Journey of Holroyd and Warburton

Henry Holroyd, then Inspector of Police, records that he was invited by the Commissioner (Major Warburton ) to accompany him on a long tour of inspection of the northern police stations, thence across through the Gawler Range to Streaky Bay. We will not follow the party through the north, but pick up the thread of the story with them crossing the head of the Gulf, then quite dry, gathering their trails, obtaining further provisions, packing and loading, each man having a horse besides his own. Plenty of canteens for carrying water were supplied. Rolled spiced beef was a special item on the menu. The party consisted of five men. At that time, it was stated, there were literally no white men living between Port Augusta and Streaky Bay. Sheep farmers and others had at time partly explored the route, but the whole of the Gawler Range was almost unknown.

Major Warburton was an ardent explorer. It was his hobby, and Holroyd states that Warburton afterwards went further afield in explorations and paid dearly for doing so, by losing both his health and his appointment as Commissioner of Police.The object of the trip, he went on, was to discover really good pastoral country for the Government, otherwise he had no personal interest whatever. Holroyd was not at all prolix in his details of the cross-country ride, so his remarks will be quoted in full :

"We jogged along slowly, travelling from morning until sundown ; filling our canteens from any water left in rocky holes by rain and deviating every now and then in quest of water on a larger scale for our horses. "The country was good and suitable for sheep but poorly watered and we came across very few natives, and they, poor specimen of humanity. My dogs dogs caught a kangaroo occasionally which, helped our commissariat, and at last one fine day we left the wilderness and suddenly saw the bright blue waves of Streaky Bay before us. It was a great and happy excitement, and dismounting from our horses we jumped upon the beach like children, nor did we forget to congratulate our leader, who through all our deviations had led us magnetically as it were, to the haven desired."

The provisions, it was said, were running low, for they had been liberally shared with the "wretched-looking natives." The kangaroo dogs were even getting footsore. So, however enjoyable the bathing and the rest may have been, stern necessity urged them toward Eyre's depot (Cooeyana) with its pure and unfailing water.

SQUATTER'S CAMP

There, was also found the camp of squatters. He thought they were Messrs. Gibson and Crawford. Possibly rightly so, but so soon after Hack's departure from the same site, when it was still in the hands of Price Maurice, one wonders if it should not have been the latter squatter, the others taking over shortly afterwards, before Harris's return from Mount Separation. It was said that the Commissioner gave rather an unfavorable report of the Gawler Range country, and for that reason it was not occupied by sheep farmers for some time. Holroyd 's opinion, in or about 1905, was that even then it was too dry and hazardous a country to abide in with security.

From Streaky Bay, the party went down the coast to Port Lincoln. Whence the Commissioner returned to Adelaide by boat, and Holroyd and two troopers with the mob of horses returned overland, visiting Mr. Mc Kecknie on the way. Holroyd had the satisfaction of recording having completed a ride of 1,300 miles on. horseback.

The year 1857 and the month of April became noteworthy in the history of South Australia, for in that year the colony arrived at its majority and was granted a constitution, while yet a minor. The month saw the Governor-in-Chief opening on April 22, the first parliament under the new conditions— a Legislative Council and a House of Assembly. Previously there had not been the Legislative Council to assist the Governor. The year saw the new Government accepting the white man's burden as to explorations ; previously it had for the most part thrown the onus on the private citizen. The Under Secretary was Mr. O K. Richardson, father of Mr. N. A. Richardson, both of whom were intimately connected with the northern portion of Eyre Peninsula a few years later. Mr. N. A. Richardson told me over the telephone that his father resigned from the position as Under-Secretary in 1868, and received the appointment as Magistrate at Streaky Bay, where he was instrumental in the erection of the first church.

HACK'S EXPEDITION

On April 24, 1867. Mr. O. K. Richardson, under direction from the Chief Secretary, offered to Stephen Hack the leadership of an expedition to examine the north-western interior the vital inducement in the offer was, a remuneration of £300, and further, if he succeeded in opening up an available area of country, an additional sum as a bonus, not exceeding £300, but proportional to the value attached to the result of the expedition. On acceptance of this offer he was instructed to proceed with his party and 12 horses to Port Lincoln, with sufficient stores to tide them over until they reached Streaky Bay. The vessel 'Yatala' was expected to deliver the balance of stores at Streaky Bay before the party's arrival. She had on board sufficient goods for six months, and an iron hut for storing the supplies at Streaky Bay. A dray was also sent, but Hack wisely decided not to use it. Camp equipment, surveying instruments, firearms and ammunition, were also provided.

Hack was instructed on May 14, 1857, to go as due north as features of the country would allow, deviating to the westward in preference to an easterly course in case of necessity, with the object of reaching the western boundary. As this was one of the earliest expeditions sent out entirely at the expense of the Government, these further instructions are of interest. The surveyor was to keep a daily account of the course and distances, fixing as accurately as possible the position of any remarkable feature, and determining latitude at every convenient opportunity. Progress reports were to be submitted as often as possible. The natives were to be treated justly and a census of them taken. A description was to be kept of the country passed, and a comparison made with other known land. A list was to be kept of all grasses, timber and scrub and the physical features of the earth's surface were to be noted. The size and direction of streams and rivers and heights of ranges were required. The situation of all permanent waters was to be fixed. Geology of the district, a list of animals and birds seen, with the direction of flight of the latter, were all to be noted. Specimens and seeds of all new plants were to be secured.

ARRIVAL AT STREAKY BAY

The instructions were very precise and definite, but I am afraid they were more honored in the breach than in performance. There was no delay in getting away. Hack received his instructions on May 14, and on May 16, a Saturday, he had arrived at Port Lincoln. He left there on Monday, May 18, and by June 2 was able to report having arrived at Streaky Bay the previous day. The horses were in good fettle, "although the feed was at times very bare in passing through the sheep runs on the line of route."

He found the Yatala had arrived and landed all the stores. Hack in his report gave a list of watering places between Port Lincoln and Streaky Bay, and the distances between each. These have been converted into mileages from Port Lincoln and Hack's method of spelling the various names has been retain ed : — Talla or Little Swamp, 5 miles; Great Swamp, — ; The Fountain, 16: Lake Wongaree, 28 ; Warrow, 38 , Mount Greenly, 50 ; Mount Drummond, 60 ; Kyana Swamp, 72 : north end Lake Hamilton, 81; Seringa, 90½; Tungata, 102 ; Bramfield, 114 ; Pooripidy (middle Lake Newland), 129; Perrepy, 138 ; Cherriroo, 145 ; Choolanibbe, 150 ; Koolcunna, 161 ; Calca, 175 ; Warcoola, 179½ ; Yanara, 191½: Yanippe, 201½ ; Alganibbe, 206½ ; Cooeyana, 211½ : Streaky Bay beach. 214½.

It was on arriving at Streaky Bay that Hack recorded — as has been frequently referred to in these articles — that there were two wells at Eyre's depot, Cooeyana, "one good water, the other, not drinkable by Christians unless in extremity." Hack acknowledges receipt of a letter with a "list of the lakes which may greatly facilitate our progress," and doubtless was a copy of Hulkes's letter of March 5.

STRANGE ANIMALS

From information gathered about buffalo, Hack said the north-western natives had told Police-Trooper Gerharty that "there is a very large animal in their country, neither a horse nor a cow, but larger than either, with a hump on his back like a chimney. They also speak of a large amphibious animal as big in the girth as a stout man, and very long, similar in shape to a sleeping lizard, very slow and very lazy on land, but which sometimes seizes and kills them at night when they are asleep in the camp." Hack surmises the latter to be an unknown species of alligator. He understood the natives to say these animals were to be found "fourteen sleeps" from Fowler's Bay, in the north, north-west and north-east. Very comprehensive directions. It is to be hoped that Hack did not use any of his own personal knowledge here, but relied on the blacks information entirely.

There appears, to be very little doubt that the indigenous alligator of the Northern Territory was one of the animals referred to. Identification of the animal with the hump presents many difficulties : it may have been the camel used by Horrocks in 1846, who only got as far as Lake Dutton, but that is scarcely likely. It can scarcely be the imported buffalo of the Northern Territory, for that animal has no hump on its back ; it has a slight arch on the back of the neck, but nothing to make it resemble a chimney. It was not until 1838 that the buffaloes escaped in quantity in the Northern Territory to make them a prominent feature of those parts. Even assuming that Leichhardt got as far west as the Western Australian border in 1848, none of his animals, horses, mules, and bullocks, would fit in with the description. It has been suggested that a camel may have escaped from Western Australia, but here again, this is almost an uncertainty. Would the long, thick, black horns of the buffalo, on the back of the bead, resemble a chimney ? — say, for example, a stove pipe from a small stove. In my opinion, that is the only solution, otherwise it must be a myth.

(Another Instalment Next Week.)