Why did Thomas Mitchell explore?

Answer 1

As with most explorers, Major Thomas Mitchell explored in order to find good countryside, as settlers always needed more pastureland and grazing land.

However, one of Mitchell's primary motivations was pride. Ever since Charles Sturt was chosen to lead an expedition that Mitchell believed he had earned the right to lead, he sought ways to discredit fellow explorer Charles Sturt. Mitchell was determined to prove Sturt was wrong when he said that the Darling River flowed into the Murray. He felt it was a great indignity that Sturt, whom he regarded as inexperienced, was sent on the important expedition of charting the NSW interior. Mitchell was also a very skilled surveyor and accurate map-maker. If the new country was going to be explored and charted, he wanted to be sure it was done accurately, and he felt that he should be the one to do it.

There were also some specific features that Mitchell was investigating. His first expedition was to see if a river named the Kindur existed. The Kindur was described by an escaped convict as flowing to the north coast, and if this was true, it could open up a whole new transport route to the north. (The Kindur did not exist, and the convict was just trying to escape a heavy penalty.) Later, on Mitchell's fourth (and least-known journey), he was hoping to find a great river flowing northwest to the Gulf of Carpentaria for the same reason, but no such river existed.

Answer 2

Thomas Mitchell explored to map and survey the interior regions of Australia for the British Empire. His expeditions were significant in expanding knowledge about the geography and resources of the continent, as well as establishing British presence and control over the land. Mitchell's explorations also aimed to identify suitable areas for settlement and economic development.