Augustus Poeppel (1839–1891) was a surveyor and explorer in Australia. He surveyed the borders between

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

Early life

Augustus Poeppel was born in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, Germany in 1839, the son of an architect. Emigrating with his family in 1849, he settled in South Australia.

Surveying career

Poeppel moved to

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

to become a mining surveyor and architect. In 1878, after short periods in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, Poeppel joined the South Australian Lands Department and was soon appointed to the border surveys. He surveyed both

Poeppel Corner Poeppel Corner (known as Poeppel's Corner in Queensland) at latitude 26° S and longitude 138° E is a corner of state boundaries in Australia, where the state of Queensland meets South Australia and the Northern Territory. Geography Poeppel ...

(the point where the Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australian borders meet) and

Haddon Corner Haddon Corner is a heritage-listed site in Tanbar, Shire of Barcoo, Queensland, Australia. It is in outback Channel Country at South-West Queensland, on the border corner with South Australia. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register ...

(where the Queensland and South Australian borders meet). During the Queensland-Northern Territory border survey, from the 142-mile post, he suffered from

trachoma Trachoma is an infectious disease caused by bacterium '' Chlamydia trachomatis''. The infection causes a roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids. This roughening can lead to pain in the eyes, breakdown of the outer surface or cornea of ...

and lost 13 kg in weight, forcing his withdrawal in July 1885. His health was broken and he later lost sight in one eye.

Later life

Poeppel retired to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

where he died in 1891 aged 52.

Legacy

Poeppel Corner (the point where the borders of Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory meet) was named after him and is listed in the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. A ...

. Haddon Corner is also listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. There is a monument to Poeppel across the road from the Birdsville Hotel in Birdsville, Queensland (). It was dedicated on 2 October 2003.

References

Attribution

This Wikipedia article was originally created fro
''"The Queensland heritage register"''
published by the

State of Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

under CC-BY 3.0 AU license (accessed on 7 July 2014
archived
on 8 October 2014)

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poeppel, Augustus Australian surveyors Australian explorers 1839 births 1891 deaths German emigrants to Australia