End of Gerharty's Expedition

On June 20 1858 Geharty's party left Streaky Bay and arrived at Kyaningie waterhole. The route was through fine grassy country as far as the eye could reach ; some fine sheoaks and mallee, but no permanent water. Trouble started at 8 p.m., when rain began to fall and did not cease all night, damaging the store very much. The whole flat where they camped, for a mile was a lake of water, there even being six inches in their wurley.

Daylight of June 21 saw them on the road, through well grassed country, with mallee scrub. After travelling 13 miles, they made camp at Wirrella. The day was fine, and this gave them a chance to dry their bedding and stores. The sugar was wet and the flour much damaged.

An early start was made on June 22, the party having got everything fairly dry overnight. There were belts of mallee and fine open patches of grass country running south-south-east towards Parla. There were some pine and sheoak trees still about, and limestone rock on the surface, with fine hard yellow clay, and still no springs in the country; water holes satisfying the aborigines of the district. They came to the fringe of the Gawler Range, where the low hills were of granite. The last 20 miles of the day's journey was through mallee scrub and sandhills, and camp was made at Wallabie.

An early start was made on the 23rd. and Yarlbinda was reached before sundown, the party having travelled nearly 20 miles through mallee scrub and sandhills. Relying on the correctness of Hack's information, Geharty intended to have a spell for a day, but the grassy plains shown on the plan had disappeared, and in their place dense scrub and sandhills were in evidence. The only grass was close under the hill. "In fact," said Gerharty, "I never put my foot into such a barren country at this season of the year."

Four natives were met and they reported only a slight shower on June 20, but that was sufficient to store up on the granite, a little water for the horses of the party. It would have taken them a long time to water at the Yarlbinda spring. On the 24th Chulkilta, a native with the party, said the lakes with plenty of grass and swans, ducks and kangaroos were to the north-west. As Major Warburton was out in that direction, Geharty left it alone. Geharty then went toward the end of the range shown on Hack's plan, through saltbush and dense mallee, sandhills with odd trees of forest oak, myall and sandalwood. They camped at Nakulla water hole.

LARGE LAKE SEEN

From a hill was seen the edge of a large lake, six miles north, running east and west as far as the eye could see, about 12 miles broad. From the native's talk, Geharty concluded it was part of Lake Gairdner, but actually we now know it was Lake Everard. The native said it would be impossible to take horses over the lake. This was a great disappointment, as Geharty had mapped out a route of about 200 miles north before turning westward. Geharty applied the term Gawler Barren Knolls, as he found, when approached closely there was nothing of a range about them. The Nakulla country was, he considered, better for sheep than that about Yarlbinda, but it was not wise for anyone to go there, as it appeared that a regular winter's rain was not experienced. It is here that another of those historical conundrums is met with.

Referring to Nakulla, where he camped, Geharty said. "This is one of the Hulkes lakes mentioned in Mr. Hulkes' letter." I cannot ascertain if Mr. Hulkes gave two lists of lakes, but as previously stated the nearest name in Hulkes's letter of March 5, 1857 is Kal-da-buck-ah.

When His Excellency the Governor was at Streaky Bay, on April 20, the native Chulkilta told him and Mr. Davenport about the wonderful grass country outback, and on Geharty questioning this native, outback, the native pointed to the grass among the salt bush. Under the circumstances, Geharty came to the conclusion that no reliance could be placed on any statement made by the aborigines regarding water or grass.

On the 25th, the lake was followed westward and camp was made at Chilterra waterhole, with sandhills to the north and south, and still two days journey to the north-west before the lake could be rounded.

The 26th was spent travelling through sand hills and mallee. A journey of 25 miles brought them to Pengulla water hole. A native, with his wife and two children, was met there. He stated that the country north of the lake was of the same description as where they were.

On the 27th they travelled through 25 miles of scrub country, seeing some red breasted cockatoos. The native said they nested in old pine trees with holes in them, of which there were a few about. Camping at a waterhole that night, they met two native men, one old, the other young. The old man was the happy possessor of four wives, two old and two young. Here Geharty found that the lake could be crossed.

"HERDS" OF CATTLE

When considering Hack's exploration mention was made of large herds of wild cattle to the north of the lakes. Geharty now thought he had found positive proof that the lake to the north of him was of great length, and most likely connected with Lake Gairdner, and that the lake ended or could be crossed there. Geharty wrote in his report, "In the latter part of the winter of 1856 in coming to this station (Venus Bay?) from Streaky Bay, with a native, I crossed the tracks of four bullocks quite fresh, followed them up, and found them at the head of Venus Bay. Saw that their brand was a capital B on the ribs. Found out afterwards that they belonged to Mr. Baker and (they had) strayed from his run near Mount Sorrell (Mount Serle ?). These animals, five in number, were seen by the natives on the north side of the lake two days' journey to the north east of the place I first made it (the lake?) In attempting to cross at this place, that is at the place where the natives first saw them, one got bogged and died and his head and bones are there yet. The other four came round the lake and the first place they got water on this side was at this water hole, Pingatoo, and from here they made their way to Parla."

