Edward Frome was the Surveyor General in South Australia from 1839-1849 and sets out in his book Colonial surveying some of the requirements for surveying in unknown country. This is very distinct from the survey work undertaken in an established country, for example England, where the surveyor is examining already established towns, roads and boundaries. South Australia, when founded in 1836, had only natural features. All else was to be imposed on the landscape by the earliest surveyors, William Light, and after him EC Frome and subsequent surveyors-general and their staff.

Captain Edward Charles Frome, Royal Engineers, arrived in South Australia in September 1839 to take up the task of surveying South Australia for the country blocks, a task that the first Surveyor General William Light had been unable to complete because of interference from London. Frome had an onerous task as the colonists clamoured for their land. He had not only to revise the work that had been inadequately marked by George Kingston, Light's second-in-command, but also to commence the Special Surveys of very large country blocks. By 1841 Frome had laid out roads and secondary towns and taken accurate trigonometrical survey to the limits of settlement. Frome returned to England in 1849 and retired in 1877 with the rank of General.

Frome, Edward Charles, 1802-1890

State Library of South Australia: Mortlock Wing. Taking it to the edge August 2004-