Exploration of North-West of State

Bessie Threadgill (Mrs. W. R. Birks) as she is commonly known, wrote that classical history of "South Australian Land Explorations, 1856 to 1880." In this book she has compressed in a small compass, a mountain of information, gathered from all available sources — even from the " four corners of the Globe." This book should be in the library of every citizen of South Australia, as an inspiration for the growing folks and a monument commemorating the activities of those intrepid explorers whose feats she was narrating.

Reading the book for the first time three or four years ago, I came across the enchanting word 'Wingilpin.' Does it appeal to you ? It was the ' will of the wisp ' of the North-West. Just beyond, as Bessie Threadgill puts it, lay the land of Caanan with its promise of milk and honey, while behind was the abomination of desolation accursed by Baggage and Company. The name 'Wingilpin ' surely conjures up the land of fairies, the bright spot where all good things would be found. Surely it must have been in that country of imagination that the very large animal, with a hump on his back like a chimney and the very long, slow and lazy animal that crawled on the land and caught the natives unaware, were to be found. Surely it was in that land of 'Wingilpin ' that the fairies stored up as their playthings, the many colored bits of stone, to be unearthed by the future generations as opals. Surely it must have been sister fairies of those at 'Wingilpin,' that some distance beyond had charge of the underground water supply, who in their beneficent good nature locked up the spring water during the day time, releasing it at night, so that the water would not be wasted on the hot scorched sand or evaporated by the fierce rays of the summer's sun, while the mischievous fairies underground kept up a continuous growl all day long causing earthquakes and earth tremors, releasing loose stones which rolled down the hill sides and cliffs with a continual flatter. If Dean Swift had been fortunate enough to have heard that word and the fables connected with it, he would have had some ground for locating his Lilliputians in that country.

The lure of Wingilpin has this year (1936) claimed a victim near Ayer's Rock. Poor Bankin ! The name Wingilpin was afterwards applied to a lake and bluff one degree east of the site of Gulliver's travels. On Stuart's plan, the direction of Wingilpin is shown as north west of the north-west corner of Lake Torrens. The lake and the bluff would not be anywhere near that line. Wingilpin must have been the dominant thought in Bessie Threadgill's mind when writing her history of explorations, for the final words in her book are, "Beckoning others smilingly through its most favoured glens and pastures to an eternal Wingilpin."

EXPLORATIONS ALMOST SUSPENDED

Explorations had been almost entirely suspended in South Australia. The settlers were consolidating the areas in the middle forties. The death of Darke, Horrocks and Poole; the disappearance of Leichhardt and his party and the spearing of Kennedy, doubtless had a dampening effect. But another generation was coming into prominence. These started by nibbling at the outer edges, slowly pushing outwards until in 1855, the recently-formed Adelaide Philosophical Society (now the Royal Society of South Australia) took a hand at 'juggling with fate.' On July 24, 1855, at the twenty eighth monthly meeting of that society, Mr. W. A. Cawthorne — who, by the way, was not a member, but only a visitor — read a paper on the north western region of South Aus tralia, with a plan for the exploration. In the paper it was pointed out the advantages that would accrue to science and to all classes by exploring to the westward of the mysterious Lake Torrens — the country of salt lagoons, salt plains, dried up mud flats, stony deserts and rolling billows of sand that had been disclosed by native tales and what settlers had found when trying to burst through the exciting boundaries. Sturt's conjecture of the stony desert tending to the Great Australian Bight had either to be proved or disproved. Horrocks found the indications for better country ahead were favorable, the hills to the west and north-west holding out promises of better things, than the country in which he unfortunately met with the accident that eventually caused his death. The lecturer suggested the fuller use of the camel.

The subject proved so interesting that the next monthly meeting was devoted to a discussion on it. Mr. Cawthorne expressed the opinion that the Government should participate to a greater extent in the provision of funds, than it had done in the past. I suppose the lecturer had in mind the refusal of the Government to assist Darke and Horrocks.

Mr. Bonney mentioned that Mr. Oakden had been out north-west of Mount Arden for about 150 miles from the head of the gulf. (One would feel inclined to query the distance, which would have taken them out to about Lake Younghusband. — J.D.S.) As a result of the uncompromising nature of the country in that direction, he recommended Fowler's Bay as the point for departure of an expedition. Other speakers maintained that the head of the gulf was the correct place to start from.

