John McDouall Stuart

**John McDouall Stuart** (7 September 18155 June 1866) is regarded as one of Australia's greatest explorers. He went on seven major exploring trips into the centre and north of Australia. He was leader of six of these expeditions. He spent more time out in the Australian bush exploring the land than any other explorer. On each trip, he was able to go further north and found water s that helped him with his final long journey. In 1862, he crossed Australia from Adelaide, South Australia, to Van Diemen Gulf in the Northern Territory. He was the first European to cross the continent from north to south and then return again.

Exploring Australia caused Stuart to become very sick from diseases such as scurvy and beriberi. He pushed himself to the very limits of human . Each trip left him weaker and at the end of his last trip he was unable to walk or ride and had to be carried back. Stuart's discoveries opened up the country for the growth of farming sheep and cattle. His route was used to build the Australian Overland Telegraph Line from Adelaide to Darwin which joined an undersea line from Java. This meant that for the first time, Australians could communicate quickly with the rest of the world. But his personal rewards were small. He was given some land by the government and a small salary from his employers. Stuart died poor in England at the age of 50.

## Early life
Stuart was born on 7 September 1815, at Dysart, Fife, Scotland. His father, William Stuart, had been a captain in the British Army. His mother was Mary McDouall. They had nine children, John McDouall was the sixth. His parents died when he was ten years old. The children were separated and sent to live with different relatives. Stuart was educated at the Scottish Naval and Military Academy in Edinburgh.

## 1858 expedition
Stuart learned from his trip with Sturt that large groups were not able to move quickly through the dry Australian lands. He believed that a small group would have more success. Finke paid him to find out if the land north of Lake Torrens would be suitable for sheep. It is near the present day town of Blinman, in the north of the Flinders Ranges. From here they went northwest and found a  water hole, Andamooka Waterhole, on a creek Stuart named Chambers Creek. It has since been renamed Stuart Creek. The country was very dry, and they could only find water in Aboriginal wells. The stony ground hurt the horses feet. At the end of July they reached the site of the present day town of Coober Pedy. Their horses were in poor condition and they were running out of food. Stuart decided to change direction to the south west and try and reach the coast near Fowlers Bay. The Aboriginal youth would not go any further and went back. He was scared of other Aborigines in the area they were going into. Stuart said the land was "...dreary, dismal, dreadful desert." By the time they had passed the current site of Oodnadatta, both the men and the horses were suffering from the lack of water and proper food. The horses' shoes had worn out in the rocks around the Davenport Range. On 12 June 1859, Stuart turned around and went back. This became known as the Burke and Wills expedition, named after its two leaders, Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills. The name was later changed to Central Mount Stuart.

The cost of Stuart's exploring had been paid for by Chambers. Because of this, Stuart would not make his journals and maps available to the public. This led to claims that Stuart had not really travelled that far north and that he was lying about his discoveries. In Victoria it was even said that Stuart had not really gone north, but had been hiding in a cellar in Adelaide.

## Fifth expedition 1861
The public and the newspapers began to talk about a race across the continent of Australia.

## Sixth expedition 1861–62
Stuart set out on his third attempt to cross Australia on 25 October 1861. This expedition was called the Great Northern Exploring Expedition. The group was: They crossed Arnhem Land, and made the way along the edge of what is now Kakadu National Park. He followed the Adelaide River, but when the ground became too soft and muddy, they went further north to the Mary River and eventually reached the sea.

They arrived at Van Diemen's Gulf on 24 July 1862. The group then had to travel  back to Adelaide. Food was becoming scarce, and the hot weather meant there was little water. Many horses died, and Stuart was again forced to leave behind equipment. Waterhouse had to leave all his carefully collected plants and animals. The men were very hungry and even shot and ate dingos. The Royal Geographical Society of South Australia has a wooden chair and table made by Stuart in 1854.

Benjamin Head later said about Stuart "...that he was a born leader of men: the sharpest little fellow you would find in a year's march."

## Conclusion
Stuart and A.C. Gregory were arguably Australia’s greatest inland explorers. The latter was certainly financed and equipped much better than Stuart who had to rely on Chambers and Finke’s support rather than the State Government. It may very well have been possible for Stuart to reach the north coast earlier if he had the Government support that Gregory, Babbage and Tolmer were granted. That said, he didn’t and was totally driven to reach the north coast despite illness and afflictions that arguably he had since arriving in South Australia and were to see him die at such an early age in England in 1866. The key attributes that made Stuart one, if not the best inland explorer, include: 

- He had exceptional dead reckoning and navigational skills that enabled him to understand exactly where he was. 

- He spent more time in the field and explored more land than any other explorer without the loss of a man. 

-He learnt from every trip how far to push the physical limits and when to turn back.

- He understood and cared for his horses and knew their limits and ability to move quickly through land and how far each type could survive without water. - He was courageous, a great leader and his concern and respect for his fellow expedition members was reciprocated.

## References
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