author
William Landsborough
1825–1886
A tough, practical explorer of colonial Australia, he became the first person to complete a north-to-south crossing of the continent. His journeys helped map parts of Queensland and made him one of the notable inland explorers of the nineteenth century.
1 Audiobook
Journal of Landsborough's expedition from Carpentaria, in search of Burke & Wills
by William Landsborough
About the author
Born in Scotland in 1825, he moved to Australia as a young man and built his early life in the bush. That experience made him an unusually skilled horseman and bushman, qualities that shaped his later work as an explorer.
He is best remembered for leading expeditions in Queensland and for completing a north-to-south crossing of Australia in 1862. His explorations were connected to the search for the missing Burke and Wills party, but they also added important knowledge about inland routes, rivers, and grazing country.
Later in life he held public roles in Queensland, including work connected with roads and membership in the Legislative Council. He died in 1886, leaving a reputation for endurance, independence, and a major place in the story of Australian exploration.