The year 1826 was remarkable for the commencement of one of those fearful droughts to which we have reason to believe the climate of New South Wales is periodically subject.

By 1860 Sturt's three sons were all in the army and the remainder of his family went to live at Dinan to economize after the expenses of education and fitting out. Though it seems to have been impossible to persuade the colonial office of the value of Sturt's work his book had one important effect. Sturt was briefly Registrar-General but he soon proposed a major expedition into the interior of Australia as a way of restoring his reputation in the colony and London.

His expeditions traced several of the westward-flowing rivers establishing that they all merged into the Murray River. He was searching to determine if there was an "inland sea". Captain Charles Napier Sturt (28 April 1795 – 16 June 1869) was a British explorer of Australia and part of the European exploration of Australia.