Charles Sturt
Born	28 April 1795 India
Died	16 June 1869 England
Occupation	Explorer of Australia, Colonial Administrator, Grazier

Captain Charles Napier Sturt (28 April 1795 – 16 June 1869) was an English explorer of Australia, part of the European Exploration of Australia. He led several expeditions into the interior of the continent, starting from both Sydney and later from Adelaide. His expeditions traced several of the westward-flowing rivers, establishing that they all merge into the Murray River. He was searching to determine if there was an "inland sea". Image File history File links Charles Sturt c. ... is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Please see Captain for other versions of this rank Captain is a rank in the British armed forces that is used in the Army, Royal Navy, and the Royal Marines. ... is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... The European exploration of Australia encompasses several waves of seafarers and land explorers. ... This article is about the metropolitan area in Australia. ... For other uses, see Adelaide (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Murray River (disambiguation). ...

Early life

Sturt was born in British India, the second son of Thomas Lenox Napier Sturt, who became a judge in Bengal under the British East India Company. Charles Sturt was sent to England at the age of 5 to be educated and after going to a preparatory school was sent to Harrow in 1810 and in 1812 went to read with a Mr Preston near Cambridge. But it was difficult for his father to find the money to give him a profession. An aunt made an appeal to one of the royal princes, probably the Prince Regent, and on 9 September 1813 Sturt was gazetted an ensign in the 39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot in the British Army seeing action with the Duke of Wellington in Spain, Canada and at Waterloo, rising to the rank of Captain in December 1825. With his regiment he escorted convicts to New South Wales and arrived in 1827 Anthem God Save The Queen/King British India, circa 1860 Capital Calcutta (1858-1912), New Delhi (1912-1947) Language(s) Hindi, Urdu, English and many others Government Monarchy Emperor of India  - 1877-1901 Victoria  - 1901-1910 Edward VII  - 1910-1936 George V  - January-December 1936 Edward VIII  - 1936-1947 George... The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was the first joint-stock company (the Dutch East India Company was the first to issue public stock). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Harrow School is a public school (privately funded and independent) for boys. ... George IV redirects here. ... is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1813 (MDCCCXIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Dorset Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1 May 1769–14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, widely considered one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century. ... Waterloo The top of the knoll and the famous lion. ... NSW redirects here. ...

Australia and exploration

Early expeditions of Sturt

Sturt sailed with some prejudice against the colony but found the conditions and climate so much better than he expected that his feelings completely changed, and he developed a great interest in the country. Governor of New South Wales Sir Ralph Darling formed a high opinion of him and appointed him major of brigade and military secretary. Sturt became friendly with John Oxley, Allan Cunningham, Hamilton Hume and other explorers. He was keen to explore the Australian interior, especially its rivers. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... List of Governors of New South Wales See Governors of the Australian states for a description and history of the office of Governor. ... General Sir Ralph Darling, Governor NSW (1825–1831). ... This article is about the person. ... Portait of Allan Cunningham Allan Cunningham (13 July 1791 – 27 June 1839) was an English botanist and explorer, primarily known for his travels in New South Wales to collect plants. ... Hamilton Hume Hamilton Hume (19 June 1797-19 April 1873) was an Australian explorer. ...

In early 1828 Governor Darling sent Sturt and Hume to explore the area of the Macquarie River in western New South Wales. It was not, however, until 10 November that the party started. It consisted of Sturt, his servant, Joseph Harris, two soldiers and eight convicts and on 27 November he was joined by Hamilton Hume as his first assistant. Hume's experience and resourcefulness proved very useful to his leader. A week was spent at Wellington Valley breaking in the oxen and horses, and on 7 December the real start into comparatively little known country was made. It was a drought year and the greatest difficulty was found in getting sufficient water. The party returned to Wellington Valley on 21 April 1829. The courses of the Macquarie, Bogan and Castlereagh rivers had been followed, and though its importance was scarcely sufficiently realized, the Darling River had been discovered. This expedition proved that northern New South Wales was not an inland sea, but deepened the mystery of where the western-flowing rivers of New South Wales went. General Sir Ralph Darling, Governor NSW (1825–1831). ... The Macquarie River is one of the main inland rivers in New South Wales. ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Darling River is the longest river in Australia, flowing 2,739km from northern New South Wales to its confluence with the Murray River at Wentworth, New South Wales. ...

