George Woodroffe Goyder (24 June 1826 – 2 November 1898) was a
surveyor
Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...
in the
Colony of South Australia
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...
during the latter half of the nineteenth century.
He rose rapidly in the civil service, becoming Assistant Surveyor-General by 1856 and the
Surveyor General of South Australia
The Surveyor General of South Australia (also stylised Surveyor-General) is a position originally created for the Surveyor General for the colony of South Australia. The post is held by an official responsible for government surveying
Survey ...
in 1861. He is remembered today for
Goyder's Line of rainfall, a line used in South Australia to demarcate land climatically suitable for arable farming from that suitable only for light grazing, and for the siting, planning and initial development of
Darwin, the Northern Territory capital and principal population centre. However, Goyder was an avid researcher into the lands of South Australia (including the present-day
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
) and made recommendations to a great number of settlers in the newly developing colony, especially to those exploiting the newly discovered mineral resources of the state.
Career
Early life
Goyder was born in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, England to Sarah and David George Goyder, the latter a
Swedenborgian
The New Church (or Swedenborgianism) is any of several historically related Christian denominations that developed as a new religious group, influenced by the writings of scientist and mystic Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772).
Swedenborgian or ...
minister and physician. He moved to
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
with his family where he worked with an engineering firm and studied surveying. In 1848, at the age of 22, Goyder followed his sister and brother-in-law, George Galbraith MacLachlan (c. 1842 – 19 March 1873), to Sydney. He spent time working with an auctioneering firm and moved to
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
in 1851, obtaining work as a civil service draftsman.
Assistant to Surveyor-General
Goyder was appointed Assistant Surveyor-General circa 1856. In this period he made many expeditions into the outback regions of South Australia, thinking that the water in lakes he saw at the time was fresh and permanent, rather than exceedingly erratic. He wrote many letters to newly established pastoralists who had moved into the arid regions for the state's north, and also surveyed the newly establishing mining industry in the
Flinders Ranges
The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts about north of Adelaide. The ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna.
The Adnyamathanha people are the Aboriginal group who have inhabi ...
.
In 1861 he was appointed Surveyor-General. His early years in the role were very difficult, especially his efforts to help establish settlement in the Northern Territory by supervising the establishment of the pastoral leaseholds that continue to the present day. Pastoralists were hit by a major drought in the middle of the decade and complained severely, with many forced to move even relatives away from their cattle stations by the end of 1865. Goyder was also faced with the despair of his wife, Frances Mary Smith, who suffered the loss of twins at birth during George's long travels in the outback.
Goyder resigned his position as Surveyor-General in 1894, completing a public service career that spanned 41 years.
Goyder's Line of rainfall
Before the drought of the mid-1860s, wheat and
barley
Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...
growing had been spreading rapidly further north and the erroneous belief that rain would "
follow the plough" led to the idea of cereal crops spreading up to the Northern Territory border.
However, the 1864–65 drought put paid, at least temporarily, to these ambitions. Goyder, in the midst of his work in the pastoral zone, was asked to report on the problem and his response was to find out how far south crop failure had been general. The furthest points inland at which crops had not failed, corresponding approximately to the 300-millimetre (12-inch) annual
isohyet
A contour line (also isoline, isopleth, or isarithm) of a function of two variables is a curve along which the function has a constant value, so that the curve joins points of equal value. It is a plane section of the three-dimensional graph ...
– figures vary from 250 to 350 millimetres in different publications – were marked as the "Line of Rainfall".
Goyder recommended that farmers should not attempt to grow cereal crops anywhere outside of the line. The idea was contrary to beliefs widespread at the time and seen by many as ridiculous in a period of great optimism, but after major losses by grain growers near to, or outside of, the line – especially in the droughts of 1881–1882 and 1884–1886 – his judgement proved to have been sound. The many major droughts in the years since have confirmed his view.
Goyder's Line was first accepted significantly after a number of dry years, though improved
cultivation practices have allowed some expansion in the 1980s and 1990s, despite a couple of very severe droughts.
