Journals of Expeditions to the Eastern Interior of Western Australia

By Charles Cooke Hunt

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Good Press
• Release date: Nov 9, 2021
• ISBN: 4066338080189

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Charles Cooke Hunt

Journals of Expeditions to the Eastern Interior of Western Australia

Published by Good Press, 2022

[e-mail]

EAN 4066338080189

Table of Contents

Introduction: Three Letters to the. Government.*

1864: Journal: Mr. Hunt's Exploring. Expedition [9 July-4 November .]

1865: Journal [17 January-9 May only; 10. May-26 August not published .]

1866. Journal Of An Expedition To The. Eastern Interior Of Western Australia, By Mr. C. C.. Hunt.* .

Appendices

A. ADDITIONAL NOTICES.

B. Hunt's Return [11 October. 1865.]

C. Wells Established [20 December,. 1865.]

SOURCES.

"

Introduction: Three Letters to the Government.*

Table of Contents

Expedition to the Eastward of York.

A portion of Mr. Hunt's Expedition having returned, we are enabled to publish the following letters received by the Government from Mr. Cowan, Resident Magistrate, York, and from Mr. Hunt, the latter being addressed to the Colonial Secretary and the Surveyor-General.

First Letter.

Resident's Office, York, 17th October, 1864.

Sir,—I have the honor to state that Mr. John Seabrook and my son, John Cowan, arrived yesterday (Sunday) with nine horses of the Expedition. The party had discovered a tract of the finest pastoral and agricultural country about 350 miles to the East of York. They had penetrated 40 miles through this country, and it was still improving to the East. Mr. Hunt considered it advisable to send in part of the horses, as the dry season had set in, and he wished to remain another month to examine the country, and endeavour to discover permanent water. All the drainage seems to fall into a large salt lake which runs towards the South, and along which they travelled 100 miles south and were compelled to return. They appear to have got round the north end of it afterwards.

The natives were quite quiet. The party had never been 24 hours without water, and the horses returned in good condition.

I enclose a letter to yourself from Mr Hunt, and another to the Hon. the Surveyor-General.

I have the honor to be, Sir,

your most obedient servant,

W. COWAN,

Resident Magistrate.

To The Hon. the Colonial Secretary.

---

Second Letter.

Camp 43, longitude, 121deg. 25min. 30sec. East;

latitude, 31deg. 4min. 55sec. South.

September 24, 1864.

Sir,—I have the honour, and same time regret, to have to forward, for your information, my intended return to York in the course of a month from this date, having been unable to penetrate farther than longitude 121 deg. 55 min. E. The cause of my return will be the great scarcity of water. At present I have an abundance of good feed for the horses, and the same in the form of game of several descriptions, the emu and kangaroo being about in good numbers. This, I think, goes far to prove that I am on the edge of a fine country, but the great absence of water is an obstacle I cannot surmount to my further progress, unless I have a good rain, of which we have had but little since leaving the settlement.

I and the party have scoured the country within a very wide radius to the southward as far as the back or northern hills of the Dundas Hills. During this week I have had to retrace my steps westward upwards of thirty miles, along a fine belt of country, much to the regret of myself and party, who were much disheartened by having to return, since I and the party have scoured the country on either side of my track, but without success in finding water.

The traces of the natives are numerous, but they have moved off to the eastward from six weeks to two months since; the water in the clay-pans being dried up fully a month. I trust yet we may have rain, this being about the time of equinoctial gales, in which case I shall only be too glad to push on, as I have rations for ten weeks yet.

Myself and party are now in depot, depending upon the water that fell last Sunday evening from a thunder-storm. If this had not fallen, I should have had to fall back sixty miles to water, that being at the very limit of the granite rock country.

If I cannot procure water, I have come to the conclusion of staying out here if I can, and then returning to York. This I intend to do to give me a chance yet. This measure I trust, will meet your wishes.

I forward this by the hands of Mr. Seabrook, who has been of the greatest assistance to me in the management of the horses and other matters. He is accompanied by Mr J. Cowan. By them I have forwarded to Government eight horses, and other things—pack-saddles, bags, &c., for which I have no further use.

I trust you will excuse this awkward letter, but I am in a very hot tent; the flies almost unbearable, and nothing to write upon but a water can on my I knees. I am without envelopes, and but little paper. On my return to Perth I trust to lay before you a full account of my proceedings, from first to last, which I have duly entered in my field-book, with many other matters.

My party and self are well, and in hope of getting out, yet, in the event of rain.

I have the honour to be, Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

C. C. HUNT.

To the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, F. P. Barlee, Esq.

---

Third Letter.

Camp 43, longitude 121deg. 25min. 30sec.;

latitude 31deg. 4min. 55sec. by account.

September 24, 1864.

Sir,—I take this opportunity of forwarding to you a few lines respecting my whereabouts, at the same time stating that I shall be unable to get further to the eastward, unless I can get rain. At the present time I am in depot, in a long narrow stretch of land, between two very long chains of salt-lakes near the head of the Southern—or what I have termed the Lefroy Chain. The lakes to northward are about twenty miles distant, not yet visited, but I think are lying farther East than my present position. The southern chain I have followed down in the hope of crossing to the eastward, but was driven back again for want water and feed, having been without the latter nearly four days. I was obliged to return on a N.N.W. course to a rock at which I could obtain both for a few days. The same now lying about 55 miles in a S.W. direction. At the point at which I turned back was a few miles to the north of the Dundas Hills—a most horribly broken country, where the lakes and samphire flats did not intervene.

My course from York has been east, northerly, except in the case of the Dundas Hills, when I found myself in latitude 32 deg. 4 min. south, and longitude 121deg. 18min. east by account. My farthest point from here was longitude 121deg. 55min. by account, and latitude 34 deg. 47 min., the difference between that and present position. I have had to fall back, having searched the country widely. This thirty miles consists of certainly a much better country than any I have traversed since leaving York—well grassed in many places, and much salt bush, and game numerous—the first kangaroos and emus we have seen since passing Mount Stirling—almost the whole country being made up of forests, thickets, salt-lakes, samphire flats, and here and there a few granite rocks, where we have generally found a little water lying on the rocks, as at native wells, near the base of them, but in no case did we find water elsewhere.

In the event of my having no rain within four weeks, I feel that it will be my duty to return to Perth, when I hope to lay my field-book before you, so that you may be enabled to know where I have been.

Your suggestions respecting the observations I have attended to, in the case of the variation of the compass, I have up so this time found by azimuths and amplitudes to have decreased in the ratio of about 40 to 45 secs. to the degree of longitude; present position it is about 1deg. 15min. west.

My longitude at present is by account in several of my courses, being obliged to go by estimation, not being able to obtain bearings us angles, and I am of opinion that I am a few miles west of true longitude.

My reason for thinking so was that I sighted the west end of Dundas Hill rather sooner than I expected. This I will try to remedy by a few lunar observations, four sets I have obtained, which I will lay before you on my return for correction if requisite, but as the sun and moon will soon be in conjunction, I shall not be able to obtain more for some days.

I forward these few awkward lines by Mr. John Seabrook, one of my party, whom I have requested to return to York with some of the horses—much of my party think it hard to return; but I think it necessary, as I fear I cannot obtain feed and water for so many horses, it being such on exceedingly dry season. The water I am now compelled to use is merely a clay-pan—the result of a thunder storm having passed over last Sunday. That storm left its water in such a partial manner that