John McDouall STUART 1815-1866

Stuart graduated from the Naval Military Academy of Scotland as a Civil Engineer. Fortunately for Australia he was deemed unsuitable for a military career because of his size, 165 centimetres tall and less than 50 kilograms. Excited about the stories he had heard about the colony of New South Wales, he immigrated in 1839 and took work as a surveyor. It may have been on this job that he acquired his taste for the Australian outback. Later he became a farmer, then in 1844 joined Sturt's expedition into central Australia which lasted 17 months. On his return, Stuart worked in real estate for 12 years, but in 1858 the call of the outback became too much.

These hardships seem only to have increased his appetite for exploration.

The following year he made two more expeditions, surveying the formidable inland regions he had previously discovered.

In March 1860 Stuart was off again on the first of two memorable journeys of exploration. With two men and 13 horses he marched to the geographical centre of the Australian continent. Surviving Aboriginal attack, thirst and starvation, they were feted in Adelaide on their return. Then in January, 1861 he led a party of eleven men and 49 horses to be the first to cross the continent south to north. When he returned to a hero's welcome and 2000 pounds reward in Adelaide in 1862, his hair had turned white, he was vomiting blood and had to be carried on a stretcher. But he succeeded and survived while competitors Burke and Wills had lost their lives.

Stuart is remembered today by the many places which bear his name, including the Stuart highway, built from 1940 to 1943 along his route from Port Augusta to Darwin. In 1872 the Overland Telegraph which opened the Northern Territory to further settlement, was built along the same path.

Source: Certificate accompanying the 1994 Masterpieces in Silver - The Explorers - Set.