Born August 5, 1815,
Yorkshire, England
Died November 30, 1901,
Near Tavistock, Devon, England

Edward John Eyre was born the son of a clergyman in Yorkshire, England. He immigrated to Australia at the age of 17, arriving in Sydney on March 20, 1833; he used the money he had brought to Australia to buy a sheep ranch. In 1834, after having problems with diseased sheep, he became a pioneer “overlander,” a person who takes livestock overland from settled areas to the outback. Eyre made profitable trips moving animals from Sydney to Melbourne, from Melbourne to Adelaide, and from Sydney to Adelaide.

Makes important discoveries

In 1838 Eyre settled in Adelaide; still working as an overlander, he used the city as a base for exploring the interior. Embarking on his first trip in May 1839, he traveled north of Spencer Gulf, a large body of water on the south coast of Australia. There...