Frontier and pioneer life -- Australia -- Queensland
Mr. Hann, one of the pioneers of the Burdekin country, was the leader of
a small expedition sent out by the Queensland Government for exploring
and prospecting purposes through the peninsula to Cape York. The party
started from Fossilbrook station, in 1872; they named the Tate and Walsh
Rivers, and then went on to the Palmer River, after crossing the
Mitchell, which they found a strong running stream. On the Palmer gold
was discovered, and the place was called Warner's Gully, after Frederick
Warner, the surveyor to the party; this being the first discovery of
gold in that country. Travelling still north, they reached the Coleman
River, and visited Princess Charlotte Bay. They discovered the Kennedy
and Normanby Rivers, taking a few sheep with them as far as this. They
then travelled to the present site of Cooktown, and followed up the
Endeavour River for thirty miles, striking south to the Bloomfield
River, where the dense vine scrubs greatly impeded their progress. On
their way back they passed through some very rough country. So
successful an expedition, made in so short a time, reflects credit on
the leader of the party, who was a thorough bushman, and well acquainted
with the dangers from hostile blacks in such a country. This expedition
resulted in the development of one of the richest goldfields in
Australia; bands of prospectors soon followed on their tracks and opened
up the great alluvial diggings of the famous Palmer Goldfields, from
which nearly £5,000,000 worth of alluvial gold was won.
* * * * *
W. O. Hodgkinson had been a member of the Burke and Wills expedition in
1860, and crossed Australia as second in command of McKinlay's party in
1862.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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