Explorer Continues Overland Journey

Eyre was now (January, 1841) one degree west of the boundary of the province as it was then, but had to go two degrees to reach the eastern boundary of Western Australia, which is now our province boundary. In those far-off days these three degrees of country was a portion of New South Wales, but practically no man's land. The coastal cliffs ranging from 400 to 600 ft. high occupied these two degrees of longitude. Although a long way outside the confines of the Peninsula, it is well worthwhile to follow Eyre for some time.

Leaving Yeer-Kumban Kauwe early on January 10, 1841, the wonderful cliffs were almost immediately encountered. Twenty-five miles further along, Eyre and the black boy saw innumerable pieces of beautiful flint, scattered on the surface ; this would be when, the natives procured the flint for their spears and other weapons and tools.

Proceeding a little further along the cliffs, Eyre decided he could go no further out on that attempt, therefore retired to the head of the Bight, a journey of about 45 miles. They found some natives at the well, and shared with them a kangaroo that the natives had killed and partly roasted, pitying Eyre because he had to re-roast his share to make it eatable.

Eyre met Baxter with two fresh horses on his way back to Fowler's Bay. Baxter was left to bring in the tired horses, while Eyre and the native pushed on ahead, arriving at Fowler's Bay camp on January 16.

To show the difficulty experienced in forcing a passage through, the in hospitable country, Eyre gives a list of distances ridden by each member of the party in the three attempts to round the head of the Bight : — Eyre, 643 miles, 40 days ; Scott, 50 miles, four days ; Baxter, 230 miles, 22 days ; elder native boy, 270 miles, 19 days ; younger native boy, 395 miles, 23 days. The other three white men were occupied a total of 42 days.

DRAYS TO BE DISCARDED

Having investigate the coast so far, and no improvement having taken place, Eyre decided that he could not take the drays any further, but would have to force his way through the sandy waste and dense scrub with riding and pack horses as the means of transport. The overseer returned to the camp on January 18, a day of intense heat with a due north wind, the thermometer registering 105 deg. in the shade of a well-lined tent. At 2 p.m. the wind veered to the west, the thermometer dropping to 95 ; a little later the wind got to the south west, with a further drop in the thermometer to 80, and the afternoon then became comparatively cool.

January 26 saw the arrival of the cutter Hero in place of the Waterwitch, which had proved leaky, and was deemed unsafe to return to the wild coast of the Bight. Wylie, the Western Australian black, was on board. The friends in Adelaide had been liberal with presents ; they had sent along, in addition to letters, newspapers from Adelaide, Swan River, and Sydney. Bran and oats were sent for the horses.

But there was one disappointment for Eyre, the cutter Hero, being under charter, was not allowed outside the province, that is, it could only be taken a few miles west of Fowler's Bay. This upset the plans Eyre had made for sending the cutter along the coast with the dray and heavy gear. The packhorses could not carry sufficient provisions for the whole party, therefore Eyre, decided to send Scott and Costelow, with the heavy gear, back to Adelaide. He then offered Baxter the option of returning or remaining with the party, pointing out that the forward journey must of necessity be a long and harassing one, through 850 miles of unknown country. While anxious to return, Baxter would not desert Eyre and would follow on to the end. Wylie, the western black and the other two native boys were to be taken on the long journey.

CUTTER RETURNS TO ADELAIDE

On January 31, the cutter left for Adelaide, carrying a long report from Eyre, in which he continued the tale of his explorations from the report sent by the Waterwitch five weeks previously. In his report he stated that he had examined from the longitude of Adelaide to 130 degrees east longitude "without having found a single point from which it was possible to penetrate far in to the interior."

The boat sailed away and Eyre settled down to camp life to allow the horses to recuperate. He found time hanging heavily on his hands, so on one occasion he, with one of the black boys, made an incursion due north of Fowler's Bay for about 20 miles. The first 10 miles was through dense scrub (eucalyptus and teatree), and then open pretty-looking country, grassy plains divided by belts of shrub and bushes and gradually getting more open, salsolacious (salt bush?) plant taking the place of grass. The natives were in the district, but did not come into the camp, except one old Denial Bay man.

On February 23, Eyre gave a fireworks display for the benefit of his native boys, using the surplus stock of rockets and blue lights. February 24 was the day fixed tor evacuating the camp for the last time. Two shots rang out, and shortly after wards Capt. Germain, of the Hero, and Scott appeared. They had brought a letter from the Governor, desiring Eyre to return and offering to assist in another attempt northward, around Lake Torrens. Eyre also received a letter of commendation from His Excellency and the colonists for the way he had discharged the trust confided to him, and directing him to relinquish all further attempts to the westward and to return in the Hero to Adelaide.

Eyre, in having failed to get to the northward, the route suggested by him as against the route originally desired by the colonists, felt in duly and honor bound to persevere in the attempt westward, so in reply to the kindly letter, he returned his best thanks and declined to accede to his friends' wishes for his return.

CAMP EVACUATED

On February 25 the camp was finally evacuated, there was to be no return, and ahead was the uncertain unknown to be conquered, for in Eyre's mind there was one alternative defeat, possibly death. The party now consisted of Eyre, Baxter, Wylie, the other two natives, nine horses, one Timor pony, one foal born at Streaky Bay and six sheep and flour for nine weeks. I do not propose to follow Eyre through all his trials and tribulations, but shall note a few of the features.

On March 4, Eyre found the fragments of a wreck on the shore near Teer-Kumuan Kauwe, consisting of part of a mast, tiller wheel and some copper sheeting. There was nothing to indicate its size or name, or date when the wreck occurred on the wild and breaker-beaten shore.

By March 18, Eyre had arrived at Longitude 129, that being the present boundary of the province, and there found that the cliffs receded from the coast, enabling him to make a detailed examination, of the place. He found the cliffs presented the appearance described by Flinders. The brown or upper portion consisted of an exceedingly hard, coarse grey limestone, with a few shells embedded in it, the lower or white part consisted of a gritty chalk full of broken shells and marine productions, resembling the formation that he had found among the tablelands to the north ; the chalk was soft and friable and was traversed horizontally by strata of flint, ranging in depth from six to 18 inches, and having varying thicknesses of chalk between the several strata. The chalk had eroded away, and left the hard upper crust overhanging.

On March 26 Eyre had another discarding of equipment, practically keeping only what they wore and a change of clothing. About this time he had a lesson from his black boys, how to get water, from a gumtree. The natives seemed to have an unerring instinct, which tree to pick and where the root was that would provide the most water. The boys from one root got about two-thirds of a pint of water in about one quarter of an hour.

On March 28 the Timor pony had to be abandoned to its fate, and again Eyre overhauled his equipment. He buried nearly everything this time, keeping two guns and a keg with a little water, a little flour, tea and sugar. In the South Australian Museum there is a pony shoe, said to have been picked up on Eyre's tracks. Unfortunately the Museum authorities are unable to give any further particulars about it. Doubtless some where among their records, there must be an account of its receipt and where it was found. So at present it cannot be said whether it was a cast shoe, or whether it came off the dead animal, neither can it be said that it actually belonged to the Timor pony, but the assumption is that it did. The shoe is not very much worn, some of the nails are still in position, though much eaten with rust. Between the shoe and the hoof there was a leather shield, in fair state of preservation.