John Tennant's Notable Arrival At Port Lincoln

Further to the article in last week's issue of "The Times," dealing with early settlers on Eyre Peninsula, including the arrival of Mr. John Tennant, Mr. J. O. Somerville has forwarded additional interesting particulars concerning this pioneer and his settlement at Tallala station, near Louth Bay.

Mr. Somerville states that in his previous article everything pointed to the probability that Tennant and party arrived in the Port Lincoln district about 1846. He has now been able to obtain more definite information on this matter, by quoting from the South Australian Register, of August 26, 1846, which provides positive evidence of Tennant' s arrival. Further there is what must be the correct account of Tennant's and Anderson's connection with finding traces of Dutton's party.

"When writing up the history of the early days of Eyre Peninsula," states Mr. Somerville, "reference was made to a report that these gentlemen had come on Dutton's dray and underneath were the bodies of the whole of the unfortunate party." "I was very dubious about accepting that account, and desired some other reliable information before accepting it in full. The extract shows that the former historian was sadly astray." The paragraph from the Register, reads: — "Mr. Tennant's overland party arrived at Port Lincoln on the 8th August, having made the journey in a little more than five weeks, through a country as far as 'Middle back,' which was worse, if possible, than that described by Mr. Eyre. The horses were up to their bellies in sand, the grass of the wiry, short and rushy kind, and their sufferings from want of water, as they seem to think, were unequalled by those of any other travellers. The party came upon Mr. Dutton's tracks at the head of the gulf, and traced it back for a few miles, but had to return, their attention being required to get the sheep forward ; they had no rain, the sun was scorching hot, and even at night it was so warm that they felt little inconvenience, although they had to sleep in the bush without shelter.'' (The head of the gulf must be taken as probably about Whyalla. — J.D.S.)

"Behind Franklin Harbor they came upon a better country, but had no time to examine its extent. They here found a good specimen of copper, the tracks of a few cattle and of one horse, probably the one lost by Mr. Eyre in 1842, when in search of Mr. Dutton."

As previously related, states Mr. Somerville, the historian let his fancy roam, by saying that one of Eyre's horses "took to the sea and swam for the opposite shore, steering a direct course for Adelaide." Eyre recorded that one horse got down a rocky cliff into deep water, and could not be recovered without endangering the balance of the horses. Seemingly the horse got ashore itself and wandered about the country. The extract continues: —

"They also met there, the first natives seen since leaving Mount Arden, who approached them differently to those they had left behind, and not with intent to spear sheep or shepherds, but to exchange fish — of which they had abundance — for flour. They saw the rain falling to the southward of them and which had inundated the district more than has been known since the formation of the settlement, and thought that each succeeding day would bring them into the midst of it, which it did on approaching the hills behind Lipson's Cove, where they found the transition greater than can well be imagined, leaving, as they had a country which they think the great flood never covered, and on which they did not see one living creature, neither beast, bird nor reptile, not even a bandicoot."

"Their first night at Pillaworta was enlivened by the pleasing song of the nightingale and the melodious notes of the magpie. The next morning they were surrounded with water fowls and birds of various kinds. The hills were covered with verdue, and all nature seemed animated and bursting into birth. Their sheep, dogs, cattle and horses around them, the gulf with its islands, on the one hand, and the valleys teeming with water from the hills, on the other, served conjointly to remind them of the hills emerging from the waters as recorded by the sacred historian of the first day after the deluge."

"Mr. Tennant's trying journey was, nevertheless, a successful one; only five sheep out of 7,000 having been lost on the way, and this success will probably induce others to take the overland route with sheep and horned cattle, which description of stock is particularly wanted at Port Lincoln."

Probably some allowance must be made for the Register's enthusiastic correspondent's remarks, doubtless his zeal for the welfare of his beloved district had allowed him to run riot, but on the whole the data can be accepted as fairly accurate. This account is exceedingly interesting, as no doubt it was the first overland journey with stock to Port Lincoln, and it is marvellous how the party got through with so little loss of stock, more particularly when we remember the sufferings endured by Eyre on his two trips, and by the volunteer search party in quest of Dutton just a few year's previously.