The Explorers of Australia and their Life-workFavenc, Ernest
History
The Explorers of Australia and their Life-work
Favenc, Ernest
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Explorers
On the 24th they reached a fine river, which was then running strong.
They named it the Ord, and followed its course for a time. Thence he
continued his way to the line, and on the 18th of August came to the
Victoria River. From the Victoria, Forrest had a hard struggle to reach
the telegraph line. The rations being nearly exhausted, and one man being
very ill, the leader started for Daly Waters station, taking one man with
him. After much suffering and privation they at last reached the line,
and obtained water at some tanks kept for the use of the line repairers.
The absence of a map of the line led Forrest to follow it north, away
from Daly Waters, and it was four days before they overtook a repairing
party and obtained food.
Alexander Forrest was afterwards for many years a member of the
Legislative Council of West Australia, was for six years Mayor of Perth
and a C.M.G. He died on the 20th June, 1901. A bronze statue was
erected to his memory in Perth, Western Australia, by his friends.
CHAPTER 20. LATER EXPLORATION IN THE WEST.
[ Illustration. Carr-Boyd and Camel. Photographed at Laverton, Western
Australia, October, 1906.]
20.1. CAMBRIDGE GULF AND THE KIMBERLEY DISTRICT.
The futile rush for gold to the Kimberley district had one good result --
a better appreciation of its pastoral capabilities, and numerous short
expeditions were made in search of grazing country.
Amongst these was one by W.J. O'Donnell and W. Carr-Boyd, who explored an
area extending from the overland line in the direction of Roebourne, and
were fortunate in finding good country. Later, in 1896, Carr-Boyd,
accompanied by a companion named David Breardon, who was afterwards out
with David Carnegie, visited the country about the Rawlinson Ranges and
penetrated to Forrest's Alexander Spring. His name is also known in
connection with exploration in the Northern Territory, and he has made
several excursions between the Southern goldfields of West Australia and
the South Australian border.
His experiences were not unlike those of the other explorers; he had to
struggle on against heat, thirst, and spinifex, and found occasional
tracts of pastoral land destitute of surface water.
In 1884 Harry Stockdale, an experienced bushman, started from Cambridge
Gulf in order to investigate the country to the southward, and explore
the land in its vicinity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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