Ludwig Leichhardt

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Vocation

Prussian explorer and naturalist, most famous for his exploration of northern and central Australia. On 14 February 1842 Leichhardt arrived in Sydney, Australia. His aim was to explore inland Australia and he was hopeful of a government appointment in his fields of interest. In September 1842 Leichhardt went to the Hunter River valley north of Sydney to study the geology, flora and fauna of the region, and to observe farming methods. He then set out on his own on a specimen-collecting journey that took him from Newcastle, New South Wales, to Moreton Bay in Queensland. He mounted another expedition, accompanied by volunteers and supported by private funding. His party left Sydney in August 1844 to sail to Moreton Bay, where four more joined the group. The expedition departed on 1 October 1844 from Jimbour, the farthest outpost of settlement on the Queensland Darling Downs. After a nearly 4,800 kilometre (3,000 mile) overland journey, and having long been given up for dead, Leichhardt arrived in Port Essington (300 km north of today's Darwin, Northern Territory) on 17 December 1845. He returned to Sydney by boat, arriving on 25 March 1846 to a hero's welcome. "The Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia, from Moreton Bay to Port Essington, a Distance of Upwards of 3000 km, During the Years 1844 and 1845" by Leichhardt describes this expedition. Leichhardt's second expedition, undertaken with a government grant and substantial private subscriptions, started in December 1846. It was supposed to take him from the Darling Downs to the west coast of Australia and ultimately to the Swan River and Perth. However, after covering only 800 km the expedition team was forced to return in June 1847 due to heavy rain, malarial fever and famine. In 1848 Leichhardt again set out from the Condamine River (Queensland) to reach the Swan River (Western Australia). The expedition consisted of Leichhardt, four Europeans, two Aboriginal guides, seven horses, 20 mules and 50 bullocks. He was last seen on 3 April 1848 at McPherson's Station, Coogoon, on the Darling Downs. His disappearance after moving inland, although investigated by many, remains a mystery. Link to Wikipedia biography