The History of Australian Exploration from 1788 to 1888

rumours-Discovery of Gray's body-Hodgkinson sent to Blanche Water with the news-Returns with the information of King's rescue by Howitt- M'Kinlay starts north-Reaches the Gulf coast-Makes for the new

s work as an Explorer-Walker starts from Rockhampton-Another L tree found on the Barcoo-Walker crosses the head of the Flinders-Finds the trac

of Newcastle Waters, once more about to try to force a passage through the forest of scrub to the north. On the second day he was partly successful, finding

nse mulga and hedgewood scrub. At length, after much hope deferred, and finding a few scanty waterholes that did not serve his purpose, he succeeded in striking the head of a chain of ponds runnin

tercourse, Stuart worked his way to the eastward, to a creek he called the Strangways, which led him down to the Roper River. This river he crossed, an

the lower course of the Flying Fox Creek of Leichhardt, called by Stuart as above, the name it now bears. Thence he struck across the tableland, and descended to the head waters of the river he christened the Ad

. He only told two of the party of the eventful moment awaiting them. As they rode on, Thring, who was ahead, called out, "The sea!" which

aide, but found the route too boggy for the horses, and not seeing the utility of fatiguing them for nothing, had a space cleared where they were, and a tall sapling stripped of its boughs for a flagst

ossed the entire continent of Australia, from the Southern to the Indian Ocean, passing through the centre. They left the city of Adelaide on the 26th day of October, 1861, and the

document. The tree has since been found and reco

ore, Stuart was able to survey the open sea, instead of having t

after another they were left on successive dry stages. Stuart, too, began to think that he would never live to reach the settled districts. Scurvy had brought him down to a terrible state, and after all his success, he scarcely hoped to profit by it. His right hand was nearly useless to him, and after sunset he was blin

ation conducted by Stuar

y he had served so well

He never recovered fro

turn j

s unable to compose a speech, or, indeed, to recollect many of the incidents that happened throughout the course of his explorations." This was the sad ending of one of our greatest explorers. Eight full years of his life ha

three parties sent out after Burke and Wills, which, although they were unsuc

ed on such statements, he did not at the time pay much attention to it. On the 27th of September, he crossed Lake Torrens-a feat which would have excited great interest a few years ago-and made for Lake Pando, or Lake Hope, as it is better known. From here he went north, crossing the country so often described, whe

ourse, whereon they found a grave and picked up a battered pint pot. Next morning they opened the grave, and in it was the body of a European, the skull being marked, so M'Kinlay says, with t

umstantial accounts of Leichhardt's murder retailed to Hely

he natives, who murdered the whole party, finishing up by eating the bodies of the other men. Next, that the journals, saddles, etc., were buried at a fake a short distance away.

of ball and shot wounds on him; he stated that there was a pistol concealed near a neighbouring lake, and he was sent to fetch it; but instead, he appeared the following morning at

ition; and after burying a letter for the information of any after comers, they left Lake M

R. Expe

er 23r

xpedition seeking tidin

rently belonging to Mr. Wills, Charles Gray, Yr. Burke, or King, was picked from the surface of a grave dug by a spade, and from the skull of a European buried by the natives. Other less important traces-such as a pannikin, oi

M'KI

he party in

ble route, you may do so for at least three months to come, by driving west eighteen miles, then so

o bring back rations for a prolonged exploration. Meantime he remained in camp. From one old native, with whom he had a l

was buried after the fight, and the others went south. The natives then dug up the body and ate the flesh. The blackfellow then described minutel

explained M'Kinlay's discovery as being that of Gray's body, the adjuncts of the fight turning out to be exaggerations of the natives. He m

h. The native names of every small lake and waterhole are all given in full, and as the course of each day's

was the dry time of the year, immediately preceding the setting in of the rains, it shows what a severe season must have be

ghbourhood of some stony ridges and sand hills, on which they camped, and wher

the Mueller, is one of the main rivers of the interior, now known as the Diamantina. M'Kinlay soon kept more to the westward and crossed the stony range, which bears his name, in much the same place that Burke and Wills did

which they travelled presented no great obstacle to the travellers' advance, being w

in Norman with the steamer Victoria, would there form a dep?t for the use of the other expl

by deep and broad mangrove creeks and boggy flats, and on the 21st May the party star

the tracks of the two former explorers came respectively to the river, and left it, M'Kinlay kept down the river, crossing the formidable Leichhardt Range, through which the Burdekin forces its way to the lower lands of the coast. Here they came to a temporary station, just formed by Mr. Phillip Somer, where they were received with the usual hearty hospitality. Since leaving the Gulf country the explorers had subsisted on little else than horse and c

t least within a few hours after the cavalcade had passed down the riv

f course did not expect M'Kinlay's advent amongst them, although they knew he was out west, and such an animal as a camel did not enter into their reckoning. Cunningham says that the only thing

dered a terrible desert, useless for pastoral occupation. His report being of such a favourable nature, dealt a final blow to this

ich he conducted his par

ts, led to his afterwar

nment for a responsibl

ill be dealt with

ation. The brig was convoyed by the VICTORIA, under Captain Norman, who had charge of the expedition until the party were landed. On the way up, the vessels were separated, and the FIREFLY suffered shipwreck on one of Sir Charles Hardy's islands; the horses being got a

