John McDouall Stuart.
1815 - 1866.

John McDouall Stuart was born on 7 September 1815 in Dysart, Fife, Scotland. He studied at the Scottish Naval and Military Academy to became a civil engineer. In 1839 he migrated to South Australia, arriving just three years after it had been founded, and obtained work as a surveyor. At first he worked under the Surveyor-General Captain Charles Sturt who had solved the mystery of the inland flowing rivers in New South Wales.

Early expeditions.

In 1844, Charles Sturt led an expedition to find a great inland sea. After many difficulties and deaths, Stuart was appointed as second in charge of the expedition although neither man would ever overcome the scurvy from which the expedition suffered.

As a private surveyor, Stuart worked out of Port Lincoln and later north of Streaky Bay before moving to the northern Flinders Ranges to work with William Finke and James and John Chambers.

 Stuart

In May 1858, Stuart, with two others and with finances supplied by Finke, went in search of minerals and pastoral lands in the North. The four month expedition took him to Coober Pedy (whose potential he understandably did not recognise) before turning south to Ceduna. His amazing 2,400 km journey earned him great respect and a gold watch from the Royal Geographical Society.

The Registrar of 9 August 1859 - just before the opening of the Adelaide to Glenelg Telegraph line - reported: "The Council of the Royal Geographical Society (England) has awarded Mr. J. McDouall Stuart a gold watch, valued at 25 guineas, for his discoveries of pasture land in South and Central Australia. Count Strzelecki received the prize for Mr. Stuart".

Just north of Lake Torrens, Stuart had found a remote chain of semi-permanent waterholes which he named Chambers Creek (later to be renamed Stuart Creek). That site was to become the starting point for Stuart's subsequent expeditions.

Altogether, Stuart led six expeditions.

The 4th expedition.

His fourth expedition started in March 1860 and had the objective of crossing the continent. In May, they reached the area where Tennant Creek now stands - only 800 km from the north coast (Adelaide was 2,400 km to the south). The party was however too weak to continue, and after difficulties with the hostile Warumungu Aboriginal people at Attack Creek, they turned back home and reached Chambers Creek at the end of August. Just days before - on 20 August 1860 - the Burke and Wills expedition had finally left Melbourne.

The 5th Expedition.

Almost immediately, James Chambers pressured the Government for funds and armed personnel to enable Stuart to continue past attack Creek. After considerable prevarication, the Government agreed to provide 10 armed men and £2,500 in contrast to the £9,000 provided to Burke and Wills by the Victorian Government. There was little rest for Stuart.

The 5th expedition left Chambers Creek on 1 January 1861 at the peak of the Australian summer. By 1 February, they were still in South Australia although Burke and Wills had reached the Gulf of Carpentaria. Two months later, on 24 April, Stuart reached Attack Creek but, at the same time, 7 of the 19 members of the Victorian party, including the leaders Burke and Wills, were dead or about to die. John King and the others made it to the Gulf and back to Melbourne. Indeed when he did learn that the Victorians were missing, Stuart offered to participate in the search looking for them. Unable to find a north-west route to the sea from Newcastle Waters, Stuart yet again returned to Adelaide.

The 6th Expedition.

The Burke and Wills catastrophe lessened support for expeditions to cross the continent.

By that time however, another consideration had arisen - the possibility of constructing a telegraph line across the continent. Stuart's record was admired by all - five expeditions reaching within a few hundred miles of the objective and not a single man lost.

Again the South Australian Government contributed £2,000 and, this time, a scientist. The rest of the money came from the Chambers brothers and Finke. The naturalist was 48 year old Frederick Waterhouse - two years older that Stuart. William Kekwick (2nd in charge) was 38 and the others were between 19 and 24 years of age.

The expedition started on 23 October 1861 but within days - and before even reaching Gawler - a horse reared and struck Stuart's temple with its hoof. He was rendered unconscious before the horse stood on his right hand and dislocated two joints and tore flesh and nail from the first finger. At first it was feared Sturt would have to have his hand amputated but it was saved and Stuart and Waterhouse met up with the rest of the party five weeks later.

 6th team
(Back row): William Auld (21), John Billiatt (19), Francis Thring (24).
(Front row): James Frew (21), William Kekwick (38),
Frederick Waterhouse (48), Stephen King (19).
Absent: John Stuart (46), Heath Nash (23), John McGorrery (21).

Good time was made to Newcastle Waters but again there was difficulty finding a way to Victoria River. One can only imagine Stuart sitting by the campfire one night, staring into the flames - and suddenly having an insight. The next day, Stuart began by heading north instead of north-west and he finally completed the 150 kms to Daly Waters. On 9 June, he reached an area which had already been mapped and that led him, on 1 July to the Mary River. Finally, on 24 July, 1862 the party reached Chambers Beach (east of where Darwin is now located). There is no record of whether the party went swimming to relax :)

Stuart's eyesight had been deteriorating since his third expedition, which he led to the west of Lake Eyre, because of the constant desert glare. Indeed his eyesight was poor even when the 6th expedition started. By the time he returned to Adelaide, Stuart was practically blind. Indeed his general health was so bad, that a large part of the return journey had him being carried on a litter between two horses.

He died in England on 5 June 1866.