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The History of Australian Exploration from 1788 to 1888

E >> Ernest Favenc >> The History of Australian Exploration from 1788 to 1888





The year 1863 was one of great activity in the northern part of
Australia. At Cape York the Imperial Government had, on the
recommendation of Sir George Bowen, the first Governor of Queensland,
decided to form a settlement. Mr. Jardine, the police magistrate of
Rockhampton was selected to take command, and a detachment of marines was
sent out to be stationed there.

At the Gulf of Carpentaria the township of Burketown was springing into
existence, under the care of William Landsborough, the explorer; and in
the north of Arnhern's Land, M'Kinlay was looking for a suitable site to
establish a port for South Australia. Somerset, the formation of which
led to the expedition of the Jardine brothers, was formed on the mainland
at the Albany Pass, opposite the island of that name. Mr. Jardine was to
proceed by sea to his new sphere of office., but anticipating the want of
fresh meat at the new settlement, he entered into an arrangement with the
Government for his two sons to take a herd of cattle overland to there.
Somerset was near the fatal scene of poor Kennedy's death, and knowing
what tremendous difficulties that explorer had met with on the east
coast, it was decided to attempt the western fall, through the unknown
country fronting the Gulf.

Both the Jardines were quite young men at the time when they started,
Frank, the accepted leader, being only twenty-two years old, and his
brother, Alexander, twenty. Besides themselves, the party was composed of
A. J. Richardson, a surveyor sent by the Government; Messrs. Scrutton,
Binney and Cowderoy, and four natives. They had forty-two horses, and
about two hundred and fifty head of cattle, with four months, provisions.

Before their final start from Carpentaria Downs Station, then the
furthest occupied country to the north-west, and supposed to be situated
on the Lynd River, of Leichhardt, Alexander Jardine made a trip of some
distance ahead in order to ensure finding an available road for the
cattle, and saving delay when the actual start took place.

On this preliminary journey he followed the presumed Lynd down for nearly
one hundred and eighty miles, until he was convinced that there was an
error, and that, whatever river it was, it certainly was not
Leichhardt's, as neither in appearance, direction, nor position did it
coincide with that explorer's description.

On the subsequent journey with the cattle this supposition was found to
be correct, the river turning out to be a tributary of the Gilbert, now
known as the Einnesleigh. On the 11th of October, after A. Jardine's
return, the final start was made from Carpentaria Downs, and the whole of
the party commenced a journey destined to be full of peril and adventure.

The beginning of their trip down the Einnesleigh was unavoidably rough,
and on the 22nd of the month they came to a halt to spell their cattle
and look for the Lynd River, to which they trusted to carry them a good
distance on their way. On the 24th the two brothers started, and in about
thirty miles came to another river, where they found a fine chain of
lagoons, but no country at all resembling the Lynd. All search beyond
being resultless, the went back to the main body; and, leaving
instructions for the cattle to start by a certain date for the new-found
lagoons, they made another effort to find the Lynd.

This time they were again rewarded by discovering a good-sized creek, but
no sign of the Lynd was met with, nor did they ever see it, as owing to
an error in the map they had with them, the location of the river had
been thirty miles misplaced.

Returning to the lagoons, which the cattle had now reached, instructions
were given to start forward, but the first day one of the series of heavy
misfortunes befell them, that afterwards seemed to dog them so
perseveringly. In the morning a large number of the horses were missing,
and leaving a party behind to find them and come on with the pack-horses,
the Jardines and some of the others made a start with the cattle, and on
the second day reached the large creek, but, to their surprise, without
being overtaken by the men with the pack-horses. After an anxious day
spent in waiting, Alexander Jardine went back to see what was the matter,
and on his way met the missing party charged with heavy news. Through
some carelessness in allowing the grass around the camp to catch fire,
half their rations, and nearly the whole of their equipment had been
burnt. In addition, one of the most valuable of their horses had been
poisoned. This misfortune coming at such an early stage of the journey,
with all the unknown country ahead of them, was most serious, and
jeopardised their prospect greatly. However, there was no help for it;
so giving up all hope of the Lynd, they followed down the creek they were
then camped on.

