JOHN M'DOUALL STUART'S EXPEDITIONS IN THE SOUTH, TO THE CENTRE, AND
ACROSS THE CONTINENT.
The brave adventurer who is next to engage our attention must be placed
in the front rank of explorers. John M'Douall Stuart was excelled by
none, and equalled by few, in the special qualities which command
success in the arduous enterprise to which he devoted his life. As a
practical bushman he probably stands without a rival. From first to last
he spent over twenty years in the exploration of Australia, during which
time he was the leader of six expeditions, in all of which he made
important discoveries, and never failed to bring home his men, who had
put their lives in his keeping. He first served under a great master,
Captain Sturt, whom he accompanied in the capacity of draughtsman to the
expedition which started for the centre of Australia in 1844. His own
responsible and eminently successful labours in the same field will be
sketched in the sequel. It is not too much to claim for M'Douall Stuart
the palm of martyrdom in the cause which lay so near his heart. It is
true that after his work was done he was not left without honours, and
also rewards, both in land and money, but by that time he had lost the
capacity for enjoying any of these things. From his last journey he
returned, or rather was carried, more dead than alive, racked with the
pains of scurvy, contracted in the centre of the continent, which he was
the first to discover. He subsequently rallied a little, but never
recovered his health, and died in England in 1869.
I.
The first of Stuart's journeys was undertaken on the solicitation, and
also at the expense, of his friend Mr. Wm. Finke, and had for its object
the discovery of new pastoral country in the unknown territory to the
west and north-west of Lake Torrens. On the 10th of June, 1858, Stuart
started from Mount Eyre with only two men, a white man and a
blackfellow, taking with him a small complement of horses and a too
scanty allowance of provisions. The first section of the journey, which
was rugged and sterile, lay to the west of Lake Torrens, whose surface
was occasionally sighted. Water was found at moderate distances on this
part of the route, but the rough and stony country proved a serious
difficulty to the horses, which were imperfectly shod. This contingency
had been strangely overlooked, and no shoes had been provided for the
journey. The blackfellow, who was supposed to know this country
intimately, soon got bewildered, and proved of no service for the
purpose he was intended to forward. The leader, being thus thrown upon
his own resources, was also greatly inconvenienced in shaping his
course by the frequent and extraordinary illusions of the mirage of the
desert. Referring to one of these perplexing occasions he says:--"I
think we have now made the dip of the country toward the south, but the
mirage is so powerful that little bushes appear like great gum-trees,
which makes it very difficult to judge what is before us; it is almost
as bad as travelling in the dark. I never saw it so bright or so
continuous as it is now; one would think the whole country was under
water." Failing to obtain the object of his search in the north-west,
Stuart now directed his journey to the south and east, exploring the
central region between Lake Torrens and Lake Gairdner. In this quarter
some small patches of fairly good country were found, but the water, in
the few places where it was met with, proved to be as bitter as the sea.
The blackfellow now, thinking it time to shift for himself, took the way
that pleased him best, leaving only the white man, Foster, to assist
Stuart in the thick of his difficulties. Hope of a successful issue to
their labours was now fast ebbing from the breasts of these indomitable
adventurers. After journeying hither and thither for 1,000 miles, they
had failed in the prime object of the expedition, their provisions were
rapidly disappearing, and the horses were too footsore to travel an
ordinary day's march. At this stage the monotony of the scene was broken
by a high mountain coming into view, which Stuart named Mount Finke, and
from the summit of which he ventured to hope for a better prospect, or,
if not, to alter his course. "If I see nothing from the top of the mount
to-morrow," said he, "I must turn down to Fowler's Bay for water for the
horses.... As I could not remain quiet, I got on one of the lower spurs
of Mount Finke to see what was before me. The prospect is gloomy in the
extreme. I could see a long distance, but nothing met the eye but a
dense scrub, as black and dismal as midnight." From this mount,
accordingly, a straight course was steered to the sea-coast, during
which every camping-place is marked on the map by the name of "desert."
In the matter of provisions, they had for some time been reduced to one
meal a day, and toward the close of the journey it was found that only
two more remained to carry them a distance of 100 miles. In this dire
extremity they were glad to feed on kangaroo mice, which, happily, were
here to be found in great abundance. They are described as elegant
little creatures, about four inches in length, of the shape of a
kangaroo, with a tail terminating in a sort of brush. By means of this
resource against starvation the explorers were enabled to cross the
remaining stages of the desert, and so reached the habitations of
civilized men.
II.
Mr. Stuart was the first explorer who reached the centre of Australia.
The journey which led to this memorable achievement is worthy of
detailed narration; but before entering upon this story it may be
proper to say a few words on two preliminary essays in exploration,
which, in some measure, opened the way to this much-desired result.
