CAMERON CORNER

Cameron Corner was named after the New South Wales surveyor, John Brewer Cameron,   The following report has been drawn from the document "QldNSWBorder.pdf" ( downloadable)

"The official survey of the 29th parallel was conducted by J. B. Cameron (New South Wales)
and G. C. Watson (Queensland) in the period 1879 to 1881. An account of the survey of the 29th parallel reported by W. D. Campbell in The Surveyor in 1895 states:

The final determination for the 29th parallel was commenced in 1879 on the responsibility of the
Occupation Crown Lands Branch. The annual report of that branch for the year 1879 stated that 450,000 acres on the Queensland border cannot be leased until the position of that border has been determined.

Preliminary work was undertaken by Mr. W J Conder, superintendent of the trigonometrical survey, New South Wales, who observed the latitude of Barringun, a border township on the Warrego River with a zenith telescope, having a 21/4 inch objective glass and 30 inch focal length. The latitudes, of three other stations were also observed and connected with it by traverse, and the mean of a large number of observations for the value of each station was deduced. The difference in longitude between this station and Sydney was then determined by telegraphic interchange of star observation and clock signals with the Sydney Observatory. The position for the border and the longitude of a point on it having been thus fixed, and the direction of the true meridian being found by azimuth observations of stars, the work was continued by Mr. John Cameron, Geodetic Surveyor, New South Wales [see figure 7], in conjunction with Mr. George Chale Watson, representing Queensland.

These gentlemen started the survey westerly on 15th September 1879, from a point on the east bank of the Warrego River. There the surveyors erected the zero obelisk [see figure 8]. The first five mile chord was then produced westerly and the mile posts offsetted from this chord to the arc, and so continued until the 141st meridian was reached, a distance of 285 miles 24.96 chains. The latitudes of five stations, averaging fifty miles apart, were also taken with the zenith telescope with an average error of 11/4 seconds between the observed value andsurveyed line; every part was chained at least twice and some portions several times. The line was marked by well squared posts at every mile, concrete obelisks at the extremities of the initial five mile chords, east and west and two brick obelisks at Hungerford, and permanent marks at all important points."

links to other information:

 http://www.rgsq.org.au/29-141c.htm