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Charles Sturt Facts & Worksheets

Charles Sturt was a British Officer and Australian explorer, exploring the Murrumbidgee and Murray rivers, which were some of the greatest explorations in Australian history.

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Charles Sturt was a British Officer and Australian explorer, exploring the Murrumbidgee and Murray rivers, which were some of the greatest explorations in Australian history.

See the fact file below for more information on the Charles Sturt or alternatively, you can download our 25-page Charles Sturt worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE

  • Charles Sturt was born on April 28, 1795 in Bengal, India.
  • He was the eldest son to Thomas Lenox Napier Sturt, a judge in Bengal. At the age of five, Sturt was sent to live with relatives in England. At the age of 15, he studied at Harrow.
  • Charles joined the British Army in 1813, at the age of 18. His service for the next 13 years saw him serve Spain, Canada, France, and Ireland. Sturt served next to the Duke of Wellington in the war between America and Canada during the War of 1812.
  • He was made lieutenant on April 7, 1923, and then promoted to Captain on December 15, 1825. He performed garrison duties in France and Ireland before escorting convicts being transported to New South Wales in 1826 on the ship the Mariner. He arrived in Sydney on May 23, 1827.
  • He became military secretary to the governor of New South Wales, Sir Ralph Darling, in 1827.
  • Sturt explored the Australian continent with the approval of the New South Wales Governor on November 4, 1828.
  • 1828 was his first expedition; he followed the Macquarie River through the Macquarie Marshes to the Darling River, across the region of Macquarie, Bogan and Castlereagh Rivers.
  • In a later expedition in 1829 he tracked the source of the Lachlan and Murrumbidgee rivers. Sturt outlined the internal river system, which drains a vast area west of the Great Dividing Range, having found pastures suitable for pastoral farming.
  • In another expedition in 1830, down the Murrumbidgee River, he discovered the Murray River, following it to the mouth near Adelaide. This expedition nearly cost Sturt his eyesight because of overexertion and a poor diet.

STURT’S MID-LIFE

  • From 1832-1834 he spent his time in England recuperating, where he wrote his book called Two Expeditions into the Interior of Southern Australia, 1828-31.
  • On September 20, 1834, Sturt married Charlotte Christiana Greene, daughter of a family friend.
  • In 1835 Sturt returned to Australia with a 5 000-acre grant of land.
  • 1836 Sturt’s first child, Napier George Sturt, was born.
  • In September 1838 he led an expedition to the mouth of the Murray River, confirming Adelaide’s suitability as the capital. After returning to New South Wales, he learned of the birth of his son Charles Sturt.
  • Financial difficulties led him to become surveyor-general in the new colony of South Australia in 1939 for a brief period until London appointed Surveyor-General Edward Frome, forcing him to step down from the position.
  • Sturt led a third expedition north from Adelaide to the edge of the Simpson Desert from 1844-1846. Trapped by drought and marooned at an isolated water hole 400 miles inland they failed to reach the Tropic of Capricorn or to cross the Simpson Desert. He found no fertile land and was driven back by heat and scurvy. His exploration group would become known to be the first to penetrate the center of Australia. The interior offered no prospects for farmers. Subsequently, the land became a paradise for mineral prospectors.
  • Sturt served briefly as the registrar general and colonial treasurer, receiving the Royal Geographical Society’s Gold Medal after going back to England in 1847. He wrote Narrative of an Expedition into Central Australia, publishing it in 1849.

LATER LIFE

  • Sturt returned to Adelaide with his family in August 1849, where he was appointed Colonial Secretary with a seat on the legislative council. With the persistent issue with his eyes, his duties were limited and he resigned from both positions on December 30, 1851.
  • Sturt and his family went back to England in 1853 and they settled permanently in Cheltenham, England, where he would devote his time to the education of his children.
  • In 1855, Sturt applied for the position of Governor of Victoria and again in 1858, for the position of Governor of Queensland. But his age, uncertain health, and small income were against him in securing the positions.
  • By the year 1860, all three of Sturt’s sons were serving in the army. In 1864 he suffered a loss when his son died in India.
  • Sturt died on June 6, 1869.

LEGACY

  • Sturt National Park in North-western New South Wales
  • The city, Charles Sturt, in Adelaide
  • The suburb Sturt in Adelaide
  • The Sturt River flows through Sturt Gorge Recreation Park
  • Charles Sturt University in New South Wales
  • Sturt Highway from Wagga Wagga to Adelaide
  • Captain Sturt Hotel in Wentworth, New South Wales
  • Sturt’s Desert pea
  • Sturt’s Desert rose
  • Sturt Stony desert
  • TS Sturt, a training ship for the Australian Navy Cadets

Charles Sturt Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Charles Sturt across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Charles Sturt worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Charles Sturt who was a British Officer and Australian explorer, exploring the Murrumbidgee and Murray rivers, which were some of the greatest explorations in Australian history.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Facts
  • Timeline
  • Fill in the Blanks
  • Journal Entry
  • Lets Cook!
  • Pop Quiz
  • Scavenger hunt
  • Quotes
  • Folk Story
  • True or False
  • Your Legacy

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Link will appear as Charles Sturt Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, April 5, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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