About six months after his return from his first expedition, this
indefatigable explorer started on a new journey to examine the extensive
territory lying to the north of Lake Torrens and the east of Lake Eyre.
This country proved, in some respects, a surprise to Australian
discovery. It turned out to be unusually well watered, being furrowed at
moderate intervals by a series of creeks, some of which were entitled to
the name of rivers. But its most astonishing feature consisted in the
myriads of springs, in groups ranging from two or three to more than a
dozen in number. Some of these sent forth a stream of water which might
have turned a mill-wheel, and continued to run a mile from the source.
From this circumstance the whole territory has, not inaptly, been called
the "spring" country. Another dominant feature was seen in the
extraordinary abundance of quartz reefs, many of which bore plain
indications of being auriferous, but, of course, could not be fairly
tested by any appliances which were then to hand. Towards the close of
the same year (1859) another journey was made to this part of Australia,
when more accurate surveys were obtained, and the boundaries of a number
of squatting runs laid down. In both of these expeditions important
service was rendered to the better knowledge of this country, but they
were especially valuable as furnishing Stuart with an advanced
starting-point for his heroic project of crossing the continent from
south to north. This arduous, but happily successful, enterprise will
now be described in its main outlines.
This expedition, which consisted of only three men and thirteen horses,
set out on the 2nd of March, 1860, from Chambers's Creek, a valuable
water supply which had been discovered by Stuart in 1858. For some time
his course lay through an extensive tract of country which, though yet
unoccupied, had become well known to this, its first explorer. Toward
the northern part they followed the River Neale, which furnished plenty
of water, and led them into the unknown country. The next important
creeks to be discovered and crossed were the Hamilton, the Stephenson,
and the Finke. After crossing the latter there began to heave into sight
a strange and striking mountain structure, which presented the
appearance of a locomotive engine with its funnel. "We proceeded," says
the journal, "towards this remarkable pillar through heavy sand-hills
covered with spinifex, and, at 12 miles from last night's camp, arrived
at it. It is a pillar of sandstone, standing on a hill upwards of 100
feet high. From the base of the pillar to its top is about 150 feet,
quite perpendicular, and it is 20 feet wide by 10 feet deep, with two
small peaks on the top. I have named it Chambers's Pillar, in honour of
James Chambers, Esq., who has been my great supporter in all my
explorations." Much good country had been traversed before this point
was reached; indeed, the whole of this route was a surprise in this
respect, as it had been expected to land them in a great central desert.
Instead of finding a barren wilderness, the continuation of the journey
brought them into another splendid tract, watered by a creek named the
Hugh, which, after being followed for a long distance, terminated in a
high mountain-chain. To scale its rugged flanks and penetrate the dense
thickets of mulga proved to be a most formidable task, their clothes and
skin being torn in forcing a passage through the living and the dead
timber. This range--the James--was succeeded by two other chains, which
were named the Waterhouse and the M'Donnell Ranges, the latter of which
have since become a well-known landmark in the history of more recent
explorations. Stuart thus describes the view he obtained from the north
gorge of these mountains:--"From the foot of this for about five miles
is an open grassy country, with a few small patches of bushes. A number
of gum-tree creeks come from the ranges and seem to empty themselves in
the plains. The country in the ranges is as fine a pastoral hill-country
as a man could wish to possess--grass to the top of the hills, and
abundance of water through the whole of the ranges." Still heading
northward, the expedition reached a position, on the 22nd of April,
which is very memorable in the annals of Australia. The goal which had
proved the incitement to so many sacrifices during a long period of our
history was now reached at last. Mr. Stuart was standing in the centre
of the continent. This achievement, of which he might well have been
proud, is intimated by the following modest entry in his diary:--"To-day
I find by my observation of the sun--111° 0' 30''--that I am now camped
in the centre of Australia. I have marked a tree and planted the British
flag there. There is a high mount about two miles and a half to
north-north-east. I wish it had been in the centre; but on it,
to-morrow, I will raise a cone of stones and plant the flag there and
name it Central Mount Stuart." This ceremony was performed on the day
following, when a fine view was obtained from the summit of this, high
mountain. The aspect of the central region of Australia must have been a
surprise to the first discoverer, for it falsified the prophecies of
half a century. The centre of Australia was as much a matter of
curiosity and conjecture in our early history as the North Pole is at
the present time. Oxley was first in the field, with his pet theory of
an inland sea. This conjecture received its quietus from Sturt, but it
was only to make room for the opposite fallacy of a stony desert. Now,
at last, when the veil was lifted and the reality disclosed, it turned
out to be just that which nobody had prophesied and few had ventured to
expect. It was simply a fine country, abounding in grass, and fairly
supplied with water. Both now and afterwards it was used by Stuart as a
recruiting-ground for his toil-worn expedition. Leaving part of his
little force here for the present, the leader made a tentative effort
to ascertain whether there was any practicable route out west to the
Victoria River. Finding none, he returned, and kept steering his former
course. As if the centre had been the natural goal of the journey, he
met with nothing but difficulties in the attempt to penetrate further to
the north. He himself had fallen a victim to scurvy, which was only
slightly relieved by the native cucumber, his only resource. Water
became even harder to find. The horses, also, which were too much of the
cart breed, did not well stand a hard pinch. Above all, the blacks, who
had never been friendly, became the more hostile the further the
expedition advanced. The crisis was reached when they made an encampment
on Attack Creek. Here the aborigines set fire to the grass, and tried
every stratagem to separate the explorers from their horses, after which
there would soon have been an end to the expedition. Failing in this
device, they next mustered their forces and attacked the strangers in
the proportion of ten to one. Even so, they had to come off second best
for the time being. Nevertheless, Stuart deemed it scarcely prudent to
oppose himself to a tribe of warlike blacks in the centre of Australia,
with an army consisting of two men, all told, himself being
commander-in-chief. Nothing further remained but to submit to the
inevitable, which he accordingly did, and returned to the most northern
settlements of South Australia.
