John McDouall Stuart
Stuart learned from his trip with Sturt that large groups were not able to move quickly through the dry Australian lands. He believed that a small group would have more success. Finke paid him to find out if the land north of Lake Torrens would be suitable for sheep. On this first trip he went with two men, Forster and an unnamed Aboriginal youth. They took six horses, enough food for six weeks, a watch and a compass. In May 1858 they went through settled areas until they reached Oratunga Station, one of the most remote farms in South Australia. It is near the present day town of Blinman, in the north of the Flinders Ranges. From here they went northwest and found a permanent water hole, Andamooka Waterhole, on a creek Stuart named Chambers Creek. It has since been renamed Stuart Creek. The country was very dry, and they could only find water in Aboriginal wells. The stony ground hurt the horses feet. At the end of July they reached the site of the present day town of Coober Pedy. Their horses were in poor condition and they were running out of food. Stuart decided to change direction to the south west and try and reach the coast near Fowlers Bay. The Aboriginal youth would not go any further and went back. He was scared of other Aborigines in the area they were going into. Stuart said the land was "...dreary, dismal, dreadful desert." Stuart and Forster reached the coast at Denial Bay in August 1858, and were back in settled farm lands by 11 September. They had completed a journey of  in four months. He gave his diary and maps to the South Australian government. As a reward, Stuart was given the lease to 1,000 square miles of land at Chambers Creek.