Survey of Palmerston
Goyder was sent by the
government of South Australia
The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government, SA Government or more formally, His Majesty’s Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of South Australia. It is modelled o ...
(of which the Northern Territory was then a part) to lay out the street plans for a capital to be named Palmerston. The site was chosen for its exceptionally good water supply and potential for easy communication with the rest of the continent through land or sea transportation. The site was chosen after
Finniss's choice at
Escape Cliffs
Escape Cliffs is a place on the northern coast of the Northern Territory of Australia and the site of the fourth of a series of four failed attempts to establish permanent settlement in Australia's Top End. The previous attempts were at Fort D ...
had been rejected.
With the incentive of a £3000 bonus, "Little Energy" as he was nicknamed and his team of about 128 men left Port Adelaide on the ''Moonta'' on 27 December 1868 and dropped anchor in Darwin Harbour on 5 February 1869. He selected the site on Fort Point near Port Darwin, and nearby townships to be named Daly,
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.
Southport lies on the Irish ...
and
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. They completed all four sites in 18 months. Goyder returned on the ''Gulnare'' to Adelaide in November 1869
[ with about 30 men; the majority of his party returned in October 1870, though many (Dr ]Robert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer ...
, George MacLachlan, John Packard, Alfred and Frederick Schultze included) remained to fill duties in the town. Others, including Dan Daly and Paul Foelsche
Paul Foelsche (30 March 1831 – 31 January 1914) was a South Australian police officer and photographer born in Germany,Noye, R. J.'Foelsche, Paul Heinrich Matthias (1831–1914)' ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', National Centre of ...
, were to return within a few years.
Goyder's expeditioners numbered about 100, most of whom are commemorated in the names of Darwin streets and outlying localities.
Soon afterwards, the Overland Telegraph
The Australian Overland Telegraph Line was a telegraphy system to send messages over long distances using cables and electric signals. It spanned between Darwin, in what is now the Northern Territory of Australia, and Adelaide, the capital o ...
from England was landed at Palmerston via present-day Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
; it commenced operation in 1872. In 1911 Palmerston was renamed Darwin. About 1980, the name Palmerston Palmerston may refer to:
People
* Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer
* Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston
** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman and ...
was resurrected for Darwin's satellite city to the south.
Personal life
He married Frances Mary Smith on 10 December 1851 at Christ Church, North Adelaide, and had nine children with her. Frances died on 8 April 1870 and George married her sister Ellen Priscilla Smith, who had been looking after the children, on 20 November 1871. With Ellen, George had three children, a son and twin daughters. Goyder led an austere and disciplined life, and this was reflected in his strict treatment of subordinates – though he was always regarded as fair to those he advised in spite of many complaints by farmers and graziers. By the late 1880s, however, Goyder's health was declining and, with no improvement in sight, he resigned the post of Surveyor-General at the end of 1893. He died at his home "Warrakilla", at Mylor near Aldgate
Aldgate () was a gate in the former defensive wall around the City of London. It gives its name to Aldgate High Street, the first stretch of the A11 road, which included the site of the former gate.
The area of Aldgate, the most common use of ...
in the Adelaide Hills, on 2 November 1898 and was buried in the Stirling District Cemetery.
Legacy
Goyder Road in Darwin is named for him, and many others of the party are similarly honoured. Also named for him are a large river in Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compan ...
and electorates in both the Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
and South Australia. Mount Woodroffe
Mount Woodroffe (dual-named as "Ngarutjaranya/Mount Woodroofe") is a mountain in the Australian state of South Australia, located in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands in the state's northwest. It is South Australia's highest peak, a ...
, the highest peak in South Australia at is named after him (George Woodroffe Goyder)
Goyder's name has also been given to a species of grasswren
Grasswrens (''Amytornis)'' are a genus of birds in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae.
Taxonomy and systematics
''Amytornis'' is the only genus classified within the subfamily Amytornithinae, and form a separate clade than the related fa ...
