Charles Tyers - Commissioner For Crown Lands For Portland

Commissioner For Crown Lands For Portland

Following the establishment of the state of South Australia in 1836, the region between the coast and the Murray River was rapidly being settled by squatters selecting large runs for sheep grazing. With no clear border legal oversight was impossible. An accurate border needed to be defined.

In 1839 Tyers was transferred from the Royal Navy to the Colonial Service and given the title of 'Commissioner for Crown Lands for Portland'. He was instructed to ascertain the precise longitude at the mouth of the Glenelg River so that a distance to the 141st meridian (the eastern border) could be measured.

On 1 October 1839 Tyers arrived in Melbourne from Sydney on the 'Pyramus'. He set about assembling his party which was to include Thomas Townsend, Assistant Surveyor, seven convicts and his private servant, also a dray, nine bullocks and two packhorses. His equipment included a 3+1⁄₂ inches (8.9 cm) theodolite, for astronomical work a sextant, a compass and circumferenter and two sets of surveying chains. He utilised three methods for surveying: chronometric measurements from Sydney, triangulation from Melbourne and lunar observations from Portland.

He set out westwards for Portland on 13 October 1840 into what was uncharted and largely unknown territory. He crossed the Moorabool River north of Geelong near Buckley's Falls. Then proceeded to cross the Nuriwillum or Lea River. The use of aboriginal names for geographical features was a notable feature throughout his surveying career; European toponyms have superseded most of them. He then went north of Lake Corangamite and Lake Colac which he named and ascended Derrinallum or Mount Elephant twenty miles to the west on the 26th. Unable to directly go to Portland because of swampy country, he then continued northwest towards Gariwerd or the Grampians. On the 29th he ascended Dooroobdoorabul or Mount Shadwell and a day later Mount Rouse. Further thwarted by swampy land he headed north to Wiribcot or Mount Abrupt at the southern end of the Grampians which he ascended on 6 November. From here he was able to avoid difficult country by heading south and arrived at Portland on the 14th where he was accommodated and welcomed by Edward Henty.

On an expanse of sandy beach he formed a broad arrow with limestone rocks. This became known as Tyers' Mark and was used to determine the starting point for the border survey. Due to primarily inadequate equipment this was later determined to be 2 mile and 4 chains (3.30 km) in error leading to the South Australia-Victoria border dispute.