Frederick Henry Litchfield
Encyclopedia
Frederick Henry Litchfield (27 May 1832 – 1 March 1867), pastoralist, gold miner, explorer, usually known as Fred, is a South Australian prominently associated with the early exploration of the Northern Territory
, and more particularly with the discovery of gold
there.
, British India, on 27 May 1832, the eldest son of Charles William Litchfield (c.1802-1850), who was then serving in the 17th Foot of the British Army
as a non-commissioned officer. His grandfather was a London surgeon and his lineage is reputedly connected to the Earl of Litchfield title in England
. His mother was Margaret, nee O'Connor (1808–1834), but after she died young his father remarried in India
in 1835 to Ellen Munro (1818–1908), daughter of Donald and Isabella Munro. Donald Munro (1785–1822), a Scot, also served in the 17th Foot.
His father later transferred to the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot as sergeant-major. In 1836 the regiment returned from Bengal to be stationed at Enniskillen
, Northern Ireland. In reward for his many years’ service in India, and pending his retirement, in July 1838 Sergeant-Major C.W. Litchfield was commissioned as ensign (rank)
, without purchase, and then in November 1838 retired from the army.
. Charles William Litchfield and family (including six-year-old Fred) embarked at London
on the D’Auvergne, arriving at Adelaide
on 22 March 1839. Aboard the same ship were Charles' brother John and family, and sisters Mary and Anne. The brother, Dr John Palmer Litchfield, M.D., (1808–1869)http://meds.queensu.ca/medicine/obgyn/history/litchfield.htm http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1825698/?page=1 had formerly practiced in London. Upon arrival at Adelaide, Dr Litchfield immediately commenced practice as a consulting physician
, subsequently became the first Inspector of Hospitals in South Australia, and later moved to Canada where he died in 1869. One sister, Mary Walford Litchfield, died 1846, while the other, Anne Litchfield, married Thomas Reynolds, later the fifth Premier of South Australia. Much later, in 1851, another brother, Frederick Burnett Litchfield, arrived at Adelaide with his family, and became connected with the railways. His daughter, Louisa Jane Litchfield, married William Davy and were the parents of Dr Ruby Claudia Emily Davy http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A080266b.htm, noted South Australian musician and composer.
In early 1840 Charles William Litchfield joined the newly formed (but short-lived) militia
, the South Australian Volunteers, as its captain and adjutant
, being thereafter generally known as Captain Litchfield. Police sub-inspector Alexander Tolmer
held the other adjutant position in the S.A.V. On 17 June 1840, Litchfield was gazetted as a sub-inspector of the metropolitan (foot) branch of the South Australia Police
. The man who appointed him was Thomas Shuldham O’Halloran http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A020266b.htm, then newly appointed as Commissioner of Police, and a former lieutenant
of the 17th Foot, with whom Litchfield had served in India. O’Halloran was also major-commandant of the S.A.V. militia.
Meanwhile, young Fred Litchfield’s education began at a private day school in Adelaide, and was finished at the Oddfellows
School, of which Lodge his father was an office-holder. The family grew rapidly, and younger half-brothers and half-sisters soon joined Fred.
Charles William Litchfield served ten years in the police
, rising to Inspector
rank and overall command of the Adelaide Metropolitan Police. Then, after a short illness, he died on 25 August 1850, aged 47 years, leaving a widow and nine children. His death was not without public controversy. Inspector Litchfield was highly esteemed but not wealthy. Many prominent citizens felt great sympathy for his widow and family. Police connections as well as members of his Oddfellows Lodge rapidly raised a considerable endowment. This was offered as a managed trust, rather than an outright gift, but it was refused by the widow on grounds that she wished to control her own financial destiny. The refusal of this charitable gesture caused many donors to become so indignant that they retracted their contribution.
