Page:History of West Australia.djvu/436

 them space on his deck for 54 people and convey them to either Teintsin Harbour or Fremantle. For this slight accommodation the skipper charged £350. The passengers only got deck room and water, and had both to provide and cook their food. After a fortnight's voyage they reached Teintsin Bay, now known as Cossack, off which place they dropped anchor on April 1, 1865. The day after their arrival the barque Maria Ross from Portland, Victoria, under charter to Messrs. A. R. and J. E. Richardson, Mackenzie Grant, Anderson, and John Edgar, arrived. These gentlemen have risen to prominence in this colony. One party assisted the other in landing stock from the respective vessels. When landed they received much assistance from that grand pioneer, Mr. John Withnell, who helped Mr. Hooley and his friends to convey their goods and chattels to his camp, which was about the spot where the present town of Roebourne stands. Mr. Hooley made a short exploration trip towards the head of the Harding and Sherlock Rivers, accompanied by Messrs. Lambton, Mount, Murray, and A. E. Anderson. They returned very pleased with the appearance of the country, even though they saw it under somewhat unfavourable circumstances. They were not long idle, for, organizing another expedition, they made arrangements to explore the Ashburton, which had been previously reported on by Mr. F. T. Gregory, the Government explorer, who had proceeded in the barque Dolphin to Nickol Bay some few years previously, and discovered and named the river. Mr. Hooley's party determined to strike this river 100 miles to the westward of Gregory's track. The expedition started at the end of May, and taking a southerly course encountered very rough country. After passing the Upper Harding they crossed the Fortescue River near the famous Mill Pool, where there was a beautiful supply of artesian water. They then proceeded in a southerly direction, and literally forced a passage through the Hamersley Ranges past the point which Gregory's party failed to penetrate. Progress was exceedingly difficult, for the ranges were covered with dense spinifex. The obstacles in the rough and broken country were so numerous that it took them seven days to journey 50 miles. The Ashburton was eventually reached. The natives, who had never before seen white men, were startled beyond compare when they saw them dismounting from their horses. In their simple ignorance they considered man and horse as one being, and so amazed were they that they ran shrieking away, as if a miracle only done by gods had been accomplished that day. Who knows but what a grey old classic chief told them of the ghoulish fearsome Centaurs. After examining from afar off this strange new apparition they determined on the bold procedure of attacking the explorers. With all the cunning so natural to them sixty sable warriors approached the little band with their deadly spears held ready for action. But yet another amazing thing awaited them. The loud sharp report of a gun so horrified them that they turned and incontinently fled to safer quarters.

After reaching Mount Murray and Mount Alexander, named after members of the party, they took a south-westerly course for what was then considered a desert, but now known as Yanarie Creek. They proceeded some seventy or eighty miles, but finding no country suitable for grazing purposes they again struck the Ashburton and followed its course right to the point where Messrs. McRae and Harper's homestead is now located. Provisions running short, they made their way to the homestead of Mr. Withnell, and discovered splendid water in the Hamersley Ranges. On reaching the present site of Roeburne they parted. The only settlers in the district were Messrs. Padbury and Co., at the De Grey Station, 160 miles east of Nickol Bay; Mr. Withnell, the late Mr. J. Wellard, Messrs. Taylor and Lockyer, Messrs. Mount, Oakney, and Smith, and the Messrs. Richardson (2), Grant, Edgar, and Anderson. Mr. Murray and Mr. Hooley were greatly pleased with the country around Nickol Bay, the Fortescue, and the Ashburton, and Mr. Murray went to Victoria for the purpose of procuring sheep and cattle for stocking any land they might take up. A heavy expenditure was at that time entailed in conveying stock by ship, and even from Fremantle to northern ports it often cost as much as 13s. per sheep. Mr. Hooley was not willing to spend so much money on carriage, and he determined to travel his sheep from the Swan overland. This was a feat not before accomplished, and it needed a knowledge of navigation to strike out so long and dangerous a route. He discussed the matter with Mr. S. Hall and others, and forthwith resumed the study of navigation which he started on previous occasions. Finally he sailed in a small cutter owned by Mr. Padbury, and with his companions reached Fremantle after a twenty-three days' run, and this notwithstanding some very rough weather, with which the captain, the well-known Peter Hedland, well knew how to cope. On arrival at Fremantle Mr. Hooley had an interview with the Surveyor-General, Captain Roe, R.N., and furnished him with a report of his exploring expeditions in the north-west country. In recognition of the excellent and arduous work of Mr. Hooley and his companions in exploration, the Government allowed the party a grant of 100,000 acres each, rent free for four years, provided the holding was stocked within twelve months. The offer was accepted by Mr. Hooley, who meanwhile had been making enquiries with regard to the overland route. He thus acquired a good deal of information as to the lay of the country—what was known of it—from old residents of Champion Bay, and decided to travel his stock from Champion Bay to Teintsin Harbour, a distance of 800 miles. Instead of going to Victoria he made arrangements to procure stock locally, and then went out exploring the route it would be necessary for him to take. Governor Hampton gave him the assistance of two native prisoners from Rottnest Island, besides a number of horses. The late Mr. J. H. Monger and Messrs. Brown and Glengarry also took great interest in the expedition and rendered him all the assistance they could. The season was a very dry one. Mr. Hooley was unable to travel far inland, and therefore skirted the coast line as far as Shark's Bay. His intention was to make the Gascoyne and follow up the river to the longitude of Mount Alexander. After traversing the country for some distance he found the land dry and impoverished, and therefore decided to return to Perth.

Everything in the way of preliminary arrangements was got ready, but he decided to await until the following March, when perchance the country would be in a fitter condition for his trip. At this time the Geraldine lead mine, about 80 miles from Geraldton, was the furthest settled point on the Murchison, and on the 27th May, 1866, Mr. Hooley started thence with 1,920 sheep, two teams of three horses each, five white men, and two natives. The leading people in the colony waited with much interest to learn the result of his journey. The party proceeded along the Murchison some 280 miles to where Mr. James Aitken's Milly Milly Station is now established. The last 200 miles contained very fair grazing land, with plenty of grass and salt-bush, but Mr. Hooley judged that it would be very short of fresh water in dry seasons. His plan for the successful carrying out of the trip was to proceed before the sheep and teams, and map