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broke out, then having surveyed some 130 square miles. Nearly uniquely among government officials, he was present during the whole of the riots, boldly attending all the mass meetings of diggers in
November 1854, at one of which there was a threat he could be shot as a spy. Burr gave evidence at
97:
to the same post on 15 September 1839, while Burr was still on the high seas. Gawler decided that for the time being the two men would share the post – there was plenty of survey work to be done in the nascent colony. One urgent survey task undertaken by Burr was the fixing of posts defining the
512:
Despite his ignominious end, for many years Burr was an influential contributor to expanding the geographical and geological knowledge of the emerging colony of South
Australia. His evidence concerning the Eureka rebellion provides a distinct perspective outside that of the combatants, whether
357:. Within a year there were acrimonious disagreements with interfering shareholders and directors over Burr's handling of assaying and managerial duties. Burr's dismissal in September 1848 resulted in his launching successful civil litigation against the directors, gaining substantial
60:
Burr embarked on survey and landscape studies under his father, who also taught military surveying. He began survey work in about 1829, subsequently being employed as a civil engineer in London. During that time he married and began a family. Burr was engaged upon surveys under the
142:. The pair then carried out further exploration on their homeward journey to Adelaide, being the first Europeans to traverse this region, discovering extensive fertile land. Again, Burr prepared the related charts.
462:
Burr moved to
Melbourne soon afterward, where he was employed as a draughtsman at the Crown Lands Office. He also continued to hold himself out as a civil engineer, although there are no known assignments.
481:
In 1863 his wife died. Dogged by illness, debt, and death in the family, he lost his employment with the Crown Lands Office in 1864. In April 1866 Burr was declared insolvent.
395:. He surveyed this into allotments in 1851, mainly through the influence of Jesuit priest Aloysius Kranewitter. Burr's easy lease terms led to this becoming the township of
341:
being published at
Adelaide in 1846, this being the colony's first official government geological report and the first geological book to be published in Australia.
105:
Burr's initiation into exploration came about just four months after arriving in
Australia. In April 1840 26-year-old Burr accompanied Governor Gawler and explorer
203:
Burr was returning to
Adelaide from this ineffectual search when, taking one of the men with him, he decided to leave the coast to cross eastward over the rugged
184:
Burr's greatest exploration discovery came almost by accident. In
September 1842 various parties were out in search of a five-man cattle overlanding party led by
438:
At
Ballarat Burr was appointed as the District Surveyor, surveying government land for sale. He had held this position for around fifteen months by the time the
295:
By now highly regarded, Burr developed strong theories on the physical geography of the unknown inland of
Australia, particularly the potential for an
277:. This party, of which Burr was effectively deputy leader, named various geographical features. Among these, Grey honoured Burr by naming a summit
219:, but did not venture in that direction, remaining on the western (coastal) side of the Flinders Ranges, and so missed what Burr discovered.
303:
assembled his
Central Australian Expedition he endeavoured to obtain Burr's services as draughtsman. This request having been refused by
222:
Crossing to the eastern side of the ranges, Burr found that they overlooked extensive 'well-wooded and watered country', now called the
411:
caused depression in the South Australian economy. Seeking fresh opportunities, forty-year-old Burr decided to sell up and move to the
466:
In February 1860 he put himself forward to the Exploration Committee as a candidate to lead the expedition subsequently known as the
269:
In April–May 1844 Governor Grey led an overland party to closely explore and map the South East of South Australia, today named the
161:, again preparing charts. Captain Frome was originally due to accompany the Governor but was prevented from going by ill health.
614:(along the South Eastern sea-board of South Australia), Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, Volume 15 (1845), pp 163–184.
845:
250:. Burr's encouraging reports of his discoveries in this vast region immediately led to the arrival of European pastoralists.
125:. Upon Gawler's instruction, Burr's task was to prepare the related notes and charts. Along the way Gawler named a headland
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In August 1847 Burr was persuaded to resign from government service to accept the office of General Superintendent of the
451:
Following the Eureka riots Burr continued to undertake survey work at Ballarat and other goldfields, while remarrying at
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38:
756:
Public Record Office Victoria, Eureka Stockade Depositions. Parliament of Victoria, Gold Fields' Commission of Enquiry.
