Two centuries after he was born, a famous Fife explorer has been honoured with a new plaque in his hometown.
The legendary John McDouall Stuart is credited as the first man to comprehensively explore and chart the vast Australian Outback.
Born in Dysart in 1815, members of a local community group decided to mark the 200th anniversary of his birth with the installation of a plaque on the building where he was born, in the town’s Rectory Lane.
Carol McNeill, chairman of the Dysart Trust, said: “We are delighted to have been involved in marking the birthplace of Australian explorer John McDouall Stuart with a commemorative plaque on the bi-centenary of his birth.
“He led several expeditions which eventually crossed this huge continent from south to north, and has been hailed as the greatest Australian inland explorer of all time.”
John McDouall Stuart was born on 7th September 1815 and later emigrated “down under” and led the first expedition to cross Australia from south to north in 1862.
A highly celebrated figure in his adopted land, McDouall Stuart is lesser known in Scotland, though he has been immortalised in Dysart already with a plaque on Howard Place and a street named after him.
The building at Rectory Lane formerly housed the McDouall Stuart Museum, which closed in 2009.
Work on a £50,000 restoration project by Fife Historic Buildings Trust started in 2012, with John McDouall Stuart View, a holiday apartment, opening in May 2013.
This latest tribute was designed by another leading local figure, Jim Swan, aka “Mr Dysart” and former chairman of the Dysart Trust, who passed away last year.
Christine May, chair of Fife Historic Buildings Trust said: “John McDouall Stuart’s achievements have never really been properly recognised here in Scotland but 200 years later, with this plaque in place, we’re hoping to inspire a new generation of visitors to come and explore this part of Fife and follow in the footsteps of this amazing man.”