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S.A. Northern Pioneers: W.C. Gosse
Title : S.A. Northern Pioneers: W.C. Gosse S.A. Northern Pioneers: W.C. Gosse
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Source : B 6912/J4
Date of creation : ca. 1870
Format : Photograph
Dimensions : 50 x 33 mm
Contributor : State Library catalogue
Catalogue record
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Description :

Portrait of W.C. Gosse from Stuart's Creek from the S.A. Northern Pioneers' composite, 1850-1859 (shown in position on B 6912/3).


William Christie Gosse was born 11 December 1842 in Hodddesdon, England. He and his family came to Adelaide 1850.

He joined the South Australian surveying department in 1859 and was sent on a trigonometrical survey of the colony's far north. He subsequently worked in the south east where he married in 1868. His wife died the following year. In 1873 the government appointed him to explore Central Australia west from the Overland Telegraph Line to pioneer a route to Perth. Leaving from Alice Springs in April he discovered and named Ayers Rock (Uluru) in July but by September gave up going further west due to lack of water. His party reached Charlotte Waters by 19 December.Over 60,000 square miles of central Australia was mapped and these maps prepared the way for the successful crossing of the continent by John Forrest in 1874.

The following year he married Agnes Hay and they had three children. Stuart's Creek station in the Lake Eyre South catchment was first established by John McDouall Stuart and later taken up by the Chanbers brothers. It now forms part of Anna Creek station, the largest cattle run in the world.

William Christie Gosse died 12 August 1881, aged 38 of a heart attack in Adelaide.

Subjects
Period : 1836-1851,1852-1883
Place : Central Australia
Region : Northern Territory
Further reading :

Cockburn, R Pastoral pioneers of South Australia 2 v. Adelaide : Publishers Limited, 1925-1927 ("Reprinted from the Adelaide Stock and Station Journal.") vol. 1 p. 193 brief mention

Gosse, William Christie Report and diary of Mr. W. C. Gosse's central and western exploring expedition 1873 / Ordered by the House of Assembly to be printed, 2nd June, 1874 Adelaide: Libraries Board of South Australia, 1973

Mr. William Christie Gosse Frearson's weekly illustrated, 10 September 1881, p. 487

Mr William Christie Gosse Australasian sketcher, 20 August 1881, p. 272

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