Benjamin Herschel Babbage

Benjamin Herschel Babbage (1815—1878) was an English scientist, engineer and explorer. Babbage was the son of the famous mathematician, Charles Babbage. He went to South Australia to map the geography and the location of minerals.

Babbage was very thorough, and spent a lot of time making sure that his information was correct. He carried a lot of equipment, as well as four and half tonnes of food, enough to last 18 months in the desert. Among his supplies he had 20 kilograms of chocolate and 5000 litres of water. He also took a flock of 150 sheep, which limited the speed the group could move. The government became frustrated with Babbage's slow progress, they wanted to know about possible farm lands and valuable minerals as soon as possible. Eventually Babbage was removed from the job and replaced by Major Peter Warburton.

Babbage later helped on the planning for the Australian Overland Telegraph Line. He was interested in growing grapes and retired to his large vineyard at St.Marys. He died on 20 October 1878, and is buried at St.Marys.

References

Category:1815 births
Category:1878 deaths

Category:Exploration of Australia
Category:People from South Australia
Category:English explorers