Arthur Charles Jeston Richardson (23 February 1872 – 3 April 1939) was an Australian cyclist and mining engineer, who became the first person to circumnavigate the continent of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

on a

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

.Fitzpatrick, Jim, ''Richardson, Arthur Charles Jeston (1872–1939)'', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 11, Melbourne University Press (1988), p. 379

Early life and career

Richardson was born on 23 February 1872 at

Pernambuco Pernambuco ( , , ) is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.5 million people as of 2024, it is the List of Brazilian states by population, ...

(

Recife Recife ( , ) is the Federative units of Brazil, state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of South America. It is the largest urban area within both the North Region, Brazil, North and the Northeast R ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, one of ten children. The family moved to

Port Augusta, South Australia Port Augusta (''Goordnada'' in the revived indigenous Barngarla language) is a coastal city in South Australia about by road from the state capital, Adelaide. Most of the city is on the eastern shores of Spencer Gulf, immediately south of the ...

, while Arthur was very young. He attended Whinham College and Adelaide Collegiate School. After becoming a mining engineer, Richardson traveled the Australian gold fields looking for new strikes. Richardson decided to become the first cyclist to cross the stiflingly hot

Nullarbor Plain The Nullarbor Plain ( ; Latin: feminine of 'no' and 'tree') is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its no ...

. On 24 November 1896, Richardson left Coolgardie for

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

by bicycle. Carrying only a small kit and a water-bag, he followed the telegraph line, as he crossed the Nullabor. He later described the heat as "1,000 degrees in the shade". He successfully completed the journey, arriving in Adelaide thirty-one days later. As the first man to pedal the Nullabor, Richardson's ride was widely reported in Australian newspapers and periodicals of the day.

Circumnavigating Australia

In 1899 Richardson set out to be the first to ride round the Australian continent. He left

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

on 5 June 1899, heading north, carrying of gear and a pistol. Heavy rain slowed his progress in Western Australia, and later in the north, where the black-soil plains were unrideable for several days. He had to push and carry his bicycle through sand and silt, encountering hostile native inhabitants along the way. He arrived back in Perth on 4 February 1900 after travelling 11,500 miles (18,507 km). Richardson's ride was something of a race, as he beat out three other competing Australians – Alex and Frank White, and Donald Mackay, who were simultaneously attempting to circumnavigate the continent in a counter-clockwise direction from Brisbane.

Later life

Richardson later moved to South Africa, where he served three years with the South Australian militia before joining the 3rd (Bushmen's) Contingent, Victorian Mounted Rifle Regiment of Western Australia, destined for the

Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

. He left

Fremantle, Western Australia Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

on 13 March 1900 with a bicycle donated by a local agent for use as a dispatch rider. The contingent disembarked at

Beira, Mozambique Beira () is the capital and largest List of cities in Mozambique, city of Sofala Province, in the central region of Mozambique. Beira is where the Pungwe River meets the Indian Ocean. It is the fourth-largest city by population in Mozambique, af ...

on 18 April. In June 1900 Richardson was discharged from military service at Marandellas, near

Salisbury, Rhodesia Harare ( ), formerly Salisbury, is the capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of , a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metropolitan province. The city is situat ...

, after breaking his arm. Richardson worked briefly in West Africa. He married Gwendolyn Bedwell, and moved to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

where he worked as a mining engineer. The couple had one son while living in Chile, James Herbert. Richardson was badly wounded in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and spent two years in hospital at

Rouen, France Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of region of Normandy and the department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, the populati ...

. He later divorced, and moved to England to work as an engineer. On 26 July 1934 he married an English widow, Rita Betsy Elliott-Druiff. The couple settled in

Scarborough, North Yorkshire Scarborough () is a seaside town and civil parish in North Yorkshire District, the district and North Yorkshire, county of North Yorkshire, England. With a population of 61,749, Scarborough is the largest town on the Yorkshire Coast and the No ...

. Richardson died on 3 April 1939 at his home in Scarborough, North Yorkshire of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, after first shooting his wife. He was survived by James, his son from his first marriage who had remained in Chile.

References

Bibliography

*Fitzpatrick, Jim, ''The Bicycle and the Bush: a study of the bicycle in rural Australia'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press (1980) *Fitzpatrick, Jim, ''Richardson, Arthur Charles Jeston (1872–1939)'', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 11, Melbourne University Press (1988) *Richardson, Arthur C.J., ''The Story of a Remarkable Ride'', The Dunlop Tyre Co. Of Australia (1900) {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Arthur Charles Jeston 1872 births 1939 suicides 1939 deaths Australian mining engineers Australian male cyclists Male touring cyclists Ultra-distance cyclists Cycling writers Australian military personnel of the Second Boer War Suicides by firearm in England Brazilian emigrants to Australia People from Recife Australian murderers Murder–suicides in the United Kingdom