III.
Mr. Stuart reached Adelaide in October, 1860. When it became known that
he had encamped in the centre of Australia and pushed his way
considerably further north, the public enthusiasm again rose to fever
heat in the cause of exploration. The Parliament, which never failed in
its duty in this business, again came forward with a vote of £2,500 to
provide for another and a larger expedition, which was speedily
organized, with the old and well-tried explorer for its leader. He took
with him seven men, thirty horses, and thirty weeks' provisions. The
former route was followed, with a little deviation, as far as Attack
Creek, the scene of the previous repulse. In all his journeys Stuart had
the shrewdness to search out and follow up mountain-systems, as being
the physical conformation most likely to furnish the needful supply of
water. Still on the look-out for this good fortune, Attack Creek had not
been far left in the rear when an elevated chain--the Whittington
Range--was discovered, and followed for a long distance. It led them on
to Tomkinson's Creek, containing a large supply of water, which
served as a base for immediate operations, and was afterwards
turned to good account as a retreat in time of difficulty. Another
mountain-system--named the Warburton--was met with in the next stage of
the journey. Like the former, it was heading too much to the north to
suit Stuart's intention of making for the Victoria River, on the
western coast. Breaking away from the mountains, repeated attempts were
made to find a route in the required direction. The high lands soon
shaded away into an interminable, but very fertile champaign country,
which received the name of Sturt's Plains, in honour of the "father of
Australian exploration." But it proved to be absolutely arid, and
blocked on all sides by impenetrable scrubs, varied only by low red
sand-hills. Through these impervious scrubs, on the west, a passage
would have to be forced, or the expedition must end in failure. The
latter alternative was not to be thought of till every expedient had
been exhausted. Leaving a portion of his force in the depôt, Stuart,
three several times, started with a light party to pierce his way
through the most forbidding obstacles he had ever experienced in his
journeys. It was with the greatest difficulty the horses could be
brought to face this formidable barrier; and when forced to do so, the
animals were injured and the explorers' clothes torn to shreds. It was
hard to persevere in the face of such sacrifices; yet it was done
manfully enough, and might have been crowned with success but for the
absolute failure of water. The furthest point reached in these assaults
on the impervious west was only a hundred miles distant from Gregory's
last camp on the Camfield; and if this short space could have been
bridged over the final aim of the expedition would have been easily
attained. To accomplish this object, Stuart did all that man could do in
such a situation. Nothing could be more admirable than the pluck and
perseverance displayed in this conflict with the impossible. But he,
too, like all mortals, had to yield to stern necessity. With a heavy
heart he turned his back on the coveted north-west and retreated to the
old camping-ground on the Tomkinson. Even yet unwilling to leave any
alternative untried, he now modified his plan, and proposed to strike
north for the Gulf of Carpentaria, if such a course might be possible.
This, unhappily, it proved not to be. His path was effectually barred in
this direction also. After the most desperate effort nothing remained
but to abandon the enterprise and return to the haunts of civilization.
The following entry in his journal shows with how much regret this
retreat was forced upon him:--"It certainly is a great disappointment to
me not to be able to get through, but I believe I have left nothing
untried that has been in my power. I have tried to make the Gulf and the
river (Victoria) both before rain fell and immediately after it had
fallen, but the results were the same--_unsuccessful_. I shall commence
my homeward journey to-morrow morning. The horses have had a severe
trial from the long journeys they have made, and the great hardships and
privations they have undergone. On my last journey they were one hundred
and six hours without water." So ended this second heroic effort to
cross the continent. Notwithstanding his defeat, Stuart had succeeded in
penetrating one hundred miles beyond the furthest point reached on the
previous journey. His most advanced position was lat. 17° long. 133°.
