Two Worlds, One Life

By Ian Pike

The story ‘2 Worlds, 1 Life’ tells of the intriguing life of Adolph Classen who became lost in Outback Australia from 1848 until his death. Based on historical evidence. The brother-in-law of Ludwig Leichhardt (a famous Australian explorer and internationally recognised person of influence). Adolph Classen was reported to have survived the ill-fated Leichhardt expedition that left Eastern Australia (Sydney and Moreton Bay) to cross the Australian Continent from East to West (Swan River, now Perth), approximately 6,000 kms via Northern Australia and expected to take 3 years to complete.
The expedition lost all contact after leaving the last settled area of Cagoon Station in Eastern Australia. Various search parties were sent to discover the happenings and fate of the expedition party, all of which returned with limited evidence. However. Local aboriginal people (Queen Alice Millar, nee Booth) and the explorer (Andrew Hume) both reported that Adolph Classen survived and lived among the Aboriginal people in the Outback for the remainder of his life.
Research and extensive expeditions to the region since 2012 have uncovered previously unknown and undiscovered physical evidence that validates the previous reports. Covering an area larger than most European Countries, the combined discoveries tell a remarkable story of survival and compassion among the Aborigines, told as a story being passed through the ages. ‘2 Worlds, 1 Life’ provides an account as close to real as possible of what happened to Adolph Classon.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mulga Mob Publishing
• Release date: Mar 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9780463312155

Book preview

Two Worlds

One Life

Copyright 2021 Ian Douglas Pike

Published by Mulga Mob Publishing at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

About

The story ‘2 Worlds, 1 Life’ tells of the intriguing life of Adolph Classen who became lost in Outback Australia from 1848 until his death. Based on historical evidence. The brother-in-law of Ludwig Leichhardt (a famous Australian explorer and internationally recognised person of influence). Adolph Classen was reported to have survived the ill-fated Leichhardt expedition that left Eastern Australia (Sydney and Moreton Bay) to cross the Australian Continent from East to West (Swan River, now Perth), approximately 6,000 kms via Northern Australia and expected to take 3 years to complete.

The expedition lost all contact after leaving the last settled area of Cagoon Station in Eastern Australia. Various search parties were sent to discover the happenings and fate of the expedition party, all of which returned with limited evidence. However. Local aboriginal people (Queen Alice Millar, nee Booth) and the explorer (Andrew Hume) both reported that Adolph Classen survived and lived among the Aboriginal people in the Outback for the remainder of his life.

Research and extensive expeditions to the region since 2012 have uncovered previously unknown and undiscovered physical evidence that validates the previous reports. Covering an area larger than most European Countries, the combined discoveries tell a remarkable story of survival and compassion among the Aborigines, told as a story being passed through the ages. ‘2 Worlds, 1 Life’ provides an account as close to real as possible of what happened to Adolph Classon.

Preface

The topics and story I have written were pieced together when I came across a mysterious letter that talked about Leichhardt and the whereabouts of relics. Having lived in the Australian outback all my life, I recall various accounts from time to time that have somehow been left forgotten and it is because of this that I felt it was important to write an account of such findings being passed on and those discovered by our own searches. The true tale would be an astonishing account that would boggle the imagination of readers well into the future.

I never thought for a second that I would write about these things, but seeing as though I found myself living and searching and somehow being touched by the environment, the native people and the unearthed story of survival it was important that I put pen to paper and am able to share what I feel is a fair account of what happened...... it will remain to the reader to form their own opinion; but before you do, please take some time to enjoy what this story can bring you.

Ian Douglas Pike

Forward

This book is different to anything that I suspect any readers will ever read; this is because I have been on an exploring journey with my father that has taken us to 1,000’s of kilometres of the Australian Outback. We have walked along creek beds looking at soil types, the land structures, the different soil compositions that produce a variety of different plants and provide shelter to an incredible list of native animals, insects and birds. We have been fortunate to visit sites that are nothing short of awe inspiring; breathtaking places that send chills down your spine. It may sound stereotypical to say these things and you may be thinking that anybody can write such words. We have been able to find pearl buttons after shaking the sands away through screens in the most remote and desolate locations. We have found rainforest plants that have evolved over generations to enable successful genealogy and reproduction in the harshest of climates. We have been tracking the stories of explorers following significant research and dialoguing already published accounts to bring together a somewhat detailed observation that is based on fact. The reason why we have been so engrossed in this is because we have common interests and I feel truly fortunate to have spent such a lot of my spare time with my father while doing so.

The journey is only partially complete; however, this book perhaps provides a perspective that if it had not been written in the context that it has, would be viewed significantly differently. This is because the human perspective on the existence of life is much different today, than what it was 150 years ago. This book has been written in an authentic 1800’s style narrative which is not the easiest form of storytelling but is essential because it has authentic vocabulary that would most likely be expected for such a book had it have been recorded during the era of German explorers Adolph Classen and Dr Leichhardt.

I want to remind the readers that this book has never been written with the foremost intention to criticize or condemn, nor has it been written as a provocative text with any sort of intended racial vilification. Having lived in the Australian Outback all of my life (just like my father), I know that my father would be horrified to think that any person would regard the text in any derogatory terms apart from which the story is completely intended to be. We both have the most respect for the country, the people, and the generations of people before us, and I feel the book is an important part of history; not because it has been written by my father, but because its origin is authentic, Australian, and honest as possible to the ways, customs, conditions, and places that any person could have written.

The book could never be written by a person who doesn’t believe in the places that we have visited or the people that we have met along the way. It could not have been written unless if you have lived in the places and the places connect with you, and when you return you feel like you are returning home. The story is a part of my father, and that story had to be told the way it is. I hope the readers can understand the magnitude of connection and the context of such an authored narrative, may it become palatable and not viewed through any other reader's lens than what it was meant to be.

I have learnt so much by visiting these locations, some of these places are mesmerising and the feeling of earthliness has a special connection with the human spirit. If you are ever so fortunate to be able to walk in the footsteps of those before us, it would be a mistake not to take the journey of life with you as an untold chapter…… open your mind when you read this novel and experience a story like nothing that you would ever have thought was possible, 2 Worlds 1 Life is a remarkable story.

Geoff Pike - February 2021

Table of Contents

About

Preface

Forward

Prologue

Chapter 1 - Arriving Back At Witulle

Chapter 2 - Crossing the Coopi Coopi

Chapter 3 - Trip to Nominah Water Hole

Chapter 4 - Nominah Water Hole

Chapter 5 - Moving West Across the Ranges

Chapter 6 - Permanent Rock Hole Stay

Chapter 7 - Down the Valley to the SE

Chapter 8 - Down the Valley

Chapter 9 - Heading to Thungo and Nocunderah

Chapter 10 - Pelican Feast and Beyond

Chapter 11 - Stay at Snow's Stamping Ground on Bingaroo Creek

Chapter 12 - Trip to Woolee Woolee Waterhole and Tennappera

Chapter 13 - Stay at Woolee Woolee Waterhole

Chapter 14 - To Necowlah Waterhole With Rats (27 - 35 S 142 - 04 E)

Chapter 15 - Travelling With Mud

Chapter 16 - Back to Hidden Gear at Permanent Hole

Chapter 17 - Permanent Rock Hole Camp

Chapter 18 - Smoke Signals and Horse

Chapter 19 - Return of Hume

Chapter 20 - Hume's Stay At New Country Hiding Place

Chapter 21 - Short Walkabouts

Chapter 22 - Arrow ---> White Fella Star Map and Smoke Sign

Connect with Author

⁓~~~

Who would have guessed in a million years that you, Ian, would pen a book!

Your forward thinking, love of history and the bush, your patience in researching the explorers from long ago, your eye for detail have all played a huge part in this book going to print.

You have encountered many challenges during your lifetime, thrown challenges out to your family but the biggest by far was when you asked me to type up your manuscript!!!! We had a few grammar issues to unravel but we got there in the end.

I am so proud of you in persisting in your wish to write this book and in achieving it.

⁓~~~

Prologue

My name is Adolph Classen......

I married Ludwig Leichhardt’s sister and I came from Germany to Australia to assist him in navigating his forthcoming trip to cross Australia from east to west after leaving McPherson’s Cagoon Station near Mt Abundance approximately 200 miles west of Moreton Colony in the year 1848.

I was rescued from certain death by friendly aboriginals.

The story goes.......

Chapter 1 - Arriving Back at Witulle

After arriving back at Witulle waterhole Ludwig was very much the worse for wear and suffering from dehydration and he reckoned he couldn’t travel any further back along our tracks which we took on the way out, but he might be able to when he recovered in a few days. We set up a bit of a shelter alongside a gully which gave good protection from the blacks numbering about 80. We used the small, tattered, canvas ground sheets, a few leaves on the remaining cross sticks and ridge poles we had used before.

A little group of blacks had followed us some distance before we arrived here the first time at Wittulle where we camped for a while. These travelling companions were continually eyeing me off and at times pestered me and while sitting around the fire they would sneak up and touch my hair. Some nights I would awaken to find tugging at my hair. There seemed only to be a dozen all up, mostly gins but there were two small kids. In the daylight they would stand off and just stare at me.

Ludwig is now falling in and out of consciousness with the weather being pretty hot. The flies were also troublesome for him. While we were away the water hole had got so low the water was starting to smell. We had no way of boiling it to make it really drinkable. I think this was hard on Ludwig with gut cramps. One morning really early two gins and a buck turned up and offered these soft black berries and a couple of leaves to Ludwig. He seemed to know what they were. They squashed them between the leaves and then he put the juice on his tongue. After this he seemed to come a bit better.

Each night I would take observations of the stars and by my reckoning we were about 22 miles east of longitude 142 degrees. Sometimes I would take sextant readings in the daytime just to confirm where we were. After arriving back at Wittulle Creek we had two bags of Ludwig’s notes and seeds along with the sextant, watch, looking glass and a small note pad which I carried all the time. There were some other small items buried under a tree on the other side. Amongst which were some of his medical concoctions. When I dug them I took a roll of notes and a bottle which was marked for skin sores. The other stuff like scissors, tweezers and knife I left behind when I went. Among Ludwig’s gear were references to longitudes and latitude of the explorers Sturt and Mitchell which he previously talked about at length.

The first night after arriving back at Wittulle late in the afternoon, poor Hentig died about a mile upstream in a gully coming in from the west. All of us were quite weak but Wommii, being one of the original party, helped me pile wood on him and set fire. I said a prayer while Wommii took off back to the camp near a small sandhill (he’d been almost white with fright). Somehow, I did manage to con him into the job. Now Wommii had been with us all the way but had a bad eye problem when he saw new lubras. I told him that if he didn’t help then no lubras talk to him. I felt this was a recipe for trouble in the camp so I told him back in motherland we have a saying that goes (if you don’t touch the female serpent she won’t bite otherwise will kill you). Wommii got all upset at the lecture I was giving him. Wommii in return

Reviews for Two Worlds, One Life

[Kylie Reynolds · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A remarkable story of the sole survivor of an 1884 expedition into the harsh Australian outback. Adolph Classen was saved by a small tribe of Aborigines with whom he lived until his death many years later.