The natives soon commenced to give them a foretaste of what they kept up
during nearly the whole of the journey. Once about twenty appeared at
sundown, and boldly attacked the camp with a shower of spears, and two
days afterwards the younger Jardine, when out alone, was suddenly
surprised by them.

The creek finally led them to the Staaten River, and here the blacks
succeeded in stampeding the horses, and it was days before some of them
were recovered.

On the 5th December they left this ill-fated river, and steered due
north, but bad luck followed them, the torment of mosquitoes and
sandflies, added to bad feed, caused their horses to ramble incessantly,
and whilst the brothers were away on these hunting excursions, the party
at the camp allowed their solitary mule to stray away with his pack on;
and despite all efforts he was never found again. Unfortunately, this
animal carried a lot of their most necessary articles, and their loss
reduced them almost to the same state as the blackfellows who surrounded
them.

Two horses here went mad through drinking salt water, one died, and the
other was too ill to travel, and had to be left.

On December the 13th they at last reached the long-desired Mitchell
river, not without having another pitched battle on the way with the
natives. For the blacks followed them throughout with the same relentless
hostility that they formerly had shown to Kennedy, and evidently meant to
mete out the same fate to them, for whilst the party were on the Mitchell
they mustered in force, and fell upon the travellers with the greatest
determination, and it was only after a severe contest, and heavy loss had
been inflicted on the savages that they retired.

It can be imagined how these continued attacks, in addition to the
harassing nature of the country, gave the party all they knew to hold
their own, and but for the prompt and plucky way in which these assaults
were always met, not one of the little band would have survived. From
what was afterwards found out from some of the semi-civilized natives
about Somerset, these tribes followed the explorers for over four hundred
miles.

Leaving the Mitchell and making north, they travelled through poor
country, thinly grassed, and badly watered, but the blacks were still on
their heels.

On the 28th December, they commenced on the horses, driving them about,
and another stand-up fight ensued. Storms of rain now set in, and they
had to travel through dismal ti-tree flats, with the constant expectation
of being caught by a flood on low-lying country.

On the 5th of January, they came to a well-grassed valley, with a good
river running through it, which was named the Archer, and on the 9th
crossed another river, which was supposed to be the Coen. On leaving this
river, troubles thickened around them; the rain continued incessantly,
the country was so boggy they could scarcely get their animals along at
all, and to add to everything, when they reached the Batavia, two horses
were drowned in crossing, and six more were poisoned [See appendix.] and
died.

Fate seemed to have pretty well done her worst; they could do nothing
else but face the future manfully. Burying everything they possibly
could, they packed all the horses, and started resolutely on foot. On the
14th, two more horses died, and the blacks came once more to see how they
were getting on. As may be imagined, the white men were in not much of a
humour for patience, and the skirmish was a brief one.

On the 17th, two more horses died from the effects of the poison plant,
and they were reduced to fifteen out of the forty-two with which they
started. They were now approaching the narrow crest of the cape, and
found themselves on a dreary waste of sandy, barren country, whereon only
heath grew, intersected too with boggy creeks. On the 10th of January,
they caught a glimpse of the sea to the eastward, from the top of a tree,
and on the 20th it was in plain view.

They were now amongst the same description of scrubs that had played such
havoc with Kennedy, and day after day they only advanced a few miles. On
the 29th, after many days of bog and scrub cutting, it was determined to
halt the cattle, whilst the two Jardines made an effort to reach
Somerset, and find a less difficult track, as they now believed
themselves only twenty miles from that place; but in reality they were
more, although, after the country they had passed through, any
calculation that could be made would be only approximate.

On the 30th January, the brothers, with their most-trusted black boy,
"Eulah," started to find the settlement, taking with them a small
quantity of rations. For a time they were hemmed-in in a bend of what
they took to be the Escape River, but on leaving it suddenly came on a
large river running to the west coast, which is now known as the Jardine.
This forced them to return to the main camp, and after a few days' rest,
they made to the north again, swimming their horses over at the main
camp, where the cattle were, and from there starting, this time down the
stream.

