Oxley, John (1783-1828), was a British naval officer and explorer of Australia. He served as surveyor general (an official responsible for surveying land) of the British colony of New South Wales, Australia, in the early 1800’s.
John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley was born in the village of Kirkham, northeast of York, England, in 1783. He joined the British Royal Navy in 1799. He left England for New South Wales in 1801 and arrived in 1802. Over the next few years, Oxley surveyed areas of the colony’s coast. He advanced through the ranks of the Navy, eventually being appointed first lieutenant. He left the Navy in 1811.
In 1812, Oxley was appointed surveyor general of New South Wales. In 1817, he led an unsuccessful expedition to find the source of the Lachlan River. In 1818, he led an expedition along the Macquarie River. The group was unable to continue past the Macquarie Marshes. They traveled east, discovering the Castlereagh, Peel, and Hastings rivers. They followed the Hastings to its estuary (coastal river mouth), which they named Port Macquarie.
In 1820, Oxley’s accounts of his 1817 and 1818 journeys were published as Journals of Two Expeditions into the Interior of New South Wales. This book was the first detailed description of the colony’s interior. It inspired many later explorers.
Over the next few years, Oxley charted Port Macquarie and recommended building a penal colony there (see Convicts in Australia). On an 1823 expedition, he explored the Moreton Bay area. He discovered the Brisbane River and the nearby Tweed River, as well as the site of what is now the city of Brisbane.
Oxley died at his home in Camden, New South Wales, on May 26, 1828.
