author
Ernest Giles
1835–1897
An English-born explorer who became one of the key figures in mapping inland Australia, he is best remembered for leading major expeditions across the deserts of South and Western Australia. His journeys helped fill in blank spaces on the map and inspired vivid travel writing as well.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Bristol on 20 July 1835, Ernest Giles moved to Australia as a teenager and eventually settled into a life shaped by travel, hard country, and curiosity. Before becoming widely known as an explorer, he worked in Victoria and spent time in remote districts, building the bush experience that later supported his expeditions.
He led a series of important journeys through central and western Australia in the 1870s, exploring country that was still little known to European settlers. Giles is especially noted for crossing the desert regions between central and western Australia and for helping chart large areas of South Australia and Western Australia.
He also wrote about his travels, including books that recorded the danger, endurance, and scale of those expeditions. Giles died in Coolgardie, Western Australia, on 13 November 1897, but his name remains closely tied to the history of Australian exploration.