Lake Eyre South

This map, sheet 12 of 17 coloured maps, is taken from a nineteenth century government atlas, compiled from official documents in the Office of the Surveyor-General. Each map within the atlas is divided into counties and hundreds, showing the most important settlements, towns, constructions such as telegraph stations, main roads, railways and other important features.

George Woodroffe Goyder was born in Liverpool, England in 1826. He emigrated to Sydney in 1848 and subsequently moved to Adelaide and joined the South Australian Public Service in 1851. Goyder joined the Department of Lands in 1853 and was appointed Surveyor-General in 1861. As Surveyor-General he undertook several surveys in northern South Australia (1857-1866) and was responsible for determining the line of demarcation between the land suitable for growing crops and the land that was only suitable as pastoral land. This line became known as Goyder's Line. The line was based upon the survey of rainfall taken by Goyder, which allowed him to determine which areas received adequate rainfall to support growing crops.

Resulting from persistent drought Goyder found that the line of demarcation was "palpable to the eye from the nature of the country itself" South Australian Parliamentary Papers No. 78, 1865-6 p.1. North of the line the country was generally bluebush and saltbush country.

In his role as Chairman of the Forest Board, Goyder also recommended the establishment of forest reserves as South Australia had little commercially valuable timber. He began investigating which trees would be best and the plantings began. That board has now become Forestry SA. He was also interested in water conservation and studied the latest methods and equipment for bores overseas and undertook the drainage of the Southeast of South Australia, much of which lay under water during the winter rains.

Before South Australia was even fifty years old, three Atlases had been produced, one commercial and two government. The Official Atlas of South Australia, including the Northern Territory, was compiled under Goyder's direction as Surveyor-General. It brought together the most recent information available to the South Australian government's Survey Department. Topographical data included roads, railway lines, and a very basic representation of the landscapes's physical features.

In compiling any Australian atlas, the designers were confronted by a difficult cartographic issue, viz. how to demonstrate the extreme variations in human population density across a range of locations, from the metropolitan area through the regional 'settled districts', to 'outback' South Australia. This was a problem common to the Australian landscape with its extremes of climate and terrain.

Goyder's perspective of South Australia was imparted to those who worked with and for him. His extensive journeys to so many different geographic areas of the colony gave him a unique overview . He came to see the landscape as a series of diverse but interconnected systems. He and his surveyors mapped the nineteenth century landscape in ways that have enabled later generations to interpret the past to help meet current needs. In terms of conservation and biodiversity, the historical record left by Goyder and others, can help to assess changes in the ecosystem and monitor distribution of native and introduced species. This assessment in turn can lead to better strategies for present and future conservation and land management.

Permission to use this item for any purpose, including publishing, is not required from the State Library under these conditions of use.

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