C. Hope Harris

Charles Hope Harris FRAS (1846 – 26 June 1915), often referred to as C. Hope Harris, was a surveyor in South Australia, noted for laying out the town of Port Pirie. Lake Harris is named for him.

Harris was born in Clare, Suffolk, the fourth son of Congregationalist Rev. Samuel Link Harris (15 January 1807 – 22 January 1894) and Emily Harris (c. 1811 – 27 November 1889), who with their eight children emigrated to South Australia aboard the Asia, arriving at Adelaide in September 1851 and settled in the township of Macclesfield.

He joined the Survey Department as a cadet in the field branch, and was put in charge of a field party in 1865. He spent some time in Melbourne gaining qualifications as a mine surveyor and shire engineer and, duly qualified, began advertising his services as a licensed surveyor in August 1869, operating from an office in Gresham Chambers, King William Street.

In 1871 he was contracted to survey sections of the northern agricultural areas. He laid out the town of Port Pirie on the "spider-web" principle, and also surveyed Laura, Curramulka, Ardrossan, and other towns. He rejoined the Survey Department and in 1874 supervised the trigonometrical survey north-west of Port Augusta, and mapped areas beyond Lake Gairdner, as far as Wilgena, in the process of which he discovered and mapped two previously unrecorded lakes, which by order of Governor Musgrave were named Lake Harris in his honour, and Lake Everard, after the Commissioner of Crown Lands, William Everard.

In 1875, he was transferred to the office staff, engaged on special survey work for the department, which included investigation of sites for the Beetaloo and Barossa reservoirs.

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