This extract must be read in conjunction with Hack's report and the comments made thereon in a previous article. The older of the natives at Pingatoo said there was no grass but only sandhills and scrub to the north and north-west, and no water, only one or two stone waterholes two days journey north. On June 28, travelling about 23 miles through sand ridges, which ran south-east and north-west, they reached and camped at Tganieia waterhole. There Geharty had a good view of the country south and south-east, and searched in vain for Miller and Dutton's hilly country. Geharty remarked in this day's entry that he thought it was strange he had not seen anything of their tracks.

NATIVES JOIN PARTY

On June 29 and 30, the party was travelling toward the coast, passing through dense tea tree in places, with some patches of good grass. The course was continually being altered, until finally they made the coast at the back of Point Bell, then the coast, was followed to Beelemah, which Geharty considered was wrongly marked on the map, the waterhole being not more than four miles from Point Bell.

On July 1, Geharty spelled the horses, and from some high sandhills near Point Bell he had a good view of the country north and north-west, scrub following the coast line and at the back of this appeared to be open country. On returning to the camp at night he found he had an addition of 29 natives, men, women and children, one of them being Bobby, to whom His Excellency the Governor had given a shirt on his late excursion up the coast to Denial Bay. It was from this native that Geharty ascertained the movements of Miller and Dutton. On the homeward journey Geharty inspected some of the wurleys they had made.

From Point Bell on July 2 Geharty went toward Fowler's Bay through large tea tree and mallee, from 30 to 40 ft. high, with the ground covered with salt bush. At the back of Fowler's Bay he came to "a beautiful lake about 12 miles long from north west to south-east and varying from five to six in width." Geharty applied the name Lake MacDonnell, after his Excellency the Governor; the lake, being handsome, was well worthy of perpetuating the name of the Governor. The lake was covered with wild fowl, ducks, teal, mountain duck, and droves of a kind of curlew, black and white, with long red beaks like the woodcocks in Europe. One would like to know to which bird Geharty was referring; I would suggest the pied oyster catcher. The description seems to fit, but Neville W. Cayley, in his delightful book, "What Bird is That?" states that the oyster catcher goes about "usually singly or in pairs, occasionally in small parties from four to eight, frequenting sea shores." This characteristic is different ferent from Geharty's "droves." They were found to be splendid eating. The natives call them "Peethies."

The natives said that black swans and pelicans were plentiful in the summer. Because of heavy rain the party did not get much sport but from one shot five flying curlews fell. This constituted their first animal food for a fortnight. They camped at Pardia in the sandhills on the edge of the lake, where plenty of water was to be had by scratching in the sand.

COUNTRY IMPROVES SLIGHTLY

On July 3 they went to Fowler's Bay, hoping to meet with a whaling ship to get further supplies, so that their trip could be prolonged, but were disappointed, no boat being in the bay. It rained nearly the whole day and night, and still persisted on the 4th, so only a short trip was made to Ninenie waterhole.

On the 5th Geharty went about 12 miles north, and then made a course east ward, passing through a fine sheep country. The 6th found them travelling the same course, the country if anything improving. Plenty of kangaroos, parrots, pigeons and magpies and the Port Lincoln black-headed parrot were seen here. That night they camped at Mondona, the furthest inland point reached by Miller and Dutton. According to Geharty's plan, this camp would be about six miles east of Bookabie Wells. There is a difference in the spelling of name places in the report and on the plan - Mondona is taken from the plan; in the report it is spelt Mandana. Geharty said that Miller and Dutton almost returned home by the same route as that by which they went out.

The 7th found Geharty making for Denial Bay through tea tree, mullee, grassy plains and open country, with still plenty of kangaroos, birds, pigeons, and so on. That night they camped at Koolendiddie, here the young grass being 10 ins. in length.

On the 8th they camped at Chilinada seeing another of Miller and Dutton's wurleys, and at this camp the last damper was made. Cooeyana was reached after dark on the 10th: Kalca (Calca) on the 11th - there one horse had to be left - and Venus Bay was reached on the 12th, after performing a journey of 500 miles since June 18. The country was wretched in the extreme with few exceptions, yet in his report Geharty speaks of the whole as good grass country, more especially the coastal belt. "This part of the country will go ahead if once started," was the well considered opinion of Geharty, but he could not recommend the Government to explore inland, the country being all low level scrub, according to all natives interviewed. He could not substantiate the tracks travelled by Miller and Dutton as shown on Harris' plan, and the corollary to this would be that no reliance could be placed on their description of the country. How true was Bessie Threadgill's statement that the baptism was a rough one! In 24 days, travelling 500 miles, with water-logged provisions, visions, some days wet through and others almost perishing for a drink and for a fortnight without any meat.

The Government was well pleased with the work accomplished by Geharty and granted him a bonus of £50 for having so faithfully carried out the exploration.

(Another Instalment Next Week.)