150th Anniversary of the Ludwig Leichhardt ExpeditionPrint Page

The plaque commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Ludwig Leichhardt expedition from Moreton Bay in Queensland to Port Essington in the Northern Territory in 1845.

Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt, known as Ludwig Leichhardt, (1813 - c.1848) was a Prussian explorer and naturalist, most famous for his exploration of northern and central Australia.

In 1844, Leichhardt hoped to take part in a proposed government-sponsored expedition from Moreton Bay to Port Essington (300 kilometres north of Darwin, Northern Territory). When plans for this expedition fell through Leichhardt decided to mount the expedition himself, accompanied by volunteers and supported by private funding. His party left Sydney in August 1844 to sail to Moreton Bay, where four more joined the group. The expedition departed on 1 October 1844 from Jimbour, the farthest outpost of settlement on the Queensland Darling Downs.

After a nearly 4,800 kilometre overland journey, and having long been given up for dead, Leichhardt arrived in Port Essington on 17 December 1845. He returned to Sydney by boat, arriving on 25 March 1846 to a hero's welcome.

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