John Tennant

Tennant Creek was named in 1860 after John Tennant, a pastoralist from the Port Lincoln area of South Australia.

John Tennant partially funded the trips of the explorer, John McDouall Stuart who was the first explorer to successfully cross the Australian continent from south to north (and return alive). 

As an assisted migrant John brought his wife Jessie and family to South Australia in the Duchess of Northumberland on 19 December 1839 from Roxburghshire, Scotland.

He later overlanded stock from Adelaide to Port Lincoln and bought Tallala station, fifteen miles (24 km) away. He ended up with extensive landholdings from Port Lincoln north. He died on 13 May 1867.

His son Andrew became extremely wealthy with interests across Australia and New Zealand including sheep and cattle properties, coal and gold mining and racehorses. At different times he was a Member of the Lower and the Upper Houses of Parliament in South Australia. More on Andrew can be found here.