What did the authorities think of Charles Sturt's discoveries?

Answer 1

The Governor of New South Wales, Ralph Darling, was very pleased with Sturt's discoveries - or it could be that he was pleased to have a river named after himself. Nonetheless, Sturt's discovery of how the Darling River joined the Murray River was asignificant, for it helped to open up Australia's waterways for transportation. For many decades, paddlesteamers were used to transport people and goods along the Darling and Murray Rivers.

Sturt's discovery that the Murray emptied into the Lake Alexandrina and the sea at Encounter Bay in the south were influential in the decision to establish a colony on the southern coast. It could even be said that Sturt's discoveries led to the founding of South Australia.