Of the explorers of Australia, eleven have been honoured by being placed on the Golden Roll (Gold Medallists) of the Royal Geographical Society of London; Edward John Eyre being the first to receive the honour in 1843, and Ernest Giles being the eleventh and last to receive it in 1880. In the order of Nature one generation passeth away and another generation cometh, and so it comes to pass that every one on the Golden Roll except myself has gone to the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns. That the Australian people will always remember the deeds of those, who, in their day and generation, under arduous and difficult conditions devoted themselves to the exploration of the Continent goes without saying, and I, who in bygone years had the honour of assisting in the task, heartily wish that such fruit may be born of those deeds that Australia will continue to increase and flourish more and more abundantly, and thus fulfil her destiny as the great civilising and dominating power in the Southern Seas. JOHN FORREST. The Bungalow, Hay Street, Perth, Western Australia, January 7th, 1908. CONTENTS. PREFACE. BIBLIOGRAPHY. INTRODUCTION, by Sir John Forrest. CONTENTS. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. TABLE OF CONTENTS. PART 1. EASTERN AUSTRALIA. CHAPTER 1. ORIGINS. 1.1. Governor Phillip. 1.2. Captain Tench. 1.3. The Blue Mountains: Barallier. 1.4. The Blue Mountains: Blaxland. CHAPTER 2. GEORGE WILLIAM EVANS. 2.1. First Inland Exploration. 2.2. The Lachlan River. 2.3. The Unknown West. CHAPTER 3. JOHN OXLEY. 3.1. General Biography. 3.2. His First Expedition. 3.3. The Liverpool Plains. 3.4. The Brisbane River. CHAPTER 4. HAMILTON HUME. 4.1. Early Achievements. 4.2. Discovery of the Hume (Murray). CHAPTER 5. ALLAN CUNNINGHAM. 5.1. Coastal Expeditions. 5.2. Pandora's Pass. 5.3. The Darling Downs. CHAPTER 6. CHARLES STURT. 6.1. Early Life. 6.2. The Darling. 6.3. The Passage of the Murray. CHAPTER 7. SIR THOMAS MITCHELL. 7.1. Introductory. 7.2. The Upper Darling. 7.3. The Passage of the Darling. 7.4. Australia Felix. 7.5. Discovery of the Barcoo. CHAPTER 8. THE EARLY FORTIES. 8.1. Angas McMillan and Gippsland. 8.2. Count Strzelecki. 8.3. Patrick Leslie. 8.4. Ludwig Leichhardt. CHAPTER 9. EDMUND B. KENNEDY. 9.1. The Victoria River and Cooper's Creek. 9.2. A Tragic Expedition. CHAPTER 10. LATER EXPLORATION IN THE NORTH-EAST. 10.1. Walker in Search of Burke and Wills. 10.2. Burdekin and Cape York Expeditions. PART 2. CENTRAL AUSTRALIA. CHAPTER 11. EDWARD JOHN EYRE. 11.1. Settlement of Adelaide and the Overlanders. 11.2. Eyre's Chief Journeys. CHAPTER 12. ATTEMPTS TO REACH THE CENTRE. 12.1. Lake Torrens Pioneers and Horrocks. 12.2. Charles Sturt. CHAPTER 13. BABBAGE AND STUART. 13.1. B. Herschel Babbage. 13.2. John McDouall Stuart. CHAPTER 14. BURKE AND WILLS.