Sturt memorial at Narrandera, New South Wales on the Murrumbidgee River.

In 1829 Governor Darling approved an expedition to solve this mystery. Sturt proposed to travel down the Murrumbidgee River, whose upper reaches had been seen by the Hume and Hovell expedition. In place of Hume, who was unable to join the party, George MacLeay went "as a companion rather than as an assistant". A whaleboat built in sections was carried with them which was put together, and on 7 January 1830 the eventful voyage down the Murrumbidgee was begun. In January 1830 Sturt's party reached the confluence of the Murrumbidgee and a much larger river, which Sturt named the Murray River. It was in fact the same river which Hume and Hovell had crossed further upstream and named the Hume. Several times the party was in danger from the aborigines but Sturt always succeeded in propitiating them. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1704 × 2272 pixels, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1704 × 2272 pixels, file size: 2. ... Narrandera is a town and Local Government Area (see Narrandera Shire Council) in southern New South Wales, Australia. ... The Murrumbidgee River is a major river in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory. ... Hume and Hovells 1824 expedition in shown by the broken line The Hume and Hovell expedition was one of the most important journeys of explorations undertaken in eastern Australia. ... is the 7th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... For other uses, see Murray River (disambiguation). ...

Sturt then proceeded down the Murray, until he reached the river's confluence with the Darling. Sturt had now proved that all the western-flowing rivers eventually flowed into the Murray. In February 1830, the party reached a large lake which Sturt called Lake Alexandrina. A few days later, they reached the sea. There they made the disappointing discovery that the mouth of the Murray was a maze of lagoons and sandbars, impassable to shipping. Lake Alexandrina is a lake in South Australia, Australia. ... Murray Mouth (35°33′ S 138°53′ E) - the point at which Australias River Murray meets the Indian Ocean (Southern Ocean according to Australian maps). ...

The party then faced the ordeal of rowing back up the Murray and Murrumbidgee, against the current, in the heat of an Australian summer. Their supplies ran out and when they reached the site of Narrandera in April they were unable to go any further. Sturt sent two men overland in search of supplies and they returned in time to save the party from starvation, but Sturt went blind for some months and never fully recovered his health. By the time they arrived back in Sydney they had rowed and sailed nearly 2,900 kilometres of the river system. Narrandera is a town and Local Government Area (see Narrandera Shire Council) in southern New South Wales, Australia. ...

A break from exploring

Charles Sturt monument in Merbein, Victoria.

Sturt briefly served as Commander on Norfolk Island where mutiny was brewing among the convicts, but in 1832 he was obliged to go to England on sick leave and arrived there almost completely blind. In 1833 he published his Two Expeditions into the Interior of Southern Australia during the years 1828, 1829, 1830 and 1831, of which a second edition appeared in 1834. For the first time the public in England realized how great was Sturt's work, for Governor Darling's somewhat tardy but appreciative dispatch of 14 April 1831, and his request for Sturt's promotion, had had no result, and nothing came of the request by Sir Richard Bourke who had succeeded Darling that Viscount Goderich should give "this deserving officer your Lordship's protection and support". Though it seems to have been impossible to persuade the colonial office of the value of Sturt's work his book had one important effect. It was read by Edward Gibbon Wakefield, and led to the choice of South Australia for the new settlement then in contemplation. In May 1834, in view of his services, Sturt applied for a grant of land intending to settle on it in Australia, and in July instructions were given that he was to receive a grant of 5,000 acres (20 km²), Sturt on his part agreeing to give up his pension rights. In September he was married to Charlotte Green and almost immediately sailed for Australia. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2304 × 1728 pixels, file size: 811 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2304 × 1728 pixels, file size: 811 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Merbein (34°10′ S 142°03′ E) is a small township outside of Mildura, Victoria, in the Sunraysia region of Australia. ... Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Bourke, KCB General Sir Richard Bourke KCB (Dublin, 4 May 1777 – 13 August 1855, Limerick) was Governor of the Colony of New South Wales, Australia between 1831 and 1837. ... Edward Gibbon Wakefield Edward Gibbon Wakefield (20 March 1796 – May 16, 1862) was the driving force behind much of the early colonization of South Australia, and later New Zealand. ...

