Charles Sturt Statue, Adelaide — Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The statue of Captain Charles Sturt in Adelaide's Victoria Square was described as "the most alive" statue in Adelaide when it arrived in 1916, and looking at it today, you can see why.

Unlike the formal, upright postures of most monuments, Sturt is dressed in working clothes: worn knee boots, an open-necked shirt with sleeves rolled to the elbow, and a broad-brimmed hat. He leans forward, shielding his eyes from the sun with his right hand, peering into the distance as if he's still out there scanning the horizon. In his left hand he holds a telescope and a crumpled map. A compass hangs from his belt, and a water bottle is slung over his shoulder. It's a portrait of a man at work, not a man posing for posterity.

Captain Charles Napier Sturt (1795-1869) was a soldier, explorer, and public servant, but he's best remembered as the first person to chart the Murray River. His expeditions opened up vast stretches of inland Australia, and he played a significant role in the founding of South Australia.

The statue was designed by English sculptor Captain Adrian Jones (also a career soldier, veterinarian, and painter) and shipped to Adelaide free of charge by P&O Co., arriving in July 1916. Governor Sir Henry Galway unveiled it in December 1916 in the northwest of Victoria Square, where it still stands today.

If you're passing through Victoria Square on a Questo quest, the details on this statue are worth studying up close. Sturt's gear might hold the answer to a challenge.