John McDouall Stuart

In the late 1850s and early 1860, John McDouall Stuart led six expeditions into the Australian interior – culminating with an epic crossing – and return – on his final journey. Stuart was a slight, small man, a social misfit and heavy drinker. Yet he would go on to become perhaps the greatest explorer of the Australian interior in history.

Epsisodes

John McDouall Stuart and the crossing of Australia – Part 1

In part 1 of our series, we learn about Stuart’s early years, and follow his first expedition.

Download this episode or listen online.

John McDouall Stuart and the crossing of Australia – Part 2

In this episode, Stuart leads three expeditions into the Australian interior – including an attempt to reach the continent’s center – and the north coast. Also, the Victorian Exploring Expedition (VEE) led by Robert O’Hara Burke sets out on their attempt to cross Australia.

Download this episode or listen online.

John McDouall Stuart and the crossing of Australia – Part 3

In part 3 of our series, we follow Stuart on his fifth expedition to try and cross Australia. We also discuss the fate of Robert O’Hara Burke the the Victorian Exploring Exploration – aka the Burke and Wills Expedition – which was a direct competitor to Stuart’s endeavors.

Download this episode or listen online.

John McDouall Stuart and the crossing of Australia – Part 4

This is the final episode in our series on John McDouall Stuart. In part 4, Stuart makes one final stab at crossing the Australian continent, and blazing a route for the telegraph line.

Download this episode or listen online.

Maps

For maps of McDouall Stuart’s expeditions, I recommend checking out the website of the John McDouall Stuart Society. The linked page has detailed maps for his first five expeditions. And you’ll find a lot of other information on Stuart.

Resources

Mr. Stuart’s Track: The Forgotten Life of Australia’s Greatest Explorer, by John Bailey. The best modern biography of Stuart.

The Dig Tree by Sarah Murgatroyd. While about the Burke and Wills Expedition, lots of good information about Stuart.

Explorations in Australia The Journals of John McDouall Stuart, by John McDouall Stuart. Put together after Stuart’s expeditions were completed, they are quite good for the time. However, the lack of a good annotated version often makes them confusing. Stuart’s journals can be found for free online at sites such as archive.org.

John McDouall Stuart Society – Nice website all about our explorer.

Stuart’s Wikipedia webpage gives a nice, but brief, overview of the man’s life.