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Burr had a sad return – his one-year-old daughter Elizabeth died on 1 May. The Burr family's original residence was at
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Rough. That same year, Burr's eldest daughter Jane married in Melbourne to his former partner Frederick Sinnett.
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and was known to be engaging in 'very intemperate habits', which included 'the habit of taking large doses of
470:. Unsurprisingly, the application failed. By then his reputation was flagging. He was already on the verge of
860:
154:
612:
Extracts from Deputy Surveyor-General Thomas Burr's Journal of his expedition in Company with Governor Grey
427:, on 4 February 1853. The Grove Cottage estate, located on modern-day Greenhill Road, was purchased by the
364:
Burr then went into private practice as a land agent and surveyor. In 1849 he was joined by civil engineer
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Reserve, West Melbourne, Victoria. Aged 53 years, he had married only one week earlier to Ann Newton,
53:, Thomas Burr's father was George Dominicus Burr (1786–1855), an esteemed Professor of Mathematics at
368:, later to become Burr's son-in-law. Their commissions included a trigonometrical survey of rugged
307:(who himself had been denied the role of leading what became Sturt's expedition), Sturt then engaged
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a few weeks earlier, he was appointed to the post of Deputy Surveyor General of South Australia.
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on fifty acres of fertile land beside First Creek at what is today's Adelaide scenic suburb of
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until 18 December 1839 to begin active duty. Upon arrival Burr found he had a rival. Locally,
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242:. He then discovered the fine grazing country eastward of the Campbell Range, around present
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Spence. This was probably his third wife, but was reported to be his fourth. His son-in-law
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At Grey's direction, Burr's detailed journal was published in newspapers, as well as by the
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to examine that coast with a view to establishing a port, leading to the foundation of
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In November 1843 Burr discovered a 'splendid' lode of copper on Government land in the
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Burr was then detailed by Gawler to accompany the experienced John Hill in the cutter
81:
Burr took office at London on 29 June 1839, sailing with his family aboard the barque
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821:
State Library of South Australia – entry for Thomas Burr and probable portrait image
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South Australia State Records, GRG35/ 2, File Nos. 163/1844,150/1844, and 901/1844.
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subsequent criminal trials of the rioters, as well as before a Royal Commission.
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176:. There they had an abundant garden plus an orchard of choice fruit trees.
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Throughout his expeditions Burr keenly observed the colony's geology, his
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Burr's wife Frances died in December 1852. The following year, 1853, the
327:
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34:
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659:"125 years of the Geological Survey of South Australia: 1882–2007"
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on the first land-based European exploration of the east coast of
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State Library of South Australia, Archival Maps C 221, Outsize 6.
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710:. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
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goldfields. He auctioned his First Creek residence and estate,
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Discovery of the Willochra Plain and Southern Flinders Regions
530:
House of Commons Sessional Papers relative to South Australia
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Burr died suddenly of a heart attack on 25 September 1866 in
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76:
299:, lecturing and writing on this topic. When in August 1844
50:
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In 1850 Burr speculated in the purchase of acreage in the
806:
Design and Art Australia Online – entry for Thomas Burr
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Remarks on the Geology and Mineralogy of South Australia
273:. It was then known only from the reports of livestock
262:
near Adelaide. Sold by public auction, this became the
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copper mine, being also immediately appointed a local
811:
Arrowsmith’s Australian Maps – entry for Thomas Burr
402:
281:after his father, Professor George Dominicus Burr.
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827:
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288:. Burr's map of the district was reproduced by
211:had sighted and named the distant and towering
149:on a 14-day examination of the country around
345:General manager, Burra Mine, South Australia
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77:Deputy Surveyor General of South Australia
624:Journal of the Royal Geographical Society
44:
828:
626:, Volume 15, opp. p. 160, London 1845.
