Henry Melvill was born in 1857 at the historic town of Melville, Victoria. His father, John Melvill, was owner of the largest sheep station in Australia and had also been the Mayor of Melbourne. Henry went on an educational tour of England in 1872 at the age of seven years. He was educated at Carlton College, Melbourne, which he left to work on his father's sheep station at Mount Eccles
While at Mount Eccles he met and accompanied Dr. Whitmore for two years on his exploring trips into the interior of Australia. Henry Melvill also accompanied Dr.
Whitmore on his final expedition into the interior when he left for Queensland in 1880 with Dr. W. Lonsdale-Howe, Secretary of the Royal Geographical Society of London.
Henry Melvill is one of the most widely known Australian explorers in history. His greatest achievement in exploration was when he led a party in search for Sir John Franklin in 1891-92 when they discovered King William Island, later known as Melville Island after him, which had lain undiscovered until then.
We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results.Henry Melvill
Ye cannot live for yourselves; a thousand fibres connect you with your fellow-men, and along those fibres, as along sympathetic threads, run your actions as causes, and return to you as effects.Henry Melvill
