John Roper (29 February 1824 – 15 September 1895 ) was an English explorer in Australia, remembered as the last survivor of

Ludwig Leichhardt Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt (), known as Ludwig Leichhardt, (23 October 1813 – c. 1848) was a German explorer and naturalist, most famous for his exploration of northern and central Australia.Ken Eastwood,'Cold case: Leichhardt's dis ...

's successful expedition from

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, Queensland, to

Port Essington Port Essington is an inlet and historic site located on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory. It was the site of an early attempt at British settlement, but now exists only as a remote ...

in 1844–45.

History

Roper was born at

Gayton Thorpe Gayton Thorpe is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Gayton, in the King's Lynn and West Norfolk district, in the county of Norfolk, England. The village is located south-east of King's Lynn and north-west of Norwich. In 19 ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, England. and was educated at schools in

Fakenham Fakenham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is situated on the River Wensum, about north west of Norwich. The town is the junction of several local roads, including the A148 from King's Lynn to Cromer, the A1067 to Norwic ...

and Lynn. He arrived in Australia in 1843, first settling in the Hunter River, managing a station for Alexander Campbell Walker. He joined Leichhardt's party in 1844, the two sharing expenses. He was one of three in the party who were speared by Aboriginals on the night of 28 June 1844 while they were sleeping. They had previously enjoyed good relations with the Aboriginal people, so had not posted a watch. Roper and Calvert survived but John Gilbert died of his wounds. One of Roper's head wounds resulted in the loss of sight in one eye. He returned to Sydney in 1846 with Leichhardt, then settled in

Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...

, where he became clerk of petty sessions in 1847, magistrate in 1854, and mayor in 1862. From 1880 to around 1893 he was an inspector of stock at Merriwa.

Recognition

Ropers Peak in the

Peak Range The Peak Range is a small subrange of the Swannell Ranges of the Omineca Mountains, located on the northwest side of the junction of Toodoggone River and Finlay River in northern British Columbia, Canada. There is also a Peak Range in Central Q ...

, Central Queensland, and

Roper River The Roper River is a large perennial river located in the Katherine region of the Northern Territory of Australia. Location and features Formed by the confluence of the Waterhouse River and Roper Creek, the Roper River rises east of Mataranka ...

, which runs east through the Northern Territory into the

Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria (, ) is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea (the body of water that lies between Australia and New Guinea). The northern boundary is ...

, and

Roper Bar Roper Bar is a location in Australia's Northern Territory. It lies on the traditional land of the Ngalakgan people, who refer to it as ''Yurlhbunji''. This part of Australia is extremely remote for travellers, although there are a number of Abo ...

, where they effected a crossing, were named by Leichhardt in his honor. The famous

Elsey Station Elsey Station is a pastoral lease that once operated as a cattle station in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is situated about east of Mataranka, Northern Territory, Mataranka and north of Larrimah, Northern Territory, Larrimah. The R ...

lies on the Roper River. He died of

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other sy ...

at his home, "Rosebery Park", Merriwa, aged 71.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roper, John 1820 births 1895 deaths Explorers of Australia Mayors of places in New South Wales