Augustus Poeppel


Augustus Poeppel was a surveyor and explorer in Australia. He surveyed the borders between Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory.

Early life

Augustus Poeppel was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1839, the son of an architect. Emigrating with his family in 1849, he settled in South Australia.

Surveying career

Poeppel moved to Victoria to become a mining surveyor and architect. In 1878, after short periods in New Zealand and Western Australia, Poeppel joined the South Australian Lands Department and was soon appointed to the border surveys. He surveyed both Poeppel Corner and Haddon Corner.
During the Queensland-Northern Territory border survey, from the 142-mile post, he suffered from trachoma and lost 13 kg in weight, forcing his withdrawal in July 1885. His health was broken and he later lost sight in one eye.

Later life

Poeppel retired to Melbourne where he died in 1891 aged 52.

Legacy

Poeppel Corner was named after him and is listed in the Queensland Heritage Register. Haddon Corner is also listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
There is a monument to Poeppel across the road from the Birdsville Hotel in Birdsville, Queensland . It was dedicated on 2 October 2003.

Attribution

This Wikipedia article was originally created from published by the State of Queensland under license