In September 1838 he led an expedition to the Murray Mouth which settled all dispute as to the suitability of Adelaide for the colony's capital. After returning to NSW to settle his affairs, Sturt then settled at Grange, South Australia in early 1839 and was appointed Surveyor General of South Australia and member of the South Australian Legislative Council until the London-appointed Surveyor-General Edward Frome unexpectedly arrived. In the meantime, in December 1839, Sturt and his wife accompanied George Gawler, Julia Gawler, Herny Bryan, and Henry Inman on a Murray River expedition, discovering Mount Bryan. Julia Gawler, Charlotte Sturt, and Charlotte's maidservant thereby became the first white women to travel the Murray. Sturt was briefly the Registrar-General, but he soon proposed a major expedition into the interior of Australia as a way of restoring his reputation in the colony and London. Two days late while riding in very hot weather with their water supply dwindling both the men and horses were suffering. During the return journey to the river Bryan's horse was slow, and was lagging behind the main group. When a dust storm occurred Bryan got lost, was separated from his horse and died. His body was never recovered, even though a massive search to find him was conducted over eight days. Days later both the Governor and his remainder of the party had arrived back in Adelaide on December 28. Though Bryan was never found, his horse returned to Adelaide after several months.