John McDouall Stuart (1815-1866), Australian surveyor and explorer. In 1838, Stuart emigrated from Scotland to Australia, arriving in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1839. The colony was just two years old and Stuart worked as a surveyor before leading his own expeditions into the interior from 1858-1863. He reached the geographical centre of Australia on 22 April 1860. He is most famous for his last expedition (1861-3) that travelled from Adelaide through the centre of Australia to the northern shore (near present-day Darwin) and back to Adelaide again. This was the first successful south-north central crossing of Australia, so the Stuart Highway (Adelaide-Darwin) is named for him.