Eyre that the lush farm crops of his native Britain were never going to be possible in the deserts of Australia. Instead, he turned his efforts toward sheep and cattle, which were the principal commercial activities of the time. Although cattle were somewhat profitable as food sources, he looked more favorably on sheep since they yielded good wool, which sold well in European markets.

Initially, Eyre's properties were limited to South Australia, where there was sufficient water for his flocks and for the vegetation they needed to survive. It was soon obvious, however, that new ranges had to be found both for animal forage and for transporting them to wider markets, and thus Eyre set out on expeditions to discover the new ranges. His first effort was directed toward the central part of the continent and the Lake Torrens area in the Flinders Ranges. This expedition was a fiasco in that the so-called "lake" proved to be an impassable, salty marsh, and the sandhills around it were equally impossible to cross. After reaching the aptly named "Mount Hopeless," Eyre returned to Adelaide, where he discovered that the government was planning an entirely different approach to transporting livestock and goods: a route along the coast of Fowler's Bay all the way to Albany at the southwestern portion of the continent.

This seemed like a good plan and—because of his experience and leadership abilities—Eyre was selected to guide the party on the proposed expedition. He was so optimistic about the venture that he volunteered to pay half the costs involved.

The party included six men, including his sheep station manager, Baxter, an aboriginal friend named Wylie, and two other aborigines selected by Wylie because of their experience traveling in the Australian bush.

When they started out in June 1840, they anticipated a three-month leg that would take them to Spencer Gulf, where a government ship would await them with additional supplies for the remainder of the trek. Their initial outlay included 12 horses and 40 sheep as well as food, firearms, and clothing for the hot and cold seasons they would be on the trail. In a very short time, however, Eyre realized that they were in serious trouble. The horrendous conditions they encountered were compounded by a total lack of drinkable water in any direction. Always practical, Eyre sent most of the party back to Adelaide and pushed on with fewer supplies and livestock. During the next few months, the group suffered hardships that brought them close to death on several occasions. When two of the aborigines murdered Baxter and fled with over half of the pitifully small supplies and firearms, Eyre and Wylie escaped certain death when they finally sighted a ship in the bay with a kindly English captain who restored their health and fitness and gave them supplies to continue. Eyre and Wylie eventually reached their destination in July 1841.

Eyre received many honors in his adventurous life, including a gold medal from the Royal Geographic Society for his incredible journey. The Australian government also named a large lake after him as well as a large peninsula at the eastern end of Fowler's Bay in South Australia. He returned to England where he lived until his death in 1901.

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