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Centenary of John Horrock`s ExplorationPrint Page Print this page

07-January-2013
07-January-2013

Photographs supplied by Arthur Garland

The cairn commemorates the centenary of the visit of John Horrocks and his party who travelled through the area in August 1846 during his ill-fated exploration of land north of Spencer Gulf. 

John Ainsworth Horrocks (1818 – 1846) was one of the first settlers in the Clare Valley in 1839. He established the town of Penwortham in South Australia. Horrocks is unfortunately known more for his death, when he was accidentally shot in a hunting accident in 1846. His gun fired after the camel he was using on an exploration mission lurched, knocking him and causing the weapon to discharge. His injuries were very substantial and included some teeth being knocked out from the bullet, and he died of gangrene a month later at home, in the town he had previously founded. 

Representatives of local government bodies at Port Augusta, Quorn, Whyalla and other northern towns have accepted an invitation to attend the unveiling ceremony on Saturday of a tablet erected at the top of Horrocks Pass to commemorate the centenary of the visit to these parts by the explorer John Ainsworth Horrocks. The tablet has been erected by the Wilmington and Port Germein District Councils. The unveiling ceremony will be performed by the president of the Royal Geographical Society (Mr. C. M. Hambidge), and will be followed by a sports meeting on the Wilmington Showgrounds. On Sunday Mr. Hambidge will unveil a similar memorial at Penwortham.
Chronicle (Adelaide), 19 September 1946.

Location

Address:Main North Road, Horrocks Pass , Wilmington, 5485
State:SA
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -32.64125
Long: 138.037267
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Monument
Monument Theme:Landscape
Sub-Theme:Exploration

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Saturday 21st September, 1946
Front Inscription

JOHN AINSWORTH HORROCKS
      Pastoralist And Explorer
Accompanied By Theakston, Gill, Kilroy And
Garlick Traversed This Pass 17 - 19 August 1846
With Campbell Of Melrose And A Native.  
      They Found The Pass 10 August.
Horrocks Was Accidentally Wounded 1 Sept. At 
Lake Dutton And Died 23 Sep. At Penwortham.
Erected 1946 By The District Councils Of 
Wilmington And Port Germein

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au