Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia

Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt, sometimes known as Ludwig Leichhardt, was a German explorer and naturalist who is most known for his explorations in northern and central Australia. Leichhardt was born on October 23, 1813, in the hamlet of Sabrodt near Trebatsch, which is now part of Tauche in the Prussian Province of Brandenburg (now part of the Federal Republic of Germany). He was the fourth son and sixth of eight children born to Christian Hieronymus Matthias Leichhardt, a farmer and royal inspector, and his wife Charlotte Sophie, n e Strahlow. Between 1831 and 1836, Leichhardt studied philosophy, language, and natural sciences at the universities of G ttingen and Berlin, but he never graduated. On February 14, 1842, Leichhardt arrived in Sydney, Australia. His goal was to tour inland Australia, and he hoped for a government post in his subjects of interest. In September 1842, Leichhardt traveled to the Hunter River valley north of Sydney to examine the region's geology, vegetation, and fauna, as well as farming methods. He then embarked on his own specimen-collecting excursion, travelling from Newcastle, New South Wales, to Moreton Bay, Queensland. On September 23, 1842, he arrived at Ash Island and spent 2-3 days there after being invited by Alexander Walker Scott.