What happened to Ludwig Leichhardt?
Ludwig Leichhardt was a Prussian-born explorer who disappeared in 1848 while trying to cross Australia from east to west. No trace of his party has ever been conclusively found.
Leichhardt arrived in Sydney in 1842 and became known for his knowledge of natural history. In 1844-45, he led an expedition from the Darling Downs in Queensland to Port Essington near modern Darwin, a journey of about 4,800 kilometres.
The expedition was presumed lost, and when Leichhardt arrived in Port Essington, he was hailed as a hero.
The final expedition
In 1848, he set out from the Darling Downs to cross to the Swan River in Western Australia with several companions. The party disappeared.
Many searches followed. A small brass nameplate inscribed with his name, found around 1900 attached to a burnt gun near Sturt Creek in Western Australia, was confirmed as genuine by the National Museum of Australia in 2006.
The plate suggests that at least part of his party reached the edge of the Great Sandy Desert, but how and where they died remains a mystery. Theories include death from thirst, flood or conflict.
Leichhardt's first expedition opened up large areas of Queensland and the Northern Territory to pastoral settlement. Many places are named after him, including the Sydney suburb of Leichhardt and the Leichhardt River in Queensland.
Did You Know?
Patrick White's novel Voss was inspired by Leichhardt.