He then tried to go north, getting close to the present site of Birdsville but again the Stony Desert stopped him. It was very hot, his thermometer burst at 53 degrees Celsius and Sturt decided to go back to Adelaide. He was so sick that he could not ride and had to be carried in a cart. They arrived back on 19 January 1846. He was unhappy as he had not found an inland sea, or reached the centre of Australia.