What do you think?
Eyre: The Forgotten Explorer
Lake Eyre, the Eyre Peninsula, the Eyre Highway that traverses the Nullarbor between Adelaide to Perth and many other landmarks are named after explorer Edward John Eyre. So why do Australians know so little about this explorer today?
Edward John Eyre was one of the most intrepid explorers to tackle the unforgiving Australian outback - and one of the youngest. Lake Eyre, the Eyre Highway between Adelaide and Perth, and many other landmarks are named after him, yet so little is known of his time here. He also had an international career beyond his Australian experiences, including as Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand. Author Ivan Rudolph shows how this idealistic young Englishman - still in his teens when he arrived in New South Wales in 1833 - transformed himself into a rugged frontiersman, one of the first to overland cattle to Melbourne and Adelaide. But it's Eyre's attempt on the Nullarbor that was the peak of his Australian career. Determined to find an overland route to Perth, he left Adelaide with a small party on 18 June 1840. Ivan Rudolph relates their journey step by step - and it makes for gripping reading. Beset by the harsh terrain, scarcity of water, the danger from hostile Indigenous people and dissent - and worse - among Eyre's companions, could Eyre achieve his ambition and find a way across the Nullarbor? A fascinating portrait of a forgotten hero of Australian history.
PRAISE FOR EYRE:
'It brings the Australian colonies in the 1830s and 1840s to life ... a lively introduction to exploration history' Peter Garrett, AM
'A stunning biography' Adelaide Advertiser
'A grand story, grandly told' Herald Sun
Edward John Eyre was one of the most intrepid explorers to tackle the unforgiving Australian outback - and one of the youngest. Lake Eyre, the Eyre Highway between Adelaide and Perth, and many other landmarks are named after him, yet so little is known of his time here. He also had an international career beyond his Australian experiences, including as Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand. Author Ivan Rudolph shows how this idealistic young Englishman - still in his teens when he arrived in New South Wales in 1833 - transformed himself into a rugged frontiersman, one of the first to overland cattle to Melbourne and Adelaide. But it's Eyre's attempt on the Nullarbor that was the peak of his Australian career. Determined to find an overland route to Perth, he left Adelaide with a small party on 18 June 1840. Ivan Rudolph relates their journey step by step - and it makes for gripping reading. Beset by the harsh terrain, scarcity of water, the danger from hostile Indigenous people and dissent - and worse - among Eyre's companions, could Eyre achieve his ambition and find a way across the Nullarbor? A fascinating portrait of a forgotten hero of Australian history.
PRAISE FOR EYRE:
'It brings the Australian colonies in the 1830s and 1840s to life ... a lively introduction to exploration history' Peter Garrett, AM
'A stunning biography' Adelaide Advertiser
'A grand story, grandly told' Herald Sun
416 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2013
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 10, 2018
Awesome read! One of the best books I have read. So much history in Eyre the man and his exploits, including his surprising and refreshing attitude to Aboriginals. Not too much background information to bog the reader down. Again, another great insight into early Australia. Rudolph writes so well entwining story narrative with the history narrative. Great.
July 14, 2019
An excellent book. Well written. Eyre arrived in Australia as a free settler, and thrived in exploring this country. The book quotes his letters who wrote to his family in England as part of the storyline. You get a true sense of how “wild” Australia was in a new settlers eyes in the 19 Century.
Read
May 10, 2026This book grabbed me from the first page and I struggled to put it down.
I cannot help but wonder what the relationship between Aboriginals and Australian settlers would have been if Eyre was given a role in Government.
I cannot help but wonder what the relationship between Aboriginals and Australian settlers would have been if Eyre was given a role in Government.
May 10, 2020
I feel 5 stars is inadequate to express how much I enjoyed this book, and how I fell in love with Edward John Eyre's story.
June 10, 2026
A fabulous read aloud with both boys about the man who discovered Khati Thanda - Lake Eyre. Fascinating to hear about his various expeditions and his experiences with the land and its people.
April 29, 2021
3.5 stars
Being an Adelaide resident I realised how little I knew of Eyre's exploits until reading this book. His name features prominently around the state of South Australia, from roads to schools to lakes.
A highly detailed (too detailed perhaps when it comes to some of the journeys, as there is a sameness to them after a while) into the man’s feats. Personal fatigue from reading too many books of similar nature recently probably cost this book a 4 star rating.
Being an Adelaide resident I realised how little I knew of Eyre's exploits until reading this book. His name features prominently around the state of South Australia, from roads to schools to lakes.
A highly detailed (too detailed perhaps when it comes to some of the journeys, as there is a sameness to them after a while) into the man’s feats. Personal fatigue from reading too many books of similar nature recently probably cost this book a 4 star rating.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews