The Central Australian Expedition 1844-1846. The Journals of Charles Sturt

2002

Journals G161 H2 Ser.3 no.10

London: The Hakluyt Society

While the search for Terra Australis captured the imagination of many, another mystery existed: the great ‘inland sea’, supposedly situated in the middle of the Australian continent. The British explorer Charles Sturt (1795–1869) was determined to solve this mystery. Loaded with provisions and scientific equipment, he and 16 others left Adelaide in August 1844. They headed north towards the Simpson Desert. Conditions were inhospitable: there was little water; temperatures were extreme; scurvy was rampant; and one man lost his life. Reluctantly, Sturt made the decision to turn back, abandoning the idea of finding the ‘inland sea’. He arrived back in Adelaide on 19th January 1846. It is no wonder he would write: ‘I returned to the Camp disheartened at the aspect of the Country…’ (September 9th).