| 1826 | Born in Liverpool |
| 1830s | Educated in Glasgow in surveying and articled to an engineer |
| 1830s | Works in Glasgow for firm specialising in precision implements, and later in Liverpool and Warrington |
| 1848 | Arrives in Sydney |
| 1851 | Enters South Australian public service |
| 1851 | Marries Frances Mary Smith |
| 1853 | Appointed Chief Clerk in the Department of Lands |
| 1857 | January. Appointed Assistant Surveyor-General |
| 1857 | April. Travels north and reports Lake Torrens full of fresh water |
| 1857 | September. Freeling re-examines the region and criticises Goyder |
| 1859 | Goyder leads survey party back to Lake Torrens and Lake Eyre |
| 1861 | Appointed Surveyor-General a post he is to hold for 30 years. He also takes on the role of Inspector of Mines. |
| 1862 | Sent to Far North and South East to value pastoral runs. 'In less than twenty months he rode over 20,000 miles visiting 83 stations'. |
| 1865 | November. Goyder sent north to lay down 'the line of demarcation between that portion of the country where the rainfall has extended, and that where the drought prevailed'. |
| 1866 | Map showing rainfall line published. At first used for reassessment of leases. |
| 1867 | Drought breaks. Goyder suggests line 'to certain extent' separates lands suitable for agriculture from those fit for grazing, defining the northern boundary of S.A.'s wheat growing area. |
| 1867 | Recommends draining the South East |
| 1869 | January. Goyder assesses Crown Lands for agricultural potential. As a result, six areas are made available for purchase on credit under the Agricultural Lands Act. |
| 1869 | Sent to Northern Territory to survey and chooses Palmerston (Darwin) as capital |
| 1870 | His wife dies in England |
| 1871 | Visits Britain and America to study irrigation and use of artesian water, leaving his nine children with his deceased wife's sister |
| 1871 | Marries Frances's sister, Ellen |
| 1873 | Recommends the use of forest reserves |
| 1874 | Becomes chairman of the Railways Commission |
| 1875 | Appointed chairman of the Forest Board |
| 1883 | Paper on water conservation |
| 1894 | Resigns from the government service |
| 1898 | Goyder dies |