Who was John McDouall Stuart?
Q: Who was John McDouall Stuart?
A: John McDouall Stuart was an Australian explorer who is regarded as one of Australia's greatest explorers. He went on seven major exploring trips into the centre and north of Australia, leading six of them.
Q: What did he achieve?
A: He achieved a number of feats during his explorations, including being the first European to cross the continent from north to south and then return again. His discoveries opened up the country for the growth of farming sheep and cattle, and his route was used to build the Australian Overland Telegraph Line from Adelaide to Darwin which joined an undersea line from Java.
Q: How did he push himself?
A: Exploring Australia caused Stuart to become very sick from diseases such as scurvy and beriberi, but he pushed himself to the very limits of human endurance on each trip despite this.
Q: What were his personal rewards?
A: His personal rewards were small; he was given some land by the government and a small salary from his employers.
Q: How old was Stuart when he died?
A: Stuart died poor in England at age 50.
Q: What helped him with his final long journey?
A: On each trip, he found water sources that helped him with his final long journey.
