The fate of the Australian scientist and explorer Ludwig Leichhardt, who disappeared into mystery during an 1848 expedition, may have come a bit closer to being resolved.

According to a YourGuide to Blayney article, the National Museum of Australia has authenticated a battered brass nameplate stamped 'LUDWIG LEICHHARDT 1848' that was found on a section of a burnt shotgun near Sturt Creek, between the Tanami and Great Sandy Deserts in Western Australia.

The disappearance of Ludwig Leichhardt's third major expedition in 1848 and the failure to find any definite artifacts of the expedition has been one of the great mysteries of Australian exploration.

Senior curator Matthew Higgins said it was a great day for the ever-unfolding story of Australian exploration. "It shows he made it two-thirds of the way across the continent - an amazing achievement for that time."

In March of 1848, Leichhardt and seven others set out from the Condamine River in an attempt to skirt the northern limit of the desert. After leaving McPherson's station, Cogoon, in April, the expedition disappeared without a trace. The nameplate is the only artifact ever found from the expedition and, so far, no evidence explaining the fate of the party has been located.

Voss, a 1957 novel by Patrick White, was based on Leichhardt's life.