Thomas Mitchell (explorer)
Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell, often called Major Mitchell, was a Scottish surveyor and explorer of Southeastern Australia. He was born in Scotland and served in the British Army during the Peninsular War. In 1827 he took up an appointment as Assistant Surveyor General of New South Wales. The following year he became Surveyor General and remained in this position until his death. Mitchell was knighted in 1839 for his contribution to the surveying of Australia.
Portrait of Major Sir Thomas Mitchell (c. 1830s)
Centenary memorial erected in 1946 at Mitchell, Queensland to commemorate explorer Thomas Mitchell's naming of the nearby Maranoa River.
Engraving of Major Sir Thomas Mitchell
Carthona, Mitchell's home in Darling Point
European land exploration of Australia
European land exploration of Australia deals with the opening up of the interior of Australia to European settlement which occurred gradually throughout the colonial period, 1788–1900. A number of these explorers are very well known, such as Burke and Wills who are well known for their failed attempt to cross the interior of Australia, as well as Hamilton Hume and Charles Sturt.
Route of the Sturt, Hume and Hovell expeditions