'' Amytornis goyderi'' (Gould 1875), a district council, an electorate, the new pavilion at the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds, several streets, a park and the Goyder Institute for Water Research.
Named by Goyder
* Fannie Bay, Northern Territory
* Frances Bay
Frances Evelyn Bay (née Goffman; January 23, 1919 – September 15, 2011) was a Canadian-American character actress. In a career that spanned 35 years, she acted in a variety of roles both in film and television. Bay was inducted in Canada's W ...
, Northern Territory
Named after Goyder
* Goyder's Line
Goyder's Line is a line that runs roughly east–west across South Australia and, in effect, joins places with an average annual rainfall of . North of Goyder's Line, annual rainfall is usually too low to support cropping, with the land being sui ...
of rainfall
* Regional Council of Goyder
The Regional Council of Goyder is a local government area located in the Mid North region of South Australia. The council area is reliant on agriculture as a mainstay of its economy, with manufacturing and tourism also becoming prominent. The co ...
* Electoral district of Goyder
Goyder was an electoral district of the South Australian House of Assembly. It was a 9,258 km² rural electorate located on the Yorke Peninsula and taking in the towns of Ardrossan, Bute, Edithburgh, Kadina, Maitland, Minlaton, Moonta, ...
, South Australia
* Electoral division of Goyder
Goyder is an electoral division of the Legislative Assembly in Australia's Northern Territory. It was first created in 1990, and is named after George Goyder, the South Australian surveyor responsible for carrying out the first freehold surveys ...
, Northern Territory
* Goyder Lagoon
__NOTOC__
The Goyder Lagoon is a large ephemeral swamp in the Australia, Australian state of South Australia in the state's Far North (South Australia), Far North region. The lake is part of the Diamantina River floodplain, lying beside the Bird ...
* Goyder Channel Goyder may refer to:
People
*Alice Kirkby Goyder (1875–1964), English artist
*George Goyder (1826–1898), Surveyor General of South Australia
*Joe Goyder (1907–1986), English boxer
*Mark Goyder (born 1953), English author and CEO
*Richard Goyd ...
* Goyder crater
Goyder is an impact structure (or astrobleme), the eroded remnant of a former impact crater. It is situated in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, Australia, and was named after the nearby Goyder River. The impact occurred into Mesoproterozoi ...
* Goyder Highway
Goyder Highway (B64) is a west–east link through the Mid North region of South Australia connecting Spencer Gulf to the Riverland. It is part of the most direct road route from Port Augusta (and areas beyond including Eyre Peninsula, Western A ...
(State B64), South Australia
* Goyder River
The Goyder River is a river in the Northern Territory, Australia.
Description
The headwaters of the river rise at the base of the Mitchell Ranges and are fed by spring discharge from an extensive dolomite aquifer that supports areas of rainf ...
East Arnhemland, Northern Territory
* Goyder, South Australia, a locality
* Woodroffe, a suburb of Palmerston Palmerston may refer to:
People
* Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer
* Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston
** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman and ...
* Mount Woodroffe
Mount Woodroffe (dual-named as "Ngarutjaranya/Mount Woodroofe") is a mountain in the Australian state of South Australia, located in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands in the state's northwest. It is South Australia's highest peak, a ...
, South Australia's highest peak
See also
* Agriculture in Australia
Although Australia is mostly arid, the nation is a major agricultural producer and exporter, with over 325,300 employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing as of February 2015. Agriculture and its closely related sectors earn $155 billion-a-y ...
* Moonta Herald
Notes
References
External links
*
Australian Dictionary of Biography
Surveying Darwin, Northern Territory Library online feature
Goyder Subject guide at Northern Territory Library
NT Place Names Register (a useful tool)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goyder, George
1826 births
1898 deaths
Australian surveyors
People from Liverpool
English emigrants to colonial Australia
History of the Northern Territory
History of South Australia
Surveyors General of South Australia