Augustus Poeppel

Augustus Poeppel (1839–1891) was a surveyor and explorer in Australia. He surveyed the borders between Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory.

Augustus Poeppel, circa 1880

Early life

Augustus Poeppel was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1839, the son of an architect. Emigrating with his family in 1849, he settled in South Australia.

Surveying career

Poeppel moved to Victoria to become a mining surveyor and architect. In 1878, after short periods in New Zealand and Western Australia, Poeppel joined the South Australian Lands Department and was soon appointed to the border surveys. He surveyed both Poeppel Corner (the point where the Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australian borders meet) and Haddon Corner (where the Queensland and South Australian borders meet).

During the Queensland-Northern Territory border survey, from the 142-mile post, he suffered from trachoma and lost 13 kg in weight, forcing his withdrawal in July 1885. His health was broken and he later lost sight in one eye.

Later life

Poeppel retired to Melbourne where he died in 1891 aged 52.[1]

Legacy

Poeppel Corner (the point where the borders of Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory meet) was named after him and is listed in the Queensland Heritage Register.[2] Haddon Corner is also listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.[1]

There is a monument to Poeppel across the road from the Birdsville Hotel in Birdsville, Queensland (25.899241°S 139.351496°E / -25.899241; 139.351496 (Augustus Poeppel monument)). It was dedicated on 2 October 2003.[3]

References
  1. "Haddon Corner (entry 602807)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  2. "Poeppel Corner (entry 602808)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  3. "Augustus Poeppel". Monument Australia. Retrieved 18 December 2016.

Attribution

This Wikipedia article was originally created from "The Queensland heritage register" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU license (accessed on 7 July 2014, archived on 8 October 2014)

Further reading

Media related to Augustus Poeppel at Wikimedia Commons

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