STATE'S WESTERN BOUNDARY

One of the underlying thoughts in the whole discussion was the alteration of the western boundary from 132 meridian to 129 meridian, which was the eastern boundary of Western Australia, the intervening three degrees of country still being under the jurisdiction of New South Wales, which province was not anxious to relinquish control. A Standing Committee was formed to urge upon the Government the necessity of exploring that portion of the country, and to draw up memorials for presentation to the Governor and the Legislative Council (responsible government had not yet been granted), pointing out the advantages likely to result from the exploring expedition, and so that a sufficient sum of money could be voted to carry out the object. His Excellency the Governor asked the committee to prepare plans for an expedition, its probable cost and advise if it could suggest a capable loader.

After mature consideration the committee recommended a party of eight, suitably equipped, starting from Fowler's Bay, going northerly to the north-west corner of the province, diverging east and west at intervals and eventually returning easterly thence to the head of Spencer's Gulf. This was a very ambitious programme. The committee wrote to many prominent pastoralists and leaders of men, bushmen, and so on, but when putting its plans before the Governor, was not prepared to specially recommend any single individual as leader.

It was discovered there was an unexpended balance of £3,000 from some money previously voted, and the committee desired that the sum be retained for exploration purposes and not be cancelled, as the Legislature proposed. In the annual report of the Adelaide Philosophical Society, read in February. 1857. the council stated that nothing had been done toward the exploration of the north-west interior. The unexpected balance money from the old vote had been appropriated for other purposes. The council desired members to use the united and individual efforts to promote the expedition.

WARBURTON'S TWO TRIPS

Whether the outcome of all this was Hack's expedition is not certain, but if so the council did not make any reference in its report of July, 1858, to the despatch or return of the expedition. Probably in that year they were more concerned with an expedition under Babbage, exploring between Lakes Torrens and Gairdner. Mr. B. Herschel Babbage was " a gentleman who had displayed an active and unflagging interest in the society," whereas apparently Stephen Hack had not. While not saying any thing about Hack's party, the underlying thought in the last-mentioned annual report seems to suggest that Babbage's expedition was the outcome, more or less, of the work of the society. The report, referring to Babbage, said that the public attention to exploring "was first reawaken ed by the society more than two years ago."

The stage is now set to consider the explorations by Major Warburton (the Commissioner of Police) who made two trips, one in 1857 and the other in 1858; Stephen Hack in 1857; Miller and Dutton in 1857; Police Trooper James Geharty in 1858 and finally John McDowall Stuart in 1858, returning from his search for Wingilpin. Major Peter Egerton Warburton was in the Indian Army until 1853, when he resigned, with the intention of going to New Zealand, but circumstances caused some modification in his scheme, so he took up his residence in South Australia. New Zealand was much the poorer and South Australia much the richer, as the re sult of the change. Whether the change affected Warburton financially cannot be gauged, but he gave of his best to South Australia. Warburton, like Eyre, did not care to tread the beaten track, but always wanted to be just "ahead of the other fellow." His epic journey, of course, was from Central Australia to the western shore of Western Australia in 1872.

POLICE AND NATIVE PRISONERS

The major received the appointment of Commissioner of Police, and in the course of his inspectorial duties had been at Streaky Bay. On March 27, 1857, he wrote to the Commissioner of Crown Lands, that the police in the outer districts should be given greater latitude in dealing with native prisoners. He also referred to juster distribution of food supplies; and better oversight of the natives. By kinder treatment, he thought, the natives should be better able to render assistance in exploratory work, and to assist settlers. A country then in need of exploration was lying to the north-east of Streaky Bay, for he said, "hence eastward toward the Gawler Range there is a country capable of carrying perhaps five hundred thousand sheep." Warburton made this statement on the information supplied by Mr. C. Bonney, who in his turn got it from Hulkes.

But Warburton was aware that the blacks would have to be conciliated and reconciled to the invasion of the whites, if a repetition of the murders of 1842 and 1850 was not to occur. Warburton further considered that the police should be able to take prisoners easier from Streaky Bay and adjacent districts overland, than taking them to Port Lincoln.

In view of the present attempt in the Northern Territory to have natives tried according to their own tribal laws, it may be of interest to quote Warburton's views of three quarters of a century ago on the subject : — "The present system by which, when a native is apprehended, he and all the witnesses have to be taken by the police often from 150 to 200 miles to the nearest magistrate, is very bad — it is a most difficult duty to escort them — they often escape, and the escape of the witnesses is as fatal to the case as would be that of the prisoner, whilst in every case that fails, the ends of Justice are defeated. Government is put to much expense, the offender is emboldened in the commission of other crimes and services of the police are frittered away ; there is no question in my mind but that prompt punishment proportional to the offence is the only mode bv which the blacks can be kept in proper order, the intricate formality and minute requirements of the British law must be unintelligible and consequently absurd in the eyes of a savage."

"I can see no practical difficul-ty in trying natives by their own tribes and by their own laws under the supervision and confirmation of the police, whilst many advantages would attend such a course."

(To be continued.)