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Exploration Maps and Charts  — Discovery of Australia by Land
[For Sea Expeditions, see  Exploration Maps and Charts — Discovery of Australia by Sea]
Project Gutenberg of Australia gratefully acknowledges the contribution of Ned Overton
  in re-designing and expanding the "Maps and Charts" page,
  which is now a valuable resource when studying the discovery
  and exploration of Australia, by land and sea, by non-indigenous people.
Part 1: THE SLOW DISCOVERY
 OF A VAST CONTINENT:
 SUMMARY OF LAND EXPEDITIONS
(Click on the map to display an enlarged version.
For Discovery by Sea, see our other map page).


The first part of this page is intended to summarise the main expeditions
 of exploration described in core works. These include:
Ernest Scott's﹃Australian Discovery: [Vol. II] Discovery by Land﹄and
 "A Short History of Australia";
Ernest Favenc's works, including "The History of Australian Exploration" and
 "The Explorers of Australia and their Life-work".
Exploration SE N.S.W. 1813-28.   Sturt, 1824

Exploration of N.S.W., 1813-28; Evans to Cunningham

   Sturt's Expeditions in S.E. Australia, 1828-30.
Eyre to Burke and Wills.   Exploration WA

Exploration extended; Eyre, the Gregorys and Burke and Wills (1840-61).

   Expeditions in W.A.: Grey, Forrest and Giles, 1836-74.

 

Part 2: TRACKS OF MAJOR EXPEDITIONS
 IN THE DISCOVERY OF THE CONTINENT
(Click on the map to display an enlarged version)
The central part of this page is intended to outline the more important
 individual expeditions overland, leading to a fuller appreciation of the continent.
It also elucidates many works in PGA, including those byorabout:
Tench; Barralier; Blaxland et al.; Evans;
 Oxley; Hume & Hovell; Cunningham; Sturt;
 Mitchell; Eyre; Leichhardt; Kennedy;
 The Gregorys; McDouall Stuart; Burke & Wills
 Grey; The Forrests; Giles; Warburton,
among others.
See the table "Australian Land and Sea Explorers", on this site [LINK].
NOTE: In a few of the earlier maps, west is up the page,
 before the adoption of the present convention.
Around Sydney, before 1800.   Trying to Cross the Blue Mts., 1802

Early Exploration around Sydney by Tench and Dawes, to ca. 1790.

   Barralier attempts to cross the Blue Mountains, 1802.
Evans' map, Blue Mts and beyond, 1813.   The Bathurst Plains, (Evans) 1813

Evans follows the first route across the Blue Mountains, and examines the pastures beyond, 1813.

   A sketch of Evans's Journey to the Bathurst Plains, 1813.
Exploration SE N.S.W. 1813.   Exploration N.S.W. 1824-30

Includes Evans (1813), Oxley (1817-23) and Sturt (1828-9).

   Hume & Hovell, (1824), Sturt (1829-30) and Mitchell (1836).
Eyre, 1840-1.   Exploration Qld-NT 1844-8.

Edward John Eyre's route, east-to-west, 1840-1.

   Leichhardt (1844-5), Mitchell (1845-6) and Kennedy (1847 and 1848).
Sturt's Exploration SA-NT, 1844-6   N-S Crossings, 1858-62.

Sturt's Expeditions into Central Australia, 1844-46.

   Crossing the Continent, South to North, 1858-62.
Burke and Wills   Forrest, 1870s.

Burke & Wills's Fatal Track, 1860-1.

   John Forrest's Three Expeditions, 1869-74.
Giles (all)   Warburton, Gosse 1870s.

Ernest Giles's Expeditions, 1872-76.

   Expeditions by Warburton and Gosse, 1873-74.

 

Part 3: EARLY EXPLORATION OF ANTARCTICA
(Click on the map to display an enlarged version)
This part of the page more clearly illustrates maps in two PGA books:
 Shackleton's "Heart of the Antarctic", describing Shackleton's near miss at reaching the South Pole, as well as Edgeworth David's and Mawson's first journey to the South Magnetic Pole and the first ascent of the active volcano, Mt Erebus; and
 Amundsen's "The South Pole", describing his conquest of the Pole in late 1912,
 one month ahead of Robert Falcon Scott's party.
Antarctica, 1900.   Shackleton south

The continent of Antarctica,
as known 100 years ago.

   Shackleton's Furthest South,
1908-9.
South Mag Pole, 1909.   Anatarctic exploration 1908-9

Edgeworth David and Mawson reach the South Magnetic Pole, 1908-9.

   General Exploration in South Victoria Land, 1907-9.
Amundsen S Pole 3D.   Amundsen S Pole

Amundsen reaches the South Pole, 1912, as reported in the press.

   Amundsen's Polar Journey, showing also Shackleton's track.

 

Part 4: THE GROWTH OF AUSTRALIA'S
 EARLY MAJOR SETTLEMENTS
(Click on the map to display an enlarged version)
The last part of this page gives a few examples of maps of
 some of Australia's major settlements, tracing their early growth.
This is not intended as a specific reference tool, but gives a flavour to
 some of the works on Australia's early history found at PGA.
Maps will be added here from time to time.
Sydney, First Fleet.   Sydney 1791

Early map of Sydney Cove,
showing the First Fleet.

   Map of Sydney,
by Dawes, July, 1788.
Sydney, Grimes, 1800.   Sydney, Peron, 1802

Sydney Cove by Surveyor-General Grimes, 1800.

   Sydney Cove, at the time of Baudin's visit, 1802.
Sydney, 1807.   Sydney, Darling, 1829

Sydney in Governor Bligh's Time, October, 1807.

   Sydney in Governor Darling's Time, ca. 1830.
Sydney, Darling, 1829.   Early Melbourne, Fawkner

River Yarra and environs, mapped by Grimes, 1802-3.

   Early Melbourne, 1832.
Risdon, 1803.   Early Hobart, 1804

Tasmania's First Settlement:
Risdon Cove, 1803.

   Early Hobart, 1804.
[See Backhouse Walker]
Frankland's Hobart, 1836-7.   Jarman's Hobart, 1858

Frankland's Map of Hobart, 1836-7.

   Jarman's Map of Hobart, 1858.
Swan River, 1827.   Perth, 1845

The Swan River, as charted by Captain Stirling, 1827

   Surveyor Milligan's map of Perth, 1845.

 

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