Return to Australia

Sturt returned to Australia in 1835 to begin farming on land granted to him by the New South Wales government near Mittagong. In 1838 he herded cattle overland from Sydney to Adelaide, on the way proving that the Hume and the Murray were the same river. He then settled at Grange in South Australia and was appointed Surveyor-General until the London-appointed Surveyor-General Edward Frome unexpectedly arrived. Sturt was briefly Registrar-General but he soon proposed a major expedition into the interior of Australia as a way of restoring his reputation in the colony and London. Mittagong (postcode: 2575) is a town with a population of approximately 6,000 in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. ... For other uses, see Adelaide (disambiguation). ... Grange jetty, built in 1882 Grange is a suburb located by the beach in Adelaide. ... For the song, see South Australia (song). ...

Exploring from Adelaide

Sturt leaving Adelaide in 1844

Sturt wanted to settle the debate as to whether there was an inland sea. In August 1844 Sturt and a party of 15 men, 200 sheep, six drays and a boat set out to explore north-western New South Wales and to advance into central Australia. Travelling along the Murray and Darling rivers before venturing to the Great Dividing Range they passed the site of Broken Hill, but were then stranded for months by the extreme summer conditions near the present site of Milparinka. When the rains eventually came Sturt pressed on into central Australia until they discovered the Simpson Desert, at which point they were unable to go further and turned back to Adelaide. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1790x1366, 381 KB) Captain Charles Sturt leaving Adelaide 1844, scanned from a book. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1790x1366, 381 KB) Captain Charles Sturt leaving Adelaide 1844, scanned from a book. ... For other uses, see Adelaide (disambiguation). ... Note: A cart may also be short for cartridge, particularly in the radio industry, where 8-track cartridges (and later CDs and zip drives) were used. ... The Great Dividing Range, also known as the Eastern Highlands, is Australias most substantial mountain range. ... Broken Hill Post Office Broken Hill is an isolated mining city and Local Government Area (see City of Broken Hill) in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia, with a population of 21,000. ... Milparinka is a small settlement in north west New South Wales, Australia (29°44′ S 141°53′) located roughly 250 kilometres north of Broken Hill on the Silver City Highway with a population of ten. ... Ted Colsons expedition across the Simpson Desert in 1936 The Simpson Desert occupies approximately 170,000 square kilometres of central Australia[1]. It is bounded to the west by the Finke River and Mabel Range, to the north by Adam Range, to the east by the Georgina and Diamantina...

Sturt later undertook a second expedition to reach the centre of Australia, but he contracted scurvy in the extreme conditions and his health broke down. He was forced to abandon the attempt. John Harris Browne, surgeon on the expedition, assisted Sturt, took over leadership of the party and after travelling 3,000 miles (4,800 km) brought it back to safety. John Harris Browne (22 April 1817 – 12 January 1904) was an explorer in Australia and a pioneer pastoralist. ...

Later life and legacy

Early in 1847 he went to England on leave. He arrived in October and received the gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society. He prepared for publication, his Narrative of an Expedition into Central Australia, which, however, was not published until early in 1849. He was suffering again with his eyesight, but some relief was found. He returned to Adelaide with his family, arrived in August, and was immediately appointed colonial secretary with a seat in the council. There was no lack of work in the ensuing years. Roads were constructed, and navigation on the Murray was encouraged. But Sturt had renewed trouble with his eyes.