657:O'Neil, Bernard J (September 2007).
188:which went missing somewhere around
168:, but they subsequently established
71:Surveyor General of South Australia
39:Surveyor General of South Australia
13:
816:Thomas Burr – entry in Eurekapedia
708:Australian Dictionary of Biography
455:in 1857 to widow Isabella Gillis,
49:Born 1813 in England, probably at
14:
877:
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403:Ballarat and the Eureka Rebellion
380:. They also laid out the town of
314:In January 1846 Burr accompanied
65:when, upon the recommendation of
704:"Sinnett, Frederick (1830–1866)"
544:newspaper, 31 August 1839, p. 3.
254:Other expeditions and activities
33:and mine manager, was a British
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500:eight weeks later, aged 36, of
145:In April 1842 Burr accompanied
98:street corners and footways of
16:Australian explorer (1813–1866)
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196:, presumably massacred by the
85:on 24 July, but did not reach
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846:Explorers of South Australia
565:newspaper, 9 May 1840, p. 5.
513:diggers or military/police.
447:Crown Lands Office, Victoria
7:
10:
882:
780:, 27 September 1866, p. 5.
468:Burke and Wills expedition
286:Royal Geographical Society
63:Tithe Commutation Act 1836
57:for forty years, 1813–53.
55:Sandhurst military college
18:
768:, 19 December 1854, p. 2.
735:, 11 December 1936, p. 4.
589:, 15 December 1843, p. 3.
507:
419:, plus a 76-acre farm at
117:, past Franklin Harbour (
69:, who had been appointed
747:, 29 January 1853, p. 2.
693:, 4 November 1848. p. 4.
577:, 28 October 1842, p. 2.
205:Southern Flinders Ranges
601:, 18 June 1844, pp 3–4.
532:, Vol. 3, London, 1843.
792:, 27 April 1866, p. 6.
647:, 18 April 1846, p. 1.
91:Governor George Gawler
866:Australian geologists
856:English cartographers
372:in 1850 for brothers
311:, without authority.
264:Montacute Copper Mine
45:Early life in England
861:Australian surveyors
147:Governor George Grey
19:For other uses, see
723:, 7 June 1851, p.2.
599:Southern Australian
587:Southern Australian
575:Southern Australian
409:Victorian gold rush
238:, and south toward
645:Geelong Advertiser
260:Mount Lofty Ranges
226:, stretching from
113:, travelling from
851:English explorers
745:Adelaide Observer
494:Frederick Sinnett
486:Flagstaff Gardens
366:Frederick Sinnett
230:northward toward
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309:McDouall Stuart
290:John Arrowsmith
271:Limestone Coast
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224:Willochra Plain
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140:Yorke Peninsula
129:in his honour.
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111:Eyre Peninsula
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836:1866 deaths
453:Castlemaine
378:John Browne
328:Guichen Bay
275:overlanders
198:Aboriginals
186:C.C. Dutton
155:Lake Albert
135:Water Witch
121:), to near
37:and Deputy
27:Thomas Burr
830:Categories
676:3 February
517:References
472:insolvency
386:J.H. Angas
355:magistrate
297:inland sea
279:Mount Burr
215:from near
207:. In 1840
151:Wellington
67:E.C. Frome
421:Sevenhill
397:Sevenhill
244:Jamestown
127:Cape Burr
107:John Hill
83:Cleveland
41:1839–46.
721:Register
691:Register
563:Register
542:Register
496:died at
413:Ballarat
157:and the
100:Adelaide
35:explorer
31:surveyor
790:The Age
778:The Age
359:damages
324:Lapwing
322:in the
248:Yongala
236:Orroroo
228:Melrose
190:Whyalla
166:Meadows
159:Coorong
123:Whyalla
508:Legacy
119:Cowell
662:(PDF)
476:opium
382:Truro
351:Burra
305:Frome
240:Laura
232:Quorn
678:2015
672:: 12
384:for
376:and
332:Robe
318:and
246:and
209:Eyre
51:Kent
498:Kew
490:nee
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