E. J. Eyre Returns to Port Lincoln

The journey of Edward John Eyre and party northward is outside the scope of these articles, but it might be mentioned that at Crystal Brook, Eyre said the hills on the opposite side of Spencer's Gulf were distinctly visible, and one which appeared to be inland he took to be Middle Back Mountain named by Flinders. Little did Eyre think that in the course of three months he would be travelling down the other side of the Gulf and passing very near Middle Back Mount.

Eyre was very ambitious ; he was more or less, anticipating the party reaching the north coast of Australia. The details of duties show him in another light, here are some of the tasks he allotted to himself :—When not engaged in personally conducting the party, he was occupied in " keeping up the journal and charts, etc., in taking and working observations, in the daily register of the barometer, thermometer, wind, weather, and collecting specimens of flowers and minerals." Scott assisted in these duties and in addition was the sportsman of the party.

They arrived at Mount Arden depot on July 3, 1840, and Eyre found the latitude 32 degrees 14 minutes South. The Waterwitch arrived at the head of the Gulf on Sunday, July 5. Eyre, with a black boy, then went about 90 miles northwards, finding good water, and returned to the depot on the 21st. Eyre then wrote a preliminary report, and sent the Waterwitch back to Port Adelaide on the 23rd. He said that on the west side of Lake Torrens there appeared to be a high range, and he thought it was a continuation of the range on the west side of Spencer's Gulf. He also was in doubt whether water flowed south from Lake Torrens.

On July 25 camp was broken up, and Depot Pool was reached on July 30. Trips were made from this depot, and on September 2, Eyre, after ascending various hills — last of all Mount Hopeless — and seeing himself practically faced with a sheet of water — what he thought was Lake Torrens — on all sides except the south, wrote : "This closed all my dreams as to the expedition, and put an end to an undertaking from which so much anticipated."

On his return journey to Mount Arden. Eyre said he was "still determined not to give up the undertaking, but rather to attempt to penetrate either to the eastward or westward and to try to find some other line of route that might afford a practicable opening into the interior."

Mount Arden depot was reached on September 12. Having determined that his work was not finished, he found he was faced with at least three alternatives: first, to abandon the expedition ; second, to cross over to the River Murray and follow up the Darling ; third, to cross to Streaky Bay to the westward to endeavor to find some opening leading toward the interior from that direction.

FOOTSTEPS RETRACED

The last was decided upon ; he subsequently wrote : "After mature and anxious consideration, therefore, I decided upon adopting it, hoping my decision may meet with the approbation of the committee." It is worthy of mention that four years later Capt. Sturt explored the interior by the way of the Murray and the Darling.

Mount Arden camp was evacuated on September 13, and the party was en route on the new adventure from which one member was not to return, and during which two native boys deserted the leader. Owing to the amount of loading, a tarpaulin was left behind ; to be found by another party about two years later.

Baxter's Range was reached on September 15, and from the great abundance of rain that had fallen, Eyre decided to send the overseer with portion of the party direct across to Streaky Bay, while he went to Port Lincoln for supplies, and eventually to rejoin the party at Streaky Bay. Definite instructions were given to the overseer to follow the track of the previous trip, and on September 17 he started with the two drays, seven of the best horses, all the sheep and one native boy and two white men. Eyre wishing them a speedy and prosperous journey.

On the same day Eyre started with 14 days' provisions and 40 gallons of water, accompanied by Scott, one man and one native boy, with five horses and one dray. The name Baxter's Range, like a lot of other place names, has fallen out of use, but I think I am safe in saying that the Iron Knob is a portion of this range.

As we are now on Eyre Peninsula territory and Eyre has given us a daily history of events, in a somewhat condensed form we will follow, in his footsteps.

Sixteen miles on a course S 25 W brought Eyre to a waterless camp, but with fair grass for the horses. The country travelled over was low, level, and mostly densely covered with scrub. On September 18 the course was altered to S20E for some distant hills. After travelling four miles the course was altered to S40E to some native fires, but no signs of the natives could be seen. The hills were scrubby, barren and rocky, with much prickly grass, and the rock was principally of limestone formation. Camp was made for the night in the midst of a very thick clump of large tea trees, waterless, but with a little grass for the horses. The day's journey had been through heavy sandy country with dense scrub, with occasional dried up salt lakes and beds of salt water channels.

MISCHIEVOUS NATIVES

Because of the unpromising outlook ahead, Eyre decided to send Scott, the man and native boy to Baxter's Range the following morning to replenish the water supply, so on the 19th Scott made an early start, and Eyre occupied himself writing and in the evening took a stellar observation, fixing the site of the camp as 32 degrees 3 minutes 23 seconds. When another star came into position for a check observation, Eyre went outside and was horrified to find the horizon glass gone and his tarpaulin mat missing. On making a more extensive search, he missed a spade, a bundle of horse shoes, an axe, a tin dish, some rope, a grubbing hoe and several smaller things, which had been left outside the tent. All these were stolen within half an hour while Eyre was in his tent. The camp was in dense tea tree, and the night very windy, which gave the natives all the shelter they required, to enable them to keep watch on Eyre and then to purloin anything handy when opportunity offered. Eyre considered he must have been surrounded by the natives when taking the first star's altitude and he wondered why the natives did not spear him, when they saw him then or afterwards in the tent, unarmed. To frighten the natives Eyre rushed through the scrub with a burning blue signal light and discharged a couple of shots into the scrub, but no natives were seen, and though Eyre kept watch for an hour or two they did not return.

September 20 was spent in clearing around and fortifying the tent, by piling up the scrub. A search in daylight disclosed signs of a large party of natives having hidden behind a large tea tree about 20 yards from the tent. Eyre did not venture far afield, and at night look pro cautions against a surprise visit, but nothing disturbed him. The evening of the 21st saw Scott's return, so Eyre was enabled to enjoy a sound sleep that night.

On September 22 the party was travelling through dense scrub, sandy ridges, salt water channels and salt lakes at intervals. The course was 10 miles S35W, then 7 miles W10S, to where the native boy had seen granite rocks, glinting through the scrub, where many holes with water, a fine spring of pure water and good grass were found. There were three small hills forming a triangle about a mile from each other, with sheets of granite exposed on their summits. There was only one spring in the neighborhood, which Eyre fixed as in latitude 33 degrees 10 minutes 39 seconds, and he applied the name Refuge Rocks. These rocks are apparently a little to the north of west of Mount Middle Back, which is in the range seen by Eyre from Crystal Brook.

Many native fires were seen by Eyre, indicating that the natives were numerous in the district, and Eyre advised others to be cautious and vigilant, more especially after his own experience a few nights previously. I do not know whether this advice was written then or was added to his diary when publishing his book a few years afterwards, but the volunteer party searching for Dutton and his party in 1842 had an unenviable experience at these rocks, as will be related when Dutton's death is being dealt with.

WRETCHED COUNTRY

September 23 and 24 were spent in this camp, and on the 25th on a course S37W they passed over wretched country — sand ridges covered with scrub — so that only 12 miles were made for the day. A little water was obtained in a hole that had been dug by the natives. This camp was in latitude 33 degrees 18 minutes 34 seconds. The course for the 26th was S40W for 13 miles, and then five miles S27W, where good grass was found for camping, but no water. The horses had to be watered from the cask. The country had altered to a white coarse gritty sand, and instead of eucalyptus scrub the growth was of a low heathy nature. Granite was frequently met with, but no water. The camp would have been in the neighborhood of Mount Messenger of today.

On the 27th, the previous night's course was continued for seven miles through the densest scrub, which brought the party to where there was abundance of water and good grass. The camp would probably have been near Mount Desperate of today. The 28th saw them camping somewhere near where Verran Railway stands today, and it was probably near here that Theakston, with the remnant of Darke's party, picked up Eyre's track. The surface was better for travelling, but the country was barren and heavy. About a mile back from the camp site they passed a salt water channel, which Eyre thought connected with the Lagoon Harbor of Flinders, but was most probably the River Driver. The latitude of this camp was 33 degrees 50 minutes.

On the 29th Eyre rode on ahead to locate Flinders' Mount Bluff, which Governor Gawler had named Mount Hill a few months before Eyre's arrival there. Scott with the team found the road very long, and over heavy sandy soil densely covered with scrub. During the day Eyre saw at some distance to the north-west a high scrubby range having clear grassy looking openings at intervals, no doubt the Blue Range, as it is now called. Eyre thought that a better route might be found nearer the range.

FOOD NEARLY EXHAUSTED

Leaving Mount Hill on September 30, passing over a low gap, then a course S27W was taken through strong and dense scrub, the dray practically making an open road through it. After 12 miles a large rocky brackish water course tending east north-east through a narrow valley was met. In it were pools of fresh water, so a halt was made at 3 p.m. A luxurious swim was enjoyed, and Scott shot six ducks. The 14 days' provisions were nearly exhausted, and Eyre considered he was still two days' travel from Port Lincoln. The site of the camp was about 13 miles from Mr. Driver's station. The creek was probably Salt Creek, falling into the Gulf in the northern part of Tumby Bay.

October 1 saw them practically at the first part of Eyre's unknown travels, for after travelling 13 miles they came to Driver's station with C. C. Dutton as manager. Eyre calls the place Driver's station. The party had a hearty welcome ; milk and butter were appreciated, as well as the latest news of the outside, for since July, Eyre had had no communication with Adelaide. There were items of news that were not satisfactory, and Eyre wrote that "the great reaction which was to convulse all the Australian Colonies generally, to annihilate all mercantile credit and render real property comparatively valueless had already commenced in South Australia ; failures and rumors of failures were of daily occurrence in Adelaide, and even the little settlement of Port Lincoln had not escaped the troubles of the time. I learnt with regret that it was rapidly falling into decay, and its population diminishing. Many had already deserted it, and amongst them I was surprised to hear of the departure of Captain Porter and others, who were once the most enthusiastic admirers and the staunchest supporters of this embryo town."

Eyre fixed Driver's station in 34 degrees 21 minutes 20 seconds south latitude, or 22 miles north of Kirton Point. Mr. Dutton was ploughing land in the valley for wheat, and the soil appeared excellent, and the garden was looking promising. A Timor pony was bought from him for £25. From the station on October 2 Eyre followed the dray road leading to Port Lincoln, and reached a spot near that town in the evening, after a stage of 25 miles. For the most part the day's journey was through green valleys with rich soil and luxuriant pasturage, occasionally with poor sandy or gravelly soil. Water was abundant, but some pools were brackish. The hills adjoining the valleys were grassy and lightly wooded.