Corporal George Ezekiel Mason, stationed at Wellington, South Australia
, on the River Murray. Mason was also sub-protector of Aborigines
. In view of his stepmother’s grim financial situation, Fred joined them there, working as a labourer in the district. When the Victorian gold rush
came, 21-year-old Fred was quick to head for the diggings to make his own way in life. Along with one of the Mason family, he sailed to Melbourne
in January 1853 on the Dreadnought. The pair then led a knockabout life as gold-miners, without tangible success, until Fred returned to Wellington about 1858. Again unemployed, he had thoughts of obtaining his own grazing property there.
and reach the north coast. Among those in his party of seven was Fred Litchfield, taken because he was “generally useful”. Also in the party was ex-policeman Bernard Shaw of Wellington who, like Tolmer, had served with Fred’s father. At that time there was fierce competition, notably with the privately sponsored party of John McDouall Stuart
, to be first to succeed. Tolmer’s badly organised expedition was a costly failure, being abandoned just beyond the northern Flinders Ranges
. Litchfield received expenses but no wages. Meanwhile, Stuart’s expedition went on to success and fame.
who, having been Commissioner of Police, knew Fred Litchfield’s late father well. Having struggled to make a success of his pastoral run, Litchfield relinquished the lease to join the Finniss party of some forty officers and men as a stockman and labourer. Tolmer had recommended him as a good worker.
Finniss, who was instructed to examine the Adelaide River
and environs, chose a settlement site at Escape Cliffs. Litchfield was 32 years old when he arrived by sea in the Northern Territory, which he was immediately enthusiastic about, despite being speared at Escape Cliffs in August 1864. During 1864-65 Litchfield’s reputation rose as he, initially with surveyor W. P. Auld
took part in, and then led, exploration parties in the Howard River, Darwin, Northern Territory
, Batchelor, Northern Territory
, Adelaide River, Finniss River, and Daly River regions. In doing so, Litchfield was among the first Europeans to walk the area that became the streets of Darwin, Northern Territory
. Having had experience on the Victorian goldfields, it was at the Finniss River that the presence of gold arrested his attention; hence Litchfield went down in history as the man who discovered gold
in the Northern Territory. Being loyal and industrious, Finniss regarded Litchfield so well that he appointed him Inspector
of Police, which many regarded as beyond the power of Finniss to do, but it must have made Litchfield proud to be emulating the accomplishments of his father.
Over time the decisions of Finniss became so criticised that the South Australian Government recalled the party with the intention of holding an inquiry into his conduct. In December 1865 the barque Ellen Lewis left the Northern Territory carrying Finniss and most of the witnesses, including Litchfield, to arrive back at Adelaide in February 1866. Litchfield then appeared as a witness favourable to Finniss at the Northern Territory Commission hearings that took place during March–April 1866.
plantations, thereby returning to the place of his birth and infancy. In June 1866, the Litchfield family heard that 29-year-old George Charles Litchfield had died suddenly in Cachar, Bengal, on 10 March. The cause is unknown, but famine and disease was then raging in many districts of Bengal.
After settling George’s affairs, Fred travelled about Bengal extensively, and in August 1866 wrote a letter to the Register newspaper in Adelaide comparing the similarities, yet the merits, of the Northern Territory over those of Bengal. It seems he was looking for crops which might suit the Territory. Fred Litchfield had been in Bengal only nine months when he died at Sylhet
, Bengal, (now Bangladesh
) on 1 March 1867, aged 35 years. The cause of death is unknown. He had never married.
In his time Litchfield was one of the few Europeans that could see great agricultural and pastoral prospects for the Northern Territory. His gold discovery, though inconclusive, stimulated the rush in the early 1870s that hastened its development. He is commemorated in the naming of Litchfield Municipality and Litchfield National Park
, among other places.
As a tragic but somewhat connected postscript, in 1875 his aunt and uncle, Anne and Thomas Reynolds, who were his resolute supporters, were returning from the Northern Territory to Adelaide when they were lost in the wreck of the SS Gothenburg
.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, and more particularly with the discovery of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
there.
Early life
Litchfield was born in GhazipurGhazipur
Ghazipur , or Ghazipur City, previously spelt Ghazeepore, is a city/town and a municipal corporation and headquarter of Ghazipur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Ghazipur Division and Sub-division...