This trip was a most fatiguing one, through dense vine scrub, through
which they had to work their way tomahawk in hand. On the second day they
sighted the ocean, and after travelling towards it, came to a river
three-quarters of a mile wide, which they could not cross. Following it
up through fearful country, as Jardine says, "too bad to describe," they
had to at last camp where they were, being cut off from even approaching
the river by a formidable belt of mangroves. Next day was spent in like
fruitless attempts, and the next the same.

It being evident that there was no crossing-place for the cattle to be
found, they turned back to the camp, having come to the conclusion that
the rivers were identical, and that on their first expedition they had
been deceived by a large bend.

Tired and wearied, disappointed at finding themselves so near the
settlement, and yet hemmed in and embarrassed by impenetrable thickets,
and impassable morasses, the brothers now made up their minds to start
with the whole party, and try to get round the big bend of the Escape
that they thought they must be on. After killing a bullock they started,
and at their third camp, from the top of the high ridge they sighted the
sea to the westward, and were able to trace the course of the river the
whole way, thus convincing themselves at last that it was riot the Escape
they were on.

A reference to the map will at once explain the peculiarity of the course
of these two rivers that had so puzzled the explorers. The Jardine is a
large river heading from the east coast, and running, with many bends,
clear across the promontory to the west coast, completely heading the
Escape which has been a short course. As the Jardine River was before
unknown, and the Escape was well-known, it was but natural that the
mistake should have occurred. Added to all this, they were in the depth
of the wet season, and amidst flooded creeks whose size and importance
could not be fairly gauged.

Once more the two brothers and the black boy swam the river, and made a
third effort to reach Somerset. For two days they were detained on the
bank of a flooded creek, crossing it on its subsidence on the third day.
On the 28th February they were in better country, and a good stage was
made, and the next morning they encountered a tribe of blacks who greeted
them with cries of "Alico! Franco! Tobacco!" and other words. From these
natives they finally selected three as guides, and at noon the following
day reached the settlement.

As was but natural, their long journey had caused their father great
trouble and anxiety; he had done all in his power to help them at the
end, having cut a marked tree line almost across the promontory, and
instructed the blacks in the few English words they could remember to
greet the wanderers if they met with them, which last device succeeded
admirably.

It remains but to be said that the rest of the party and the remnant of
their stock were soon brought in to Somerset, where a cattle station was
formed. When we look at the difficulties through which they had forced
their way, and the unexpected misfortunes that beset them, one cannot
help feeling the greatest admiration for the two brothers in attaining
such success, not having lost a member of the party throughout the
journey, in spite of the numberless treacherous attacks of the natives to
which they were subjected, and the daily risks of illness, swimming
flooded rivers, and other perils. Above all regret must be felt that
their work was not better rewarded by the discovery of available pastoral
country, but that result it was not in their power to control. They had
at any rate the proud feeling of having done their duty, and that beset
by the same dangers that had environed poor Kennedy, they had lived to
tell the tale when he had laid down his life.

Whilst the Jardines were fighting their way through to Cape York, and
rendering such good service to geographical research, a labour which the
Royal Geographical Society afterwards acknowledged by electing the
brothers, Fellows of the Society, and awarding the Murchison grant to
each of them, the pioneer squatters were everywhere busy.

Mr. J. G. Macdonald started with a small party to visit the much lauded
Plains of Promise, and discover a better route for stock than the one
formerly taken by the explorers. By crossing the dividing range on to the
upper part of the Flinders, and following that river down, a much shorter
and more practicable route was made available for the army of cattle and
sheep now marching to the western pasture land, and the magnificent
country on the river named after the great navigator was brought
prominently into notice.

In the far north of Australia, settlement on a fresh scale was once more
undertaken; this time under purely colonial auspices. The territory
beyond the northern boundary line of South Australia, extending to the
shores of Arnheim's Land, and part of the Gulf of Carpentaria had long
been considered No Man's Land, although the English had formerly taken
possession of it. The arrival of the ASTROLABE and ZELIE in Raffles Bay
in 1839, gave colour to the supposition that the French had a design to
secure part of this territory after our first abandonment of it.
Fortunately Sir Gordon Bremer was in time to make the second settlement
at Port Essington a few short weeks before the appearance of M, Dumont
D'Urville, even as Governor Phillip forestalled La Perouse.

The territory was provisionally annexed to the Province of South
Australia by commission under the great seal, bearing date 8th July,
1863. It comprised all the country to the northward of the twenty-sixth
parallel south latitude, and between the 129th and 138th degrees of east
longitude.

The inland country was known only from the description of Stuart, Gregory
and Leichhardt.

In 1864 an expedition left Adelaide to proceed by sea to Adam Bay, and
there form a depôt, whilst search for a suitable site for a township was
made. Colonel Finnis was sent in charge of the infant colony, and three
vessels, the HENRY ELLIS, the YATALA, and the BEATRICE conveyed the
emigrants to their destination, where they safely arrived in August,
1864.

A discretionary power had been entrusted to the leader with regard to the
choice of a suitable position; Port Essington and Raffles Bay were
excepted, the former failures to establish settlements at those places
being probably looked upon as ominous.

Escape Cliffs in Adam Bay, so called from the narrow escape two officers
of the BEAGLE had from death at the hands of the natives, was chosen, but
the choice was not ratified. A good deal of dissension broke out in the
early days, and J. M'Kinlay, the well-known explorer, was sent north to
select a more favourable position, and report generally on the
capabilities of the territory. He organized an exploring party, and left
the camp at Escape Cliffs with the intention of making a long excursion
to the eastward; but he only reached the East Alligator River, where he
was cut off and hemmed in by sudden floods, and narrowly escaped losing
his whole party. Everything had to be abandoned, and the explorers
escaped from their critical position by resorting to the construction of
coracles of horse hide, by means of which they managed to save their
lives. On his return, M'Kinlay examined the mouth of the Daly River in
Anson Bay, and recommended it as a site in preference to Escape Cliffs,
the suggestion was not, however, acted on.

This was M'Kinlay's last expedition. He died at Gawler, in South
Australia, in December, 1874.

The affairs of the new settlement were now in such a disorganised state
that a commission of enquiry was appointed, and the result was that
Colonel Finnis was removed.

Mr. Goyder then selected Port Darwin as a better situation than that of
Escape Cliffs, and the township was laid out and the residents removed to
there. The establishment of the overland telegraph line soon caused the
town of Palmerston to take permanent importance, which the discovery of
gold in the Northern Territory confirmed.

Western Australia, too, had an unfortunate experience about this time, an
attempt being made to establish a settlement at Camden Harbour. The
country was quite unsuitable, and it was abandoned.

Some fresh interest was now aroused in the unsettled question of the fate
of Leichhardt. A Mr. M'Intyre, who, in 1864, was taking stock from the
Darling to the Flinders River, found himself stopped on the Queensland
border by the stock regulations then in force in that colony. Whilst
detained there he made several short excursions, and examined the country
between the head of the Paroo and the Barcoo, discovering many
well-watered creeks and a lake of considerable size. On his return,
finding that there was still no chance of his being allowed to take his
stock on, he determined to make a trip to the Gulf of Carpentaria and
examine the country he intended taking up.

The party left the Paroo on the 21St June, 1864, and the journey led to
an unexpected discovery. On the way over, M'Intyre found and buried the
bodies of two unfortunate pioneers who had preceded him, Messrs. Curlewis
and M'Culloch. They had. been murdered when asleep by the natives.

Twenty-two days after leaving the Paroo they reached Cooper's Creek, and
then pursued much the same track to the Gulf as that formerly followed by
Burke and Wills, and M'Kinlay. Three hundred miles from the sea, and to
the westward of Burke's track, M'Intyre came upon two old saddle-marked
horses, grazing upon what appeared to be a permanently watered creek. A
short distance to the eastward he found the traces of two camps, and two
trees marked L. From these circumstances M'Intyre concluded that he had
come upon new and important traces of the lost explorer.

On his return to the south, public interest was at once aroused, and,
aided by the championship of Baron Von Mueller, whose enthusiasm in the
cause of discovery never flags, a committee was formed to organise a
party to at once follow up these clues, and try to set at rest the
much-vexed question.

In order to fully arouse the sympathies of the public, the matter was
with much gallantry placed in the hands of the ladies of Victoria, and
under their auspices a party was equipped and the command given to Mr.
M'Intyre. Unfortunately for the success of the expedition, the leader
died of malarial fever before the party left the settled districts of the
Gulf of Carpentaria. From the course mapped out for the explorers, there
is no doubt that, even if the aim of the expedition had not been reached,
an earlier knowledge of much unknown country would have been obtained.

As was but natural, the construction of the overland telegraph line
between Adelaide and Port Darwin led to numbers of short explorations on
either side of the line, which considerably added to our knowledge of the
interior, but of which no records have been kept.

The establishment of this telegraph line and its maintenance did much
towards the settlement of Central Australia. It formed, as it were, a
chain of outposts through the heart of the continent, and thereby greatly
facilitated the success of many private expeditions undertaken in quest
of country for pastoral purposes.

South Australia had served a rough apprenticeship in the cause of
exploration, and the experience gained by her pioneers now stood her in
good stead in the successful accomplishment of the national work she at
this time undertook--the establishment of telegraphic communication with
England. Queensland, the youngest colony of the group, was striving very
hard to secure the landing of the cable on her shores. Walker, the leader
of one of the Burke and Wills search parties, was out examining the
country at the back of Rockingham Bay, and marking a telegraph line from
there to the mouth of the Norman River, in the Gulf of Carpentaria. South
Australia, however, thanks to her energy and superior geographical
position, secured the honour; and already the completion of a railway
across the country which witnessed the repeated efforts of Stuart is
being hastened on.

In Western Australia, in 1864, Hunt made a long excursion to the eastward
of York, and travelled for 400 miles over the country lying between the
31st and 32nd parallels. He found nothing to reward him for his
trouble--scrub, salt lakes and samphire flats were the same wearisome.
repetition.

During the construction of the overland telegraph line it was surmised
that such a close examination of the country as would necessarily ensue,
might lead to the finding of traces of Leichhardt, if he ever had reached
so far on his journey; but none were found. Apparently it suggested an
idea to a prisoner in one of the gaols of New South Wales, for he made a
statement to the effect that he had been employed as a labourer on the
construction of the overland telegraph line, and whilst so engaged had
been in the habit of making long excursions into the unexplored territory
on either side of the line. During one of these trips he came across some
blacks, who informed him that they had an old white man living with their
tribe. Hume--which was the name of the hero of this story--professed to
have an intimate acquaintance with the habits and customs of the natives,
and willingly accompanied them to their camp. Here he found a venerable
old white man, who turned out to be Classen--Leichhardt's
brother-in-law--and from him Hume learnt that the death of the leader and
most of his party happened through a mutiny in the camp, Leichhardt being
murdered, and the party then becoming disorganised and lost. This absurd
story was repeated so earnestly that inquiries were instituted, and it
was found that Hume had really been employed on the telegraph line, and
that whilst there he had been absent for some time on one or two
occasions.

Hume was interviewed by some gentlemen who were interested in the
solution of Leichhardt's fate, and he now added a little additional
matter: that on a subsequent visit he found that Classen, rendered
restless by the near neighbourhood of the whites, had made an effort to
reach them and died in the attempt. This, with a few variations as to the
details of the death of Leichhardt, led to Hume being released from gaol
for the purpose of leading a party to the spot where Classen had pointed
out that he had concealed Leichhardt's journals. But for the tragedy that
ended the affair this episode would scarcely be of sufficient importance
to insert in the history of explorations. Money having been furnished for
the purpose, Hume and two companions started on their search. They
reached Thargomindah--then the nucleus of a small township in Western
Queensland--and left a station called Nockatunga to make a short cut
across some dry country. One man only turned up. He said that they had
lost themselves, had separated looking for water, and with much
difficulty he reached the station. Search being instituted the dead
bodies of Hume and the other man were found, they having perished of
thirst. This story was revived many years afterwards by another man, who
had lived a good deal on the frontiers of Queensland. According to him,
Leichhardt and some of his party died of hunger and thirst, Classen was
revived again, and the discoverer stated that he had in his possession a
diary and many relics of the explorer. Although expressing his
willingness to produce the relics on receiving the promise of an adequate
reward, he never did so, and having attained a temporary notoriety,
returned to his former obscurity. This may be said to end the rumours of
the discovery of Leichhardt's memorials, They served no good end in any
way.

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