Ernest Henry (explorer)
| Ernest Henry | |
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Portrait of Ernest Henry at the age of 31. Taken in England after his discovery of copper deposits at Cloncurry
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| Born |
1 May 1837 Crosthwaite, Cumberland, England |
| Died | 26 March 1919 (aged 81) Epping, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Explorer |
Ernest Henry (1 May 1837 – 26 March 1919) was an English explorer and pioneer grazier. He is best known as an explorer of North-West Queensland and was the first settler on a property on the Flinders River which he named Hughenden Station, later the location of the town of Hughenden. He discovered copper in the Cloncurry area and is considered the father of both towns.
Henry's life was summarised by S.U. Pearson: "Few men have encompassed more in their lifetime than he, and not many have known greater toil and hardship. In his unassuming way he probably did more for North Queensland than any other man. The wide untrammeled bush was his home and he revelled in it."
Ernest Henry was born on 1 May 1837 in Crosthwaite, Cumberland (now Cumbria). After leaving school he was apprenticed to the sea and on his maiden voyage in 1853 sailed to Australia on the steamship Victoria, one of the vessels of the Australian Royal Mail Steamship Co. He returned to England to serve in the Crimean War.
He emigrated to Australia when he heard that gold had been discovered, arriving in Melbourne with his brothers Arthur and Alfred in 1858 on board the sailing ship Red Jacket. From Melbourne he made his way to Ballarat. Not greatly impressed by prospects on the goldfields, Henry rode to Brisbane with the idea of exploring the outskirts of northern settlement to take up a run of his own. He rode alone, travelling by way of the rivers, through country only sparsely occupied.
In Brisbane, Henry met George Dalrymple who was planning an expedition to explore the Burdekin River. Henry was invited to join the expedition in mid-1859. They travelled via the Darling Downs and the Upper Burnett River to Rockhampton, and from there to the junction of the Suttor and Burdekin Rivers.
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