Charles George Alexander Winnecke (18 November 1857 – 10 September 1902) was an Australian explorer and botanist best known for leading the Horn Expedition to Central Australia in 1894. Horn Scientific Expedition

Biography

Winnecke was born in Norwood in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

on 18 November 1856. He was educated at St. Peter's College. Winnecke entered the Government Survey Office in

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 ...

in 1873 under Surveyor-General

George Goyder George Woodroffe Goyder (24 June 1826 – 2 November 1898) was a surveyor in the Colony of South Australia during the latter half of the nineteenth century. He rose rapidly in the civil service, becoming Assistant Surveyor-General by 1856 ...

. He first accompanied the

North Eastern Exploring Expedition North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

to survey the border between South Australia and Queensland in 1877. Winnecke travelled through northern South Australia in September 1884. A decade later, he led the Horn Expedition to Central Australia from May to August 1894, a scientific exploration of the region's geology, zoology, botany and Indigenous people. They followed the

Finke River The Finke River, or Larapinta in the Indigenous Arrernte language, is a river in central Australia, whose bed courses through the Northern Territory and the state of South Australia. It is one of the four main rivers of Lake Eyre Basin and is th ...

as far as the James Range towards the now

Tempe Downs Station Tempe Downs Station is a pastoral lease east of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is approximately in size. It is near to the Kings Creek Station and Watarrka National Park. It is on the lands of the Luritja peop ...

and Kings Creek Station. It included Baldwin Spencer,

Edward Charles Stirling Sir Edward Charles Stirling (8 September 1848 – 20 March 1919) was an Australian anthropologist and the first professor of physiology at the University of Adelaide. Early life Stirling was born at "The Lodge" Strathalbyn, South Australia, t ...

Ralph Tate Ralph Tate (11 March 1840 – 20 September 1901) was a British-born botanist and geologist, who was later active in Australia. Early life Tate was born at Alnwick in Northumberland, the son of Thomas Turner Tate (1807–1888), a teacher of math ...

and J. A. Watt and drew on the expertise of Afghan cameleers and Aboriginal guides. It resulted in the publication of the ''Report on the work of the Horn Scientific Expedition to Central Australia'' in four volumes from 1896 to 1897. During this expedition, Winnecke was responsible for the theft of a major repository of Aboriginal sacred objects in Central Australia, helped by an Aboriginal guide who was later killed by local elders for his crime in leading Winnecke to their hiding place. The objects were subsequently interpreted with the assistance of another guide, the sometime police tracker and Aboriginal resistance identity Arrarbi. When removing the objects he left 'a number of tomahawks, large knives and other things in their place, sufficient commercially to make the transaction an equitable exchange'. Winnecke was made a fellow of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

and the

Royal Astronomical Society The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) is a learned society and charitable organisation, charity that encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, planetary science, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. Its ...

. He died on 10 September 1902 in Adelaide.

Legacy

Winnecke Avenue in Alice Springs is named after him. A species of Australian lizard, ''

Diporiphora winneckei ''Diporiphora winneckei'', also known commonly as the canegrass dragon, canegrass two-line dragon, blue-lined dragon, and Winnecke's two-pored dragon, is a species of small, terrestrial, diurnal lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is end ...

'', is named in his honour, as is the shrub Triumfetta winneckeana.

Publications

* ''Physical features of Central Australia'', 1887, Adelaide * ''Journal of the Horn Scientific Exploring Expedition, 1894 Australia'', 1897, Adelaide

Notes

References

External links

Digital copy of ''Journal of the Horn Scientific Exploring Expedition, 1894 Australia''
via Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
Letter from C Winnecke to W B Spencer 07/12/1899
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winnecke, Charles 1856 births 1902 deaths Australian explorers Scientists from Adelaide 19th-century Australian botanists Public servants of South Australia Colony of South Australia people