rassed, level country, was named by him the Gregory. His written opinion of the much-disputed qualities of this district is most sanguine, with regard to its future as a sheep country. Experience, however, has proved otherwise, it being found to be fitted only for cattle. Higher up, Landsborough found the river drier, and presenting a far less tropical appearance than on its lower course. After continued efforts to the south, and the discovery of many tributary creeks,

ary; below this, some distance, was another pool-Lake Frances. Landsborough now made an attempt to push to the westward, but failed through want of water, He then returned up the Herbert, and crossed on to the head of

ning in the steamer, being anxious to see if he could render any assistance. The party was reduced in number to three whites and three blacks in all, namely, Messrs. Landsborough, Bourne, and Gleeson, and th

r part of the Flinders he named Walker's Creek-a considerable tributary-and from there struck more to the south, towards Bowen Downs country discovered by himself and Buchanan two years previously. Here the leader was in hopes of finding a newly-formed station, and obtaining some more supplies; but the country was still untenanted, although in one place they observed

it was evident that before long stock would be on its way out. He crossed on to the Warrego, followed that river down, and on the 21st of May came to the station of Messrs

be seen, this accusation was utterly groundless, as there was no saying to what part of the Gulf Burke and Wills would penetrate, and he was as likely to meet with traces of them on the Barcoo as well

that went the round of the daily papers,

ur at some one of the ninety camping places at which they halted, on their arduous journey between the dep?t and the Gulf what excuse could Mr. Landsborough have offered for giving so wide a berth to the probable route of the explorers, and for omitting to endeavour to strike their track, traces of which had been reported on the Flinders by Mr Walker? We may be reminded that 'all's well that ends well,' that the lamented explorers were beyond the reach of human assistance, and that Mr. Landsborough has achieved a most valuable result in following the course he did; but we cannot help remarking that in so doing he seems to have been more intent upon serving the cause of pastoral settlement than upon ascertaining if it were possible to afford relief to the missing men. The impression produced by a perusal of the dispatch which we published on Saturday last is that the writer was commissioned to open up a practica

n, Walker was-as Landsborough thought-then following the homeward track of the lost party. The only chance of affording succour to the missing men, left to Landsborough, was the remote one of accidentally co

been his discovery of two years previously, and considering that he closed his days in comparative poverty, after all his labour, such insinuations as the above are

between Gayndah and Gladstone, where between bad seasons and blacks they had considerable trouble. In 1856 his exploring career commenced in the di

d comrade, writi

s the very model of a pioneer-courageous, hardy, good-humoured, and kindly. He was an excellent horseman, a most entertaining and, at times, eccentric companion, and he could starve

be regarded in a more just light than they were by some of his contemporaries, p

only geographical exp

bear no brother

be a famil

an old bushman, had had much to do with the formation of the native police

seeing some old horse-tracks, which he thought must be Leichhardt's, but which were probably those of Landsborough and Buchanan. From the head-waters of the Alice and Thomson, Walker struck a river he called the Barkly, in reality the head of the Flinders. Here he experienced much difficulty from the rough basaltic nature of

g the coast, the bend of the river brought it across his course again. Here he found the tracks of the camels, which assured him that Burke had at any

ible to follow the tracks. From what he saw, however, he formed a theory that Burke had retreated towards Queensland, and there he made up his mind to return. He regained his former course on the river he calls the

the Lower Burdekin, they were well-nigh horseless, and quite starving. On the 4th of April, 1862, they reached

ead of the Burdekin that seemed to have such attractions for all the explore

from Rockingham Bay to the mouth of the Norman River, in the Gulf of Carpentaria. This he carried out

half of Australia was now nearly all known-from south to north, and from north to south, it had b

e interior, country had been found surpassing in richness any that was then known. The pathways for the pioneers had been marked out, a

school of belief in the central desert, every fresh advance into the interior was only pushing the desert back a step; it was there still, and, according to some, it is there now. Others who believed in the gr

e coveted and sought after; that the bugbear of Oxley, the ACACIA PENDULA, should now be held to indicate good country was inconceivable; and when, above everything, the most fondly

tralia and found them grow so fat that, when at the Gulf, he had to select the leanest one to kill from choice, they cried out triumphantly, "

lains as a suitable sheep run; but he was not alone in this belief. The valley of the Burdekin, and many of its tributaries were stocked with sheep

ion of Stuart's, had been wrought out within her boundaries, and capital and stock flowed in from all sides. This

m this point they turned back, and ascending the coast range, reached the upper waters of the Burdekin, and discovered the Valley of Lagoons, west of Rockingham Bay. Another party, consisting of Messrs. Cunningham, Somer, Stenhouse, Allingham, and Miles explored the Upper Burdekin in the following year, and discovered tracts

im but mallee scrub and spinifex. In this year Delisser and Hardwicke went over the same country, but on a much more attractive route, as they came upon a large, limitless plain, co

h of the Bight, but was forced to turn back, after suffering much har

of York, but were not able to give a much better account of the country than their predecessors. In the north-west a party of colonists landed

s traveller who now forced his way through to the late uninhabited north coast would find several infant settlements ready to receive him, and he would no longer be obliged to retrace, with weakened frame and exhausted resour