in 1839, stuart moved to adelaide, south australia, and began work as a surveyor. adelaide had only been settled for two years and was mainly still a tent city. the government needed to have maps so that land could be sold or leased. stuart worked for three years on the edges of the settled areas, measuring the land and dividing it into farm blocks. he learned skills to live and travel in the australian bush. he was known as a heavy drinker, often spending days at a time drunk. when a recession hit the south australian economy, stuart found himself without a job.