Frederick Robert D'Arcy: Colonial Surveyor, Explorer and Artist

A promising young man with an impressive military heritage, Frederick D’Arcy arrived in Sydney in 1828 and embarked on a long surveying career. He soon proved his mettle in the Blue Mountains, undertaking expeditions more rugged than any other early surveyor or explorer on mainland Australia.

However, he and his long-suffering wives and children lurched from one disaster to another, as he became embroiled in disputes and scandals in NSW, Port Phillip, Van Diemen’s Land and Queensland. This might be blamed on a love of adventure, gambling, drinking and horses—and on his mentor the tyrannical Major Mitchell.

This book reveals the challenges faced by the ordinary surveyor as he battled the bush, recalcitrant convicts and assistants, and enigmatic superiors.

D’Arcy was a prolific artist, though perhaps only three works survive. One depicts the famous poet and steeplechaser Adam Lindsay Gordon on horseback.