The Secret of the Murray

Episode of Series “The Explorers [Bill Peach]”.
Dramatised documentary written and presented by Bill Peach recounting the exploration of New South Wale’s river system. In 1828, Charles Sturt, a young English army captain lacking formal qualifications or practical bushman skill, was chosen to explore Australia’s western rivers. Hamilton Hume was appointed second in charge of the expedition and provided the guidance and support that enabled Sturt to unlock the secrets of Australia’s rivers and explode the myth that Australia was a giant basin with its waters draining into an inland sea. His greatest feat was charting the course of the Murray River to the sea. Sturt was an ambitious man who never achieved the high rank that he desired. In an act of ambitious flattery he named the Murray river after the Secretary for the Colonies rather than recognise the discovery made by Hume and Hovell.