On 30 December 1851 he resigned his position and was given a pension of £600 a year and settled down on 500 acres (2.0 km²) of land close to Adelaide and the sea. But the gold discoveries had increased the cost of living, and in March 1853 Sturt and his family sailed for England. He lived at Cheltenham and devoted himself to the education of his children. is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1851 (MDCCCLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... For other places with the same name, see Cheltenham (disambiguation). ...

In 1856 he applied for the position of Governor of Victoria. However, his age, uncertain health, and comparatively small income were against him. In 1859 the settlers at Moreton Bay requested that Sturt might be appointed the first Governor of Queensland, but again a younger man was chosen. By 1860 Sturt's three sons were all in the army, and the remainder of his family went to live at Dinan to economize after the expenses of education and fitting out. Unfortunately the town was unhealthy and in 1863 a return was made to Cheltenham. In 1864 Sturt suffered a great grief in the death of one of his sons in India. In March 1869 he attended the inaugural dinner of the Colonial Society, at which Lord Granville mentioned that it was the intention of the government to extend the Order of St Michael and St George to the colonies. Sturt allowed himself to be persuaded by his friends to apply for this distinction, but afterwards regretted he had done so when he heard there were innumerable applications. List of Governors of Victoria See Governors of the Australian states for a description and history of the office of Governor. ... The foreshore at Manly. ... List of Governors of Queensland See Governors of the Australian states for a description and history of the office of Governor. ... The Rue du Jerzual is a steep medieval street connecting Dinan to the river below. ... On the Orders insignia, St Michael is often depicted subduing Satan. ...

His health had been very variable and on 16 June 1869 he died suddenly. He was survived by his widow, two sons, Colonel Napier George Sturt, R.E. and Major-general Charles Sheppey Sturt, and a daughter. Mrs Sturt was granted a civil list pension of £80 a year, and the same title as if her husband's nomination to the order of St Michael and St George had been gazetted. Reproductions of portraits by Crossland and Koberwein will be found in Mrs N. G. Sturt's Life, which suggest the charm and refinement of Sturt's character. is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

He is commemorated by the City of Charles Sturt and suburb of Sturt in Adelaide, the electoral Division of Sturt in Adelaide's eastern suburbs, Charles Sturt University in regional New South Wales, and the Sturt Highway from Wagga Wagga to Adelaide as well as the Sturt's desert pea, the Sturt's Desert Rose and Sturt's Stony Desert. The City of Charles Sturt is a Local Government Area in the western suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. ... Sturt (35°01′S 138°33′E, postcode 5047) is a suburb of Adelaide in the City of Marion local government area. ... For other uses, see Adelaide (disambiguation). ... The Division of Sturt is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia. ... CD Blake Auditorium, Bathurst campus, CSU Charles Sturt University (CSU) is an Australian multi-campus university in New South Wales. ... NSW redirects here. ... The Sturt Highway, outside of Gawler, South Australia. ... Wagga Wagga (pronounced wogga wogga, informally called Wagga) is a city in New South Wales, Australia. ... Binomial name Swainsona formosa (G. Don) Joy Thomps. ... Sturts Desert Rose The Sturts Desert Rose (Gossypium sturtianum) is a woody shrub found in all mainland states of Australia and the Northern Territory. ... Sturts Stony Desert is an area in the north-east of South Australia, named by Charles Sturt in 1844, whilst trying to reach the exact centre of Australia. ...

His home, known as "The Grange", in the Adelaide suburb of Grange is preserved as a museum.

The Australian actor Rod Taylor, whose middle name is Sturt, is his great-great grand-nephew. Rod Taylor (born Rodney Sturt Taylor on January 11, 1930) is an Australian-born film and television actor. ...

References

• Serle, Percival (1949). "Sturt, Charles". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson. 

The Dictionary of Australian Biography, first published in 1949, is a reference work by Percival Serle containing information on notable people associated with Australian history. ...

External links

• Portrait of Charles Sturt in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
• Works by Charles Sturt at Project Gutenberg
• Sturt, Charles (1795 - 1869) The Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online edition

• This article incorporates text from the public domain 1949 edition of Dictionary of Australian Biography from Project Gutenberg of Australia, which is in the public domain in Australia and the United States of America.