, British India, on 27 May 1832, the eldest son of Charles William Litchfield (c.1802-1850), who was then serving in the 17th Foot of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
as a non-commissioned officer. His grandfather was a London surgeon and his lineage is reputedly connected to the Earl of Litchfield title in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. His mother was Margaret, nee O'Connor (1808–1834), but after she died young his father remarried in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1835 to Ellen Munro (1818–1908), daughter of Donald and Isabella Munro. Donald Munro (1785–1822), a Scot, also served in the 17th Foot.
His father later transferred to the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot as sergeant-major. In 1836 the regiment returned from Bengal to be stationed at Enniskillen
Enniskillen
Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...
, Northern Ireland. In reward for his many years’ service in India, and pending his retirement, in July 1838 Sergeant-Major C.W. Litchfield was commissioned as ensign (rank)
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
, without purchase, and then in November 1838 retired from the army.
South Australia
During that same year the extended Litchfield family decided upon emigration to South AustraliaSouth Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. Charles William Litchfield and family (including six-year-old Fred) embarked at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on the D’Auvergne, arriving at Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
on 22 March 1839. Aboard the same ship were Charles' brother John and family, and sisters Mary and Anne. The brother, Dr John Palmer Litchfield, M.D., (1808–1869)http://meds.queensu.ca/medicine/obgyn/history/litchfield.htm http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1825698/?page=1 had formerly practiced in London. Upon arrival at Adelaide, Dr Litchfield immediately commenced practice as a consulting physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, subsequently became the first Inspector of Hospitals in South Australia, and later moved to Canada where he died in 1869. One sister, Mary Walford Litchfield, died 1846, while the other, Anne Litchfield, married Thomas Reynolds, later the fifth Premier of South Australia. Much later, in 1851, another brother, Frederick Burnett Litchfield, arrived at Adelaide with his family, and became connected with the railways. His daughter, Louisa Jane Litchfield, married William Davy and were the parents of Dr Ruby Claudia Emily Davy http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A080266b.htm, noted South Australian musician and composer.
In early 1840 Charles William Litchfield joined the newly formed (but short-lived) militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
, the South Australian Volunteers, as its captain and adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
, being thereafter generally known as Captain Litchfield. Police sub-inspector Alexander Tolmer
Alexander Tolmer
Alexander Tolmer was a South Australian police officer and Police Commissioner. He migrated to the new colony in 1840 and was made sub-inspector by Governor George Gawler....
held the other adjutant position in the S.A.V. On 17 June 1840, Litchfield was gazetted as a sub-inspector of the metropolitan (foot) branch of the South Australia Police
South Australia Police
The South Australia Police is the police force of the Australian state of South Australia. It is an agency of the Government of South Australia within the South Australian Department of Justice.-History:...
. The man who appointed him was Thomas Shuldham O’Halloran http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A020266b.htm, then newly appointed as Commissioner of Police, and a former lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
of the 17th Foot, with whom Litchfield had served in India. O’Halloran was also major-commandant of the S.A.V. militia.
Meanwhile, young Fred Litchfield’s education began at a private day school in Adelaide, and was finished at the Oddfellows
Oddfellows
The name Oddfellows refers to a number of friendly societies and fraternal organisations operating in the United Kingdom. It also refers to a number of Lodges with histories dating back to the 18th century. These various organisations were set up to protect and care for their members and...
School, of which Lodge his father was an office-holder. The family grew rapidly, and younger half-brothers and half-sisters soon joined Fred.
Charles William Litchfield served ten years in the police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
, rising to Inspector
Inspector
Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
rank and overall command of the Adelaide Metropolitan Police. Then, after a short illness, he died on 25 August 1850, aged 47 years, leaving a widow and nine children. His death was not without public controversy. Inspector Litchfield was highly esteemed but not wealthy. Many prominent citizens felt great sympathy for his widow and family. Police connections as well as members of his Oddfellows Lodge rapidly raised a considerable endowment. This was offered as a managed trust, rather than an outright gift, but it was refused by the widow on grounds that she wished to control her own financial destiny. The refusal of this charitable gesture caused many donors to become so indignant that they retracted their contribution.
