Portrait of John Chambers from Stuart's Creek from the S.A. Northern Pioneers' composite, 1850-1859 (shown in position on B 6912/1).

John Chambers arrived in South Australia in 1838. From 1840-1850 he ran 1200 acres at Cherry Gardens where he had a dairy and sheep farm. Chambers then moved to Richmond Park (near modern day Plympton).

By the early 1850s with his brother James he was established in the Flinders Ranges with Moolooloo and Oratunga stations. They also operated a copper mine at Oratunga. The Chambers brothers had John McDouall Stuart survey their leases and also used him to explore for new pastoral lands north west of Port Augusta. Together with William Finke they sponsored Stuart's major expeditions to cross the continent from south to north. Stuart always preferred to use the Chambers' tough bush bred horses on his expeditions. In 1858 he discovered the watercourse which he named Chambers Creek: this was subsequently re-named Stuart's Creek, and Stuart took up a lease along it, but subsequently sold this to the Chambers.

John also held land on the River Murray at Cobdogla and it was here he bred his horses.

John Chambers died 27 September 1889, age 74 at Richmond Park.

Chambers, James, 1862-1837

Stuart, John McDouall, 1815-1866

Cockburn, R Pastoral pioneers of South Australia 2 v. (207; 263 p.) Adelaide : Publishers Limited, 1925-1927 ("Reprinted from the Adelaide Stock and Station Journal.") vol. 1 pp. 90-91

Kerr, Margaret Colonial dynasty: the Chambers family of South Australia Adelaide: Rigby, 1980

Gee, Philip A history of pastoralism in the Lake Eyre South drainage basin Adelaide: Royal Geographical Society of South Australia, 2000

Mincham, Hans The story of the Flinders Ranges Adelaide: Rigby, 1965

The Chambers Brothers

Australian dictionary of biography online: James Chambers (1811-1862) (dual biography includes John)

SA Memory : Taking it to the edge: John McDouall Stuart

Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve