The History of Australian Exploration From 1788 to 1888

The History of Australian Exploration
From 1788 to 1888

COMPILED FROM STATE DOCUMENTS, PRIVATE PAPERS AND THE MOST AUTHENTIC SOURCES OF INFORMATION. ISSUED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN COLONIES.

Ernest Favenc - 1888

Table of Contents:

Dedication

Preface

Introduction

Part I - Rumours of the existence of a Southern Continent in the Sixteenth Century - JAVE and JAVE LA GRANDE - Authentic Discoveries and visits of the early Navigators - Torres sails between New Guinea and Terra Australis - Voyage of the DUYFHEN in 1606 - Dirk Hartog on the West Coast, his inscribed plate - Restored by Vlaming - Afterwards by Hamelin - Nuyts on the South Coast - Wreck of the BATAVIA on Houtman's Abrolhos - Mutiny of Cornelis - Tasman's second voyage - Dampier with the Buccaneers - Second Voyage in the ROEBUCK - Last visit of the Dutch - Captain Cook - Flinders; his theory of a Dividing Strait - Plans for exploring the Interior - His captivity - Captain King - Concluding remarks.

Part II - The Continent of Australia - Its peculiar formation - The coast range and the highest peaks thereof - The coastal rivers - The inland rivers - Difference of vegetation on the tableland and on the coast - Exception to the rule - Valuable timber of the coast districts - Animals common to the whole continent - Some birds the same - Distinct habits of others - The Australian native and his unknown origin - Water supply - Upheaval.

PART 1 - LAND EXPLORATION

Chapter I:1788-1803

Expeditions of Governor Phillip - Mouth of the Hawkesbury found in Broken Bay - Second expedition and ascent of the river - Expedition of Captain Tench - Discovery of the Nepean River - Lieutenant Dawes sent to cross the Nepean, and to try to penetrate the mountains - Attempt by Governor Phillip to establish the confluence of the Nepean and Hawkesbury - Failure - The identity settled by Captain Tench - Escaped convicts try to reach China - Captain Paterson finds and names the Grose River - Hacking endeavours to cross the Blue Mountains - The lost cattle found on the Cow Pastures - Bass attempts the passage of the range - Supposed settlement of a white race in the interior - Attempt of the convicts to reach it - James Wilson - His life with the natives - Discovery of the Hunter River by Lieutenant Shortland.

Chapter II:1813-1824

The great drought of 1813--The development of country by stocking-- Blaxland, Lawson, and Wentworth cross the Blue Mountains--Reach the head of coast waters and return--Surveyor Evans sent out--Crosses the watershed and finds the Macquarie River--Construction of road over the range--Settlement of Bathurst--Visit of Governor Macquarie--Second expedition under Evans--Discovery of the Lachlan River--Surveyor-General Oxley explores the Lachlan--Finds the river terminates in swamps--Returns by the Macquarie--His opinion of the interior--Second expedition down the Macquarie--Disappointment again--Evans finds the Castlereagh--Liverpool Plains discovered--Oxley descends the range and finds Port Macquarie--Returns to Newcastle-Currie and Ovens cross the Morumbidgee--Brisbane Downs and Monaroo--Hume and Hovell cross to Port Phillip--Success of the expedition.

Chapter III [to 1830] Settlement of Moreton Bay--Cunningham in the field again--His discoveries of the Gwydir, Dumaresque, and Condamine Rivers--The Darling Downs, and Cunningham's Gap through the range to Moreton Bay--Description of the Gap--Cunningham's death--Captain Sturt--His first expedition to follow down the Macquarie--Failure of the river--Efforts of Sturt and Hume to trace the channel--Discovery of New Year's Creek (the Bogan)--Come suddenly on the Darling--Dismay at finding the water salt--Retreat to Mount Harris--Meet the relief party--Renewed attempt down the Castlereagh River--Trace it to the Darling--Find the water in that river still salt--Return--Second expedition to follow the Morumbidgee--Favourable anticipations--Launch of the boats and separation of the party--Unexpected junction with the Murray--Threatened hostilities with the natives--Averted in a most singular manner--Junction of large river from the North--Sturt's conviction that it is the Darling--Continuation of the voyage--Final arrival at Lake Alexandrina--Return voyage--Starvation and fatigue--Constant labour at the oars and stubborn courage of the men--Utter exhaustion--Two men push forward to the relief party and return with succour.

Chapter IV [to 1836] Settlement at King George's Sound--The free colony of Swan River founded--Governor Stirling--Captain Bannister crosses from Perth to King George's Sound--Explorations by Lieutenant Roe--Disappointing nature of the interior--Bunbury, Wilson, and Moore--Settlement on the North Coast--Melville Island and Raffles Bay--An escaped convict's story--The fabulous Kindur River--Major Mitchell starts in search of it--Discovery of the Namoi--The Nundawar Range--Failure of the boats--Reach the Gwydir River of Cunningham--The KARAULA--Its identity with the Darling--Murder of the two bullock-drivers--Mitchell's return--Murder of Captain Barker in Encounter Bay--Major Mitchell's second expedition to trace the course of the Darling--Traces the Bogan to its junction with that river--Fort Bourke--Progress down the river--Hostility of the natives--Skirmish with them--Return--Mitchell's third expedition--The Lachlan followed--Junction of the Darling and the Murray reached--Mitchell's discovery of Australia Felix.

Chapter V [to 1841] Lieutenants Grey and Lushington on the West Coast--Narrow escape--Start with an equipment of Timor ponies--Grey wounded by the natives--Cave drawings--Return, having discovered the Glenelg--Grey's second expedition--Landed at Bernier Island, in Shark's Bay, with three whale-boats--Cross to borne Island--Violent storm--Discovery of the Gascoyne--Return to Bernier Island--Find their CACHÉ of provisions destroyed by a hurricane--Hopeless position--Attempted landing at Gautheaume Bay--Destruction of the boats--Walk to Perth--Great sufferings--Death of Smith--Eyre and the overlanders--Discovery of Lake Hindmarsh--Exploration of Gippsland--Eyre's explorations to the north--Discovery of Lake Torrens--Disappointment in the country bordering on it--Determines to go to King George's Sound--Repeated attempts to reach the head of the Great Australian Bight--Loss of horses--Barren and scrubby country--Final determination to send back most of the party--Starts with overseer and three natives--Hardship and suffering--Murder of the overseer by two of the natives--Eyre continues his journey with the remaining boy--Relieved by the MISSISSIPPI whaler--Reaches King George's Sound.

Chapter VI [to 1846] Explorations around Moreton Bay--Development of the Eastern Coast--The first pioneers of the Darling Downs--Stuart and Sydenham Russell--The Condamine River and Cecil Plains--Great interest taken in exploration at this period--Renewed explorations around Lake Torrens--Surveyor-General Frome--Death of Horrocks, the first explorer to introduce camels--Sturt's last expedition--Route by the Darling chosen--Poole fancies that he sees the inland sea--Discovery of Flood's Creek--The prison depôt--Impossible to advance or retreat--Breaking up of the drought--Death of Poole--Fresh attempts to the north--The desert--Eyre's Creek discovered--Return and fresh attempt--Discoveries of Cooper and Strzelecki Creeks--Retreat to the Depôt Glen--Final return to the Darling--Ludwig Leichhardt the lost explorer--His great trip north--Finding of the Burdekin, the Mackenzie, Isaacs and Suttor--Murder of the naturalist Gibert--Discovery of the Gulf Rivers--Arrival at Port Essington--His return and reception-- Surveyor-General Mitchell's last expedition--Follows up the Balonne--Crosses to the head of the Belyando--Disappointed in that river--Returns and crosses to the head of the Victoria (Barcoo)--The beautiful Downs country--First mention of the Mitchell grass--False hopes entertained of the Victoria running into the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Chapter VII [to 1854] Kennedy traces the Victoria in its final course south--Re-named the Barcoo--First notice of the PITURI chewing natives--Leichhardt's second Expedition--Failure and Return--Leichhardt's last Expedition--His absolute disappearance--Conjectures as to his fate--Kennedy starts from Rockingham Bay to Cape York--Scrubs and swamps--Great exertions--Hostile natives--Insufficiency of supplies provided--Dying horses--Main party left in Weymouth Bay--Another separation at Shelburne Bay--Murder of Kennedy at the Escape River--Rescue of Jacky the black boy--His pathetic tale of suffering--Failure to find the camp at Shelburne Bay--Rescue of but two survivors at Weymouth Bay--The remainder starved to death--Von Mueller in the Australian Alps--Western Australia--Landor and Lefroy, in 1843--First expedition of the brothers Gregory, in 1846--Salt lakes and scrub--Lieutenant Helpman sent to examine the coal seam discovered--Roe, in 1848--His journey to the east and to the south--A. C. Gregory attempts to reach the Gascoyne--Foiled by the nature of the country--Discovers silver ore on the Murchison--Governor Fitzgerald visits the mine--Wounded by the natives--Rumour of Leichhardt having been murdered by the blacks--Hely's expedition in quest of him--Story unfounded--Austin's explorations in Western Australia--Terrible scrubs--Poison camp--Determined efforts to the north--Heat and thirst--Forced to return.

Chapter VIII [to 1861] A. C. Gregory's North Australian expedition in 1855-56, accompanied by Baron Von Mueller and Dr. Elsey--Disappointment in the length of 'the Victoria--Journey to the Westward--Discovery of Sturt's Creek--Its course followed south--Termination in a salt lake--Return to Victoria River--Start homeward, overland--The Albert identified--The Leichhardt christened--Return by the Burdekin and Suttor--Visit of Babbage to Lake Torrens--Expedition by Goyder--Deceived by mirage--Excitement in Adelaide--Freeling sent out--Discovers the error--Hack explores the Gawler Range--Discovers Lake Gairdner--Warburton in the same direction--Swinden and party west of Lake Torrens--Babbage in the Lake District--His long delay--Warburton sent to supersede him--Rival claims to discovery--Frank Gregory explores the Gascoyne in Western Australia--A. C. Gregory follows the Barcoo in search of Leichhardt--Discovery of a marked tree--Arrival in Adelaide--The early explorations of M'Dowall Stuart--Frank Gregory at Nickol Bay--Discovers the Ashburton--Fine pastoral country--Discovers the De Grey and Oakover Rivers--Turned back by the desert--Narrow escape.

Chapter IX [to 1861] Across the continent, from south to north--M'Dowall Stuart's first attempt to reach the north coast--Native warfare--Chambers' Pillar--Central Mount Stuart--Singularfootprint--Sufferings from thirst--Aboriginal Freemasons--Attack Creek--Return--Stuart's second departure--The Victorian expedition--Costly equipment--Selection of a leader--Burke, and his qualifications for the post--Wills--Resignation of Landells--Wright left in charge of the main party--Burke and Wills, with six men, push on to Cooper's Creek--Delay of Wright--Burke's final determination to push on to the north coast--Starts with Wills and two men--Progress across the continent--Arrival at the salt water--Wills' account--Homeward journey--The depôt deserted--Resolve to make for Mount Hopeless--Failure and return--Wills revisits the depôt--Kindness of the natives--Burke and King start in search of the blacks--Death of Burke--King finds Wills dead on his return--Wright and Brahe visit the depôt--Fail to see traces of Burke's return--Consternation in Melbourne--Immediate despatch of search parties--Howitt finds King--Narrow escape of trooper Lyons--Stuart in the north--Hedgewood scrub first seen--Discovery of Newcastle waters--All attempts to the north fruitless--Return of Stuart.

Chapter X [to 1863] Stuart's last Expedition--Frew's Pond--Daly Waters--Arrival at the Sea--The flag at last hoisted on the northern shore--Return--Serious illness of the Leader--The Burke relief Expedition--John M'Kinlay--Native 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 Queensland settlements on the Burdekin--Reaches the Bowen River in safety--Mystery of the camel's tracks--Landsborough's expedition--Discovery of the Gregory River--The Herbert--Return to the Albert depôt--News of Burke and Wills--Landsborough reduces his party and starts home overland--Returns by way of the Barcoo--Landsborough and his critics--His work as an Explorer--Walker starts from Rockhampton--Another L tree found on the Barcoo--Walker crosses the head of the Flinders--Finds the tracks of Burke and Wills--Tries to follow them up--Returns to Queensland--Abandonment of the desert theory--Private expeditions--Dalrymple and others.

Chapter XI [to 1870] Settlement formed at Somerset, Cape York, by the Queensland Government--Expedition of the Brothers Jardine--Start from Carpentaria Downs Station--Disaster by fire--Reduced resources--Arrive at the coast of the Gulf--Hostility of the blacks--Continual attacks--Horses mad through drinking salt water--Poison country--An unfortunate camp--Still followed by the natives--Rain and bog--Dense scrub--Efforts of the two brothers to reach Somerset--Final Success--Lull in exploration--Private parties--Settlement at Escape Cliffs by South Australia--J. M'Kinlay sent up--Narrow escape from floods--Removal of the settlement to Port Darwin--M'Intyre's expedition in search of Leichhardt--His death--Hunt in Western Australia--False reports about traces of Leichhardt--Forrest's first expedition--Sent to investigate the report of the murder of white men in the interior--Convinced of its want of truth--Unpromising country--Second expedition to Eucla--The cliffs of the Great Bight--Excursion to the north--Safe arrival at Eucla.

Chapter XII [to 1875] The first expeditions of Ernest Giles--Lake Amadens--Determined attempts to cross the desert--Death of Gibson--Return-Warburton's expedition--Messrs. Elder and Hughes--Outfit of camels--Departure from Alice Springs--Amongst the glens--Waterloo Well--No continuation to Sturt's Creek--Sufferings from starvation--Fortunate relief from death by thirst--Arrive at the head of the Oakover--Lewis starts to obtain succour--His return--Gosse sent out by the South Australian Government--Exploring bullocks--Ayre's rock--Obliged to retreat--Forrest's expedition from west to east--Good pastoral country--Windich Springs--The Weld Springs--Attacked by the natives--Lake Augusta--Dry country--Relieved by a shower--Safe arrival and great success of the expedition--Ernest Giles in the field--Elder supplies camels--The longest march ever made in Australia--Wonderful endurance of the camels--The lonely desert--Strange discovery of water--Queen Victoria's Spring--The march renewed--Attacked by blacks--Approach the well-known country in Western Australia--Safe arrival--Giles returns overland, north of Forrest's track--Little or no result--Great drought--The western interior.

Chapter XIII [to 1884] Further explorations around Lake Eyre--Lewis equipped by Sir Thomas Elder--He traces the lower course of the Diamantina--Expedition to Charlotte Bay under W. Hann--A survivor of the wreck of the MARIA--Discovery of the Palmer--Gold prospects found--Arrival on the east coast--Dense scrub--Return--The Palmer rush--Hodgkinson sent out--Follows down the Diamantina--Discovery of the Mulligan--Mistaken for the Herbert--Private expedition--The Messrs. Prout--Buchanan--F. Scarr--The QUEENSLANDER expedition--A dry belt of country--Native rites--A good game bag--Arrival at the telegraph line--Alexander Forrest--The Leopold Range--Caught between the cliffs and the sea--Fine pastoral country found--Arrival at the Katherine--The Northern Territory and its future.

Chapter XIV [to 1888] The exploration of the Continent by land almost completed--Minor expeditions--The Macarthur and other rivers running into Carpentaria traced--Good country discovered and opened up--Sir Edward Pellew Group revisited--Lindsay sent out by the S.A. Government to explore Arnheim's Land--Rough country and great loss of horses--O'Donnell makes an expedition to the Kimberley district--Sturt and Mitchell's different experiences with the blacks--Difference in the East and West Coasts--Use of camels--Opinions about them--The future of the water supply--Adaptability of the country for irrigation--The great springs of the Continent--Some peculiarities of them--Hot springs and mound springs.

PART II - MARITIME EXPLORATION

Chapter XV Maritime Discoveries

Chapter XVI Captain Cook compared to former Visitors--Point Hicks--Botany Bay-First natives seen--Indifference to Overtures--Abundant flora--Entrance to Port Jackson missed--Endeavour on a reef--Careened--Strange animals--Hostile natives--A sailor's devil--Possession Island-Territory of New South Wales--Torres Straits a passage--La Perouse--Probable fate discovered by Captain Dillon--M'Cluer touches Arnheim's Land--Bligh and Portlock--Wreck of the Pandora--Vancouver in the south--The D'Entrecasteaux quest--Recherche Archipelago--Bass and Flinders--Navigation and exploration extraordinary--The Tom Thumb--Bass explores south--Flinders in the Great Bight--Bass's Straits--Flinders in the Investigator--Special instructions--King George's Sound--Lossof boat's crew--Memory Cove--Baudin's courtesy--Port Phillip--Investigator and Lady Nelson on East Coast--The Gulf of Carpentaria and early Dutch navigators--Duyfhen Point--Cape Keer-Weer--Mythical rivers charted--Difficulty in recognising their landmarks--Flinders' great disappointment--A rotten ship--Return by way of West Coast--Cape Vanderlin--Dutch Charts--Malay proas, Pobassoo--Return to Port Jackson--Wreck of the Porpoise--Prisoner by the French--General de Caen--Private papers and journals appropriated--Prepares his charts and logs for press--Death--Sympathy by strangers--Forgotten by Australia--The fate of Bass--Mysterious disappearance--Supposed Death.

Chapter XVII The French Expedition--Buonaparte's lavish outfitting--Baudin in the Géographe--Coast casualties--Sterile and barren appearance--Privations of the crew--Sails for Timor--Hamelin in the Naturaliste--Explores North-Western coast--Swan River--Isle of Rottnest--Joins her consort at Coepang--Sails for Van Dieman's Land--Examination of the South-East coast of Australia--Flinders' prior visit ignored--French names substituted--Discontent among crew--Baudin's unpopularity--Bad food--Port Jackson--Captain King's Voyages--Adventures in the Mermaid--An extensive commission--Allan Cunningham, botanist--Search at Seal Islands for memorial of Flinders' visit--Seed sowing--Jeopardy to voyage--Giant anthills--An aboriginal Stoic--Cape Arnhem and west coast exploration--Macquarie Strait--Audacity of natives--Botanical results satisfactory--Malay Fleet--Raffles Bay--Port Essington--Attack by natives--Cape Van Dieman--Malay Teachings--Timor and its Rajah--Return to Port--Second Voyage--Mermaid and Lady Nelson--East Coast--Cleveland Bay--Cocoa-nuts and pumice stones--Endeavour River--Thieving natives--Geological formation of adjacent country--Remarkable coincidences--Across Gulf of Carpentaria--Inland excursion--Cambridge Gulf--Ophthalmia amongst crew--Mermaid returns to port.

Chapter XVIII King's Third Voyage--Early misadventures--Examines North-West coast closely--The Mermaid careened--Unforeseen result--Return to Sydney--The Bathurst--King's Fourth Voyage--Last of the Mermaid--Love's stratagem--Remarkable cavern--Extraordinary drawings--Chasm Island--South-West explorations--Revisits his old camp--Rich vegetation--Greville Island--Skirmish at Hanover Bay--Reminiscence of Dampier--His notes on the natives and their mode of living--Cape Levêque--Buccaneers' Archipelago--Provisions run out--Sails for the Mauritius--Survey of South-West re-commenced--Cape Chatham--Oyster Harbour anchorage--A native's toilet--Seal hunt--Friendly intercourse--Cape Inscription--Vandalism--Point Cloates not an island--Vlaming Head--Rowley Shoals--Cunningham--Botanical success--Rogers Island closely examined--Mainland traced further--An amazing escape from destruction--Relinquishment of survey--Sails for Sydney--Value of King's work--Settlement on Melville Island--Port Essington--Colonisation--Fort building--A waif--Roguish visitors--Garrison life--Change of scene--Raffles Bay--Dismal reports--Failure of attempt.

Chapter XIX Cruise of H.M.S. Beagle--Passengers Grey and Lushington--Swan River--Northern coast survey commenced--Supposed channel at Dampier's Land non-existent--Lieutenant Usborne accidentally shot--King's Sound--Effects of a rainy season--Point Cunningham--Skeleton of a native found--New discoveries--Fitzroy River explored--Exciting incident--Boat excursion to Collier Bay--Swan River--Native steward "Miago"--Amusing inspection--Meeting with the explorers at Hanover Bay--Lieutenant Grey's description of native tribes--Miago's memory--Fremantle--Needed communication--Beagle at Hobart Town--Survey work at Cape Otway--Exploration of northwest coast--Reminiscences of colonisation--Discovery of the Adelaide River--A serious comedy--Port Essington and Clarence Straits--Harbour of Port Darwin named--The Victoria River--Extravagant hopes--Land party organized--Captain Stokes speared--Return to Swan River--Beagle again North--Examination of Sweer's Island--Flinders and Albert Rivers discovered--Inland navigation--Gun accident--Native mode of burial--Fallacious Theorising--The Beagle's surveying concluded--Maritime exploration closes.

Chapter XX Nationality of the first finders of Australia--Knowledge of the Malays--The bamboo introduced--Traces of smallpox amongst the natives in the north-west--Tribal rites--Antipathy to pork--Evidence of admixture in origin--Influence of Asiatic civilisation partly visible--Coast appearance repelling--Want of indigenous food plants--Lack of intercourse with other nations--Little now left of unexplored country--Conclusions respecting various geological formations--Extent of continental divisions--Development of coastal towns--Inducements for population--Necessity of the first explorings--Pioneer squatters' efforts--First Australian-born explorer--Desert theory exploded--Fertile downs everywhere--Want of water apparently insurmountable--Heroism of explorers--Inexperience of the early settlers--Grazing possible--Rapid stocking of country--The barrenness of the "Great Bight"--Sturt, the Penn of Australia--Results--Mitchell's work--Baron von Mueller's researches--A salt lake--Stuart first man across the continent--Burke and Wills' heroism--Services of McKinlay and Landsborough--John Forrest's journeys--Camel expedition by Giles--The Brisbane Courier expedition--Further explorations--Stockdale at Cambridge Gulf--Carr-Boyd and O'Donnell open good country in Western Australia--Work done by explorers--Their characteristics--Conclusion.

APPENDIX The Pandora Pass--Death of Surveyor-General Oxley--List of Men Comprising Sir Thomas Mitchell's Party in 1846--Richard Cunningham's Fate--Cave Drawings--Smith, a Lad of Eighteen, Found Dead, May 8th, 1839--Eyre's Letters--Extract of Letter from Major Mitchell--Extract of a Letter from Mr. Walter Bagot--The Last Letter Received from Dr. Leichhardt--The Nardoo Plant--The Finding of John King--Poison Plants--Index of Names, Dates and Incidents--Chronological Summary