IV.
Now, at last, we are to see the reward of perseverance. If Fortune has
any favour for the brave, it was time to smile on John M'Douall Stuart.
Two noble efforts had ended in failure, but this third attempt was to be
crowned with complete success, and land the explorer on the much-coveted
shores of the Indian Ocean. A month had not elapsed since his return
from the second journey when the Government of South Australia
despatched him on his third and final expedition. Being provided with
reinforcements, he left the settled districts in January, 1862, and by
the 8th of April had reached Newcastle Water, the most northern
camping-ground of the former journey. Without loss of time he made a
renewed attempt to pierce the north-western scrub and carve his way to
the Victoria River. But again his Herculean struggles proved to be only
wasted effort. This route was accordingly abandoned, finally and for
ever, as being absolutely impracticable. The line of march was now
directed to the north, with a view of cutting the track of Leichhardt's
and Gregory's discoveries, and thus gaining the Roper River, which
enters the Gulf of Carpentaria. This new project proved more easy in the
accomplishment than he had ventured to expect. There were, of course,
stubborn obstacles to be overcome; but water, the great requirement,
was found at manageable intervals, bringing the party on, by a
succession of ponds, first to the Daly Waters, and thence to an
important river, which was named the Strangway. This bridge over the
wilderness conducted them to the much-desired Roper River. It is
described as a noble stream, draining a magnificent country, and
exceeding in volume any the explorers had hitherto seen. This clue
having been followed in the direction of its source, led the expedition
a long way towards its destination on the shores of the Indian Ocean.
After it failed them by turning too far to the north, only a short
intervening tract had to be crossed before the Adelaide River, one of
the known western streams, was reached. Again the route lay through some
of the finest country in Australia, containing much that was new both in
flora and fauna. The valley of this river was constantly revealing to
the eyes of the strangers some botanical surprise--giant bamboos,
fairy-like palms, and magnificent water-lilies on the placid bosom of
its longer reaches. There was only one drawback, and that a rather
serious one. It was the paradise of mosquitoes, which made a common prey
of the intruders, allowing them no rest by night, and leaving mementos
of their attachment that could not be forgotten during the day. But
through pleasure and pain the expedition pushed on towards the
attainment of its purpose. The leader so managed the last stage as to
make the conclusion of the journey a surprise to his men. He knew the
ocean to be near at hand, but kept the good news a secret till his party
should be in a position to behold it with their own eyes. "At eight
miles and a half," says he, "we came upon a broad valley of black
alluvial soil, covered with long grass. From this I can hear the wash of
the sea. On the other side of the valley, which is rather more than a
quarter of a mile wide, is growing a line of thick heavy bushes, very
dense, showing that to be the boundary of the beach. Crossed the valley
and entered the scrub, which was a complete network of vines. Stopped
the horses to clear a way, while I advanced a few yards on the beach,
and was gratified and delighted to behold the waters of the Indian
Ocean, in Van Diemen's Gulf, before the party with the horses knew
anything of its proximity. Thring, who rode in advance of me, called out
'The sea!' which so took them all by surprise, and they were so
astonished, that he had to repeat the call before they fully understood
what was meant. They then immediately gave three long and hearty
cheers.... I dipped my feet and washed my hands, as I had promised the
late Governor, Sir Richard McDonnell, I would do if I reached it. Thus I
have, through the instrumentality of Divine Providence, been led to
accomplish the great object of the expedition, and to take the whole
party safely as witnesses to the fact, and through one of the finest
countries man could wish to behold. From Newcastle Water to the
sea-beach the main body of the horses have been only one night without
water, and then got it the next day." The Union Jack was now hoisted,
and near the foot of a marked tree there was buried, in a tin, a paper
containing the following inscription:--"The exploring party under the
command of John M'Douall Stuart arrived at this spot on the 25th day of
July, 1862, having crossed the entire continent of Australia, from the
Southern to the Indian Ocean, passing through the centre. They left the
city of Adelaide on the 26th day of October, 1861, and the most northern
station of the colony on the 21st day of January, 1862. To commemorate
this happy event they have raised this flag, bearing his name. All well.
God save the Queen!" Burke and Wills had crossed the same continent to
the Gulf of Carpentaria nearly eighteen months earlier, but this
achievement in no way detracts from the merit of Stuart's success, for
his journey was entirely independent of their, or any other, expedition.
The felicitous termination of this splendid enterprise marks a principal
era in the history of Australian exploration. It led directly to three
important results--the annexation of the northern territory to South
Australia, the establishment of a colonial settlement at Port Darwin,
and the construction of the transcontinental telegraph along almost the
whole route of this expedition.