Lieutenant Robert Dale (1810–20 July 1853) was the first

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

explorer to cross the

Darling Range The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north–south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia. The escarpment extends generally north of Bindoon, to th ...

in Western Australia. Robert Dale was born in

Winchester, England Winchester is a cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, at the western end of the South Downs National Park, on the River Itchen. It is south-west of Londo ...

in November 1810, son of Major Thurston Dale and Helen Matthews. Through the influence of his great-uncle General

William Dyott General William Dyott (17 April 1761 – 7 May 1847) was a British Army officer and courtier who served in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Having joined the 4th Regiment of Foot during the American Revolutionary War, he initially serv ...

, on 25 October 1827 he was appointed an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

63rd Regiment of Foot The 63rd Regiment of Foot was a British Army regiment raised in 1756. Under the Childers Reforms, it amalgamated with the 96th Regiment of Foot to form the Manchester Regiment in 1881. History Formation and service in the Seven Years' War The for ...

. In February 1829 Dale embarked for Western Australia on as part of a detachment of troops commanded by Captain

Frederick Chidley Irwin Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Chidley Irwin, KH (22 March 1794 – 31 March 1860) was acting Governor of Western Australia from 1847 to 1848. Born in 1794 in Drogheda, Ireland, Frederick Chidley Irwin was the son of Reverend James Irwin. Some ...

. On arrival at the colony, he was seconded as an assistant to

Surveyor General A surveyor general is an official responsible for government surveying in a specific country or territory. Historically, this would often have been a military appointment, but it is now more likely to be a civilian post. The following surveyor ge ...

John Septimus Roe John Septimus Roe (8 May 1797 – 28 May 1878) was the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia. He was a renowned explorer, a member of Western Australia's legislative and executive councils for nearly 40 years, but also a participant in t ...

, whose Survey Department was suffering under an extreme workload. Dale spent four years with the Survey Department, surveying, clearing roads and exploring. He was the first European to cross the

, where he discovered the fertile Avon Valley and explored the future locations of Northam, Toodyay and

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

. He was also the first European to see and describe the

numbat The numbat (''Myrmecobius fasciatus''), also known as the noombat or walpurti, is an insectivorous marsupial. It is diurnal and its diet consists almost exclusively of termites. The species was once widespread across southern Australia, but ...

. In November 1832 Dale purchased a vacated lieutenancy, but the following year returned to England. He took with him the smoked head of

Yagan Yagan (; – 11 July 1833) was an Aboriginal Australian warrior from the Noongar people. Yagan was pursued by the local authorities after he killed Erin Entwhistle, a servant of farmer Archibald Butler. It was an act of retaliation after ...

, a

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

Aboriginal who had been ambushed and killed by a young settler. He remained on leave until he sold his commission in 1835. The sale of his commission, along with £500 inherited from his grandfather, who had died in January 1835, enabled Dale to set himself up as a timber merchant in Liverpool in November 1835. He became involved in promoting the use of the Western Australian timber

jarrah ''Eucalyptus marginata'', commonly known as jarrah, djarraly in Noongar language and historically as Swan River mahogany, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tree with roug ...

. He died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

in Bath on 20 July 1853.

Mount Dale Mount Dale is a mountain in Western Australia about east of Armadale in the Shire of Beverley. At high, it is one of the highest points in the Darling Scarp. It is best known for its walk track, which forms part of the Bibbulmun Track. Th ...

, one of the highest points in the

, to the south of

Mundaring Weir Mundaring Weir is a dam (and historically the adjoining locality) located from Perth, Western Australia in the Darling Scarp. The dam and reservoir form the boundary between the suburbs of Reservoir and Sawyers Valley. The dam impounds the Hele ...

, is named after him. The

Dale River The Dale River is a perennial river located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Rising on the eastern slopes of the Darling Scarp, the river flow generally east by north, joined by six major tributaries including the Dale River Sout ...

, a tributary of the Avon River, is also named after him, as is Ensign Dale Place in Northam, Western Australia. The

Panoramic View of King George's Sound, Part of the Colony of Swan River ''Panoramic View of King George's Sound, Part of the Colony of Swan River'' is a panoramic hand-coloured print published in 1834 by Robert Havell, based on sketches by Robert Dale. Background Robert Dale was an ensign in the 63rd Regiment of F ...

, a hand-coloured

aquatint Aquatint is an intaglio printmaking technique, a variant of etching that produces areas of tone rather than lines. For this reason it has mostly been used in conjunction with etching, to give both lines and shaded tone. It has also been used h ...

panorama of Albany after sketches by Dale, was published in 1834 by

Robert Havell The Havell family of Reading, Berkshire, England, included a number of notable engravers, etchers and painters, as well as writers, publishers, educators, and musicians. In particular, members of this family were among the foremost practitioners ...

References

Further reading