Victorian Goldfields
In 1851 Fred’s sister, Agnes Theresa, married to mounted policeMounted police
Mounted police are police who patrol on horseback or camelback. They continue to serve in remote areas and in metropolitan areas where their day-to-day function may be picturesque or ceremonial, but they are also employed in crowd control because of their mobile mass and height advantage and...
Corporal George Ezekiel Mason, stationed at Wellington, South Australia
Wellington, South Australia
Wellington is the small town in South Australia on the Murray River just upstream of where it empties into Lake Alexandrina. Its postcode is 5259. Wellington is in the Rural City of Murray Bridge...
, on the River Murray. Mason was also sub-protector of Aborigines
Protector of Aborigines
The role of Protectors of Aborigines resulted from a recommendation of the report of the Select Committee of the House of Commons on Aborigines . On 31 January 1838, Lord Glenelg, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies sent Governor Gipps the report.The report recommended that Protectors of...
. In view of his stepmother’s grim financial situation, Fred joined them there, working as a labourer in the district. When the Victorian gold rush
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
came, 21-year-old Fred was quick to head for the diggings to make his own way in life. Along with one of the Mason family, he sailed to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in January 1853 on the Dreadnought. The pair then led a knockabout life as gold-miners, without tangible success, until Fred returned to Wellington about 1858. Again unemployed, he had thoughts of obtaining his own grazing property there.
Tolmer Expedition
At Wellington Fred was to again cross paths with Alexander Tolmer, whose police career was ignominiously over. Tolmer was now a settler there, but still had grand ambitions. In September 1859, with partly SA Government support, Tolmer commenced an exploration expedition to cross Central AustraliaCentral Australia
Central Australia/Alice Springs Region is one of the five regions in the Northern Territory. The term Central Australia is used to describe an area centred on Alice Springs in Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Centralia; likewise the people of the area are sometimes called Centralians...
and reach the north coast. Among those in his party of seven was Fred Litchfield, taken because he was “generally useful”. Also in the party was ex-policeman Bernard Shaw of Wellington who, like Tolmer, had served with Fred’s father. At that time there was fierce competition, notably with the privately sponsored party of John McDouall Stuart
John McDouall Stuart
John McDouall Stuart was one of the most accomplished and famous of all Australia's inland explorers. Stuart led the first successful expedition to traverse the Australian mainland from south to north and return, and the first to do so from a starting point in South Australia, achieving this...
, to be first to succeed. Tolmer’s badly organised expedition was a costly failure, being abandoned just beyond the northern Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges is the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts approximately north west of Adelaide. The discontinuous ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna...
. Litchfield received expenses but no wages. Meanwhile, Stuart’s expedition went on to success and fame.
Pastoralist
Litchfield’s first experience of exploration having been a disappointment, he was again unemployed at Wellington, still looking for his own scrub run. On 21 October 1860, in partnership with his half-brother John Munro Litchfield, he took out an annual Crown Lands lease on a sheep run of some 42 square miles. This mallee scrubland run was located east of the River Murray near Wellington but was without water, which the brothers immediately began to sink for. Their uncle, Thomas Reynolds, then Premier of South Australia, paid for the lease and stock. Controversially, another half-brother, William Litchfield, who falsely claimed in the Insolvency Court that he also shared an interest in this run, was appointed Crown Lands Ranger at Wellington, which resulted in very public libel litigation by Thomas Reynolds against the Northern Star newspaper.Northern Territory
In 1864 the South Australian Government mounted an expedition to the Northern Territory for the purposes of survey and settlement. The leader was Boyle FinnissBoyle Finniss
Boyle Travers Finniss was the first Premier of the Colony of South Australia, serving from 24 October 1856 to 20 August 1857.-Early life:...
who, having been Commissioner of Police, knew Fred Litchfield’s late father well. Having struggled to make a success of his pastoral run, Litchfield relinquished the lease to join the Finniss party of some forty officers and men as a stockman and labourer. Tolmer had recommended him as a good worker.
Finniss, who was instructed to examine the Adelaide River
Adelaide River
Adelaide River is a river in the Northern Territory of Australia. It starts in Litchfield National Park and flows generally northwards to Clarence Strait, being crossed by both the Stuart Highway and the Arnhem Highway...
and environs, chose a settlement site at Escape Cliffs. Litchfield was 32 years old when he arrived by sea in the Northern Territory, which he was immediately enthusiastic about, despite being speared at Escape Cliffs in August 1864. During 1864-65 Litchfield’s reputation rose as he, initially with surveyor W. P. Auld
W. P. Auld
William Patrick Auld , usually known by his initials or as "Patrick", was an Adelaide, South Australian vigneron and wine merchant born in Stalybridge , the son of Patrick Auld and Eliza Auld .He took part in John McDouall Stuart's sixth expedition William Patrick Auld (27 May 1840 – 2 September...
took part in, and then led, exploration parties in the Howard River, Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, Batchelor, Northern Territory
Batchelor, Northern Territory
Batchelor is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia. The town is located in the Coomalie Shire Local Government Area, 98 kilometres south of the territory capital, Darwin...
, Adelaide River, Finniss River, and Daly River regions. In doing so, Litchfield was among the first Europeans to walk the area that became the streets of Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
. Having had experience on the Victorian goldfields, it was at the Finniss River that the presence of gold arrested his attention; hence Litchfield went down in history as the man who discovered gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
in the Northern Territory. Being loyal and industrious, Finniss regarded Litchfield so well that he appointed him Inspector
Inspector
Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
of Police, which many regarded as beyond the power of Finniss to do, but it must have made Litchfield proud to be emulating the accomplishments of his father.
Over time the decisions of Finniss became so criticised that the South Australian Government recalled the party with the intention of holding an inquiry into his conduct. In December 1865 the barque Ellen Lewis left the Northern Territory carrying Finniss and most of the witnesses, including Litchfield, to arrive back at Adelaide in February 1866. Litchfield then appeared as a witness favourable to Finniss at the Northern Territory Commission hearings that took place during March–April 1866.
Death and Legacy
Soon afterward, Fred Litchfield promptly left Adelaide to travel to Bengal to join his younger brother George who was interested in teaTea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
plantations, thereby returning to the place of his birth and infancy. In June 1866, the Litchfield family heard that 29-year-old George Charles Litchfield had died suddenly in Cachar, Bengal, on 10 March. The cause is unknown, but famine and disease was then raging in many districts of Bengal.
After settling George’s affairs, Fred travelled about Bengal extensively, and in August 1866 wrote a letter to the Register newspaper in Adelaide comparing the similarities, yet the merits, of the Northern Territory over those of Bengal. It seems he was looking for crops which might suit the Territory. Fred Litchfield had been in Bengal only nine months when he died at Sylhet
Sylhet
Sylhet , is a major city in north-eastern Bangladesh. It is the main city of Sylhet Division and Sylhet District, and was granted metropolitan city status in March 2009. Sylhet is located on the banks of the Surma Valley and is surrounded by the Jaintia, Khasi and Tripura hills...
, Bengal, (now Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
) on 1 March 1867, aged 35 years. The cause of death is unknown. He had never married.
In his time Litchfield was one of the few Europeans that could see great agricultural and pastoral prospects for the Northern Territory. His gold discovery, though inconclusive, stimulated the rush in the early 1870s that hastened its development. He is commemorated in the naming of Litchfield Municipality and Litchfield National Park
Litchfield National Park
Litchfield National Park, covering approximately 1500 km2, is near the township of Batchelor, 100 km south-west of Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia...
, among other places.
As a tragic but somewhat connected postscript, in 1875 his aunt and uncle, Anne and Thomas Reynolds, who were his resolute supporters, were returning from the Northern Territory to Adelaide when they were lost in the wreck of the SS Gothenburg
SS Gothenburg
The SS Gothenburg was a steamship that operated along the British and then later the Australian and New Zealand coastlines. In February 1875, she left Darwin, Australia en route to Adelaide when she encountered a cyclone-strength storm off the north Queensland coast. The ship was wrecked on the...
.