Captain Charles Sturt (1795-1869)

South Australia is unique in Australia’s history as the only state settled by a group of Christians not aligned to the Church of England! It was settled by a group of Christians often called the Dissenters who held the founding principle that there should be no state aid offered to any religious group (to avoid Christianity being controlled by the State).

South Australia was settled by free-settlers (no convicts allowed!!)

South Australia was first opened up for settlement by Captain Charles Sturt (1795-1869) on expeditions in 1829 and 1829-30 and it was because of these expeditions that the city of Adelaide was settled.

• It was Sturt who named the Darling River (after his patron Governor Darling) and Lake Alexandrina.
• It was in honour of Sturt who the city, the suburb, the electoral division, the uni, the highway, the flower, the desert and the desert pea was named.
• Sturt’s home in Adelaide is ‘The Grange’.
• Sturt was a Puritan Christian.

Charles Sturt was one of the first Trustees of Holy Trinity Adelaide. He helped establish Trinity to ensure that the gospel was proclaimed.