Charley Tarra

Charley Tarra (c.1815 – 1847), also known as Charlie Tarra, was an Indigenous Australian from the Burra Burra clan of the Gandangara people, who became famous for his role in the expedition of Paweł Strzelecki into the Australian Alps and Gippsland in 1840. His skill in guiding and obtaining food was considered to have saved the exploring party from starvation.

Tarra later continued to assist in the exploration and surveying of Gippsland for the colonists, with several landmarks in the region subsequently being named after him.

Early life Tarra was born around 1815 into the Burra Burra clan of the Gandangara people in the vicinity of what is now the town of Taralga in New South Wales. At the time of his childhood, British colonists had begun to explore and obtain large grants of land in his home country. In 1822, James Macarthur, fourth son of the powerful and wealthy colonist John Macarthur, acquired a large grant of land in the region and established a cattle and sheep property. In the following years, he expanded his estate which he called 'Richlands' to cover most of the lands of the Burra Burra people. The young Tarra subsequently became a servant of the Macarthur family.

Guide for the expedition of Paweł Strzelecki In 1839, close associates of James Macarthur started to report upon a promising and as yet uncolonised part of the south-east Australian continent that was located across the Australian Alps. Macarthur decided to organise an expedition from his 'Richlands' estate to investigate this "new" area, later known as Gippsland, for its potential as grazing land.

Macarthur formed a group which included himself, a man named James Riley, three convicts and two Aboriginal guides which included Charley Tarra and a man named Jackey. They set out from 'Richlands' in early 1840 heading south. At Yass, the group met up with the Polish explorer Paweł Strzelecki who happened to be in Australia on a scientific excursion. Strzelecki was invited to join and take leadership of the expedition, which he did with enthusiasm.

Death and legacy Charley Tarra died at 'Richlands' in 1847 from tuberculosis.

A number of places in Gippsland are named after him including the Tarra River, Tarraville and the Tarra-Bulga National Park.