Page:History of Adelaide and vicinity.djvu/170

 ,44 ADELAIDE AND VICINITY The Producers Lake ; and Goyder, in 1857. while making a trigonometrical survey of the neighborhood, discovered Lake Freeling. In the latter year, Babbage was leader of a party designed to explore Lake Torrens, but no important results occurred other than the discovery of the remains of a previous traveller, W. Coulthard. Augustus Gregory made a long journey from Brisbane to the Harcoo, which he followed down to Cooper's Creek, whence he came to Adelaide. In 1S57-S, Mr. Stephen Hack and other explorers went into the north. During the second trip of Babbage, objection was taken in Adelaide to the route he pursLied, and Major Warburton was sent to recall him. That gallant explorer found a passage over Lake Torrens. Later on, with Mr. Samuel Davenport, he examined country between Streaky Bay and Mount Gairdner, and also in the Gawler Range district. John McDouall Stuart was the hero of the period. He accompanied the veteran Sturt on a previous occasion into the interior, and showed so much fitness for exploration that, in 1859, he was entrusted with the command of an expedition. His conduct during the next three years marked him as one of the greatest of South Australian explorers. He possessed the dogged determination and ability necessary for the accomplishment of big designs. In yXjiril, May, and June. 1859, he travelled through the Pernatty country, and succeeded in reaching the then northern boundary of the Province. He returned in July, and reported the discovery of an interesting area of pastoral and auriferous country, and so pleased the Royal Geographical Society that it presented him with a gold watch. Parliament now offered the sum of ^2,000 to anyone who would cross the continent and reach the north coast. .Stuart was expected to accomplisli the immense task. Mr. A. Tolmer essayed the journey, and soon gave up the attempt. In i860 Stuart made his first trip, with the assistance; of Messrs. Chambers and P'inke, for whom he had previously gone out, and went far beyond the limits of previous expeditions, to about 1,300 miles from Adelaide, and about 300 from the Gulf of Carpc^ntaria. The centre of the continent was reached on April 22, and upon a high mound, at once named Central Mount .Stuart, he built a cairn of stones and hoisted the British flag. Here he was afilicted by .scurvy, but, despite its ravages, he sought to reach the mouth of the; Victoria River. He was obliged to relinquish the attempt three separate times through the want of water. Again starting from Central Mount Stuart, for i 1 1 hours he and his men were " without a drop of water under a burning hot sun," with heavy sandy soil to travel on. Again he was forced back. Then he tried to reach the Gulf of Carpentaria. He had already been attacked by natives, but on this fresh attempt he was met by a formidable band. Dangers and difficulties beset him. Says Stuart : — " I took into consideration the position in which I was then placed : my horses tired and weary, three of them unable to be longer than one night without water ; the men complaining six weeks before this of being so weak from want of sufficient food that they were unable to perform their duty. Their movements were more those of men of 100 years old than of young men of 25 ; and myself being so unwell that 1 was unable to sit in the saddle the whole day without suffering the most excruciating pain ; our provisions scarcely sufficient