Portrait of G. Marchant from Wilpena from the S.A. Northern Pioneers' composite, 1850-1859 (shown in position on B 6912/1).

There were four Marchant brothers who were engaged in the pastoral industry: George, Frank, William and John. They were the sons of William L Marchant, who arrived from England in 1840 aboard the Fairlie (ship). The Marchant brothers were nephews of Dr J H Browne who as a successful pastoralist encouraged them in their pursuit of success by placing George and Frank on stations in the Flinders Ranges, Arkaba and Wilpena. Neither brother prospered first trying cattle and later sheep. Cattle were initially successful at Wilpena for George and he was able to sell 1000 head to stock Lake Hope station in the Far North. Another venture which entailed taking 1000 head of cattle to Moorak near Mount Gambier was disastrous as the River Murray swamps proved a barrier. 600 cattle were lost on the return journey to Wilpena.

Eventually George Marchant left Wilpena and tried his luck in Western Australia as a pastoralist without success. He then turned to the civil service where he was employed as a scab inspector. He eventually returned to South Australia. His brother Frank succumbed to the drought of the 1860s and also found employment in the civil service: initially he was in charge of government horses used in the construction of the telegraph line from Fowler's Bay to Eucla. Later he was an Inspector of Credit Selections in the north and subsequently as an Inspector of Stock at Wellington on the Murray.

Marchant, Frank, 1833-1882

Marchant, George, B., 1831-1905

Merchant, William, 1828-

Cockburn, R Pastoral pioneers of South Australia Adelaide: Publishers Limited, 1925-1927 ("Reprinted from the Adelaide Stock and Station Journal.") vol. 1 pp. 84-85

Bruce, Robert Reminiscences of an old squatter Adelaide, Libraries Board of South Australia, 1973

Mincham, Hans The story of the Flinders Ranges Adelaide: Rigby, 1967

Arkaba Station

Wilpena Station

Living with drought