South Australia–Victoria border dispute

The border between the Australian states of South Australia and Victoria was established in 1836 by imperial letters patent "as the 141st degree meridian of longitude east of Greenwich".

An error came about in establishing the position of the 141st meridian, and more than 75 years and a protracted legal dispute passed before the precise placement of the border was settled, resulting in the forfeiture of more than 1,300 km2 (500 sq mi) of territory from South Australia to Victoria.

Several months later, Tyers completed a survey from Melbourne to the Glenelg River and on an expanse of sandy beach he formed a broad arrow with limestone rocks.

Following the proclamation of government in the province of South Australia in 1836, the region between the coast and the Murray River was rapidly being settled by Europeans through squatters selecting large runs for sheep grazing.

For several years following Tyers' survey no action was taken to extend his work but by 1845 the need to have the boundary line defined on the ground had become urgent, particularly to the east of Mount Gambier.

In November 1846 the Colonial Secretary's Office directed surveyor Henry Wade to proceed from Sydney to the disputed territory to define a "Boundary for Police Purposes".

He was joined by assistant surveyor Edward White who had been appointed by the South Australian government to act as an observer on its behalf.

After much deprivation and hardship due to drought and reluctance by his men to continue with poor work conditions, Wade was still 155 miles (250 km) from the Murray River after nine months of swamp, sand dunes and broken equipment.

White and his party of five were similarly troubled by the severe nature of the Big Desert mallee country: where there was little water in 1847 there was none two years later.

Lost, he did not know how far from the Murray River he was but he managed to stagger on for about two miles (3.2 km) to find himself on the riverbank at the border of three states and the survey completed.

This led to the discovery that the proclaimed border on the ground was at least two miles and 19 chains (3.6 km) to the west of the more accurate measurement of the 141st meridian.

South Australia finally abandoned all hope of settlement, due to Victoria's intransigence, and in 1911 it sued in the original jurisdiction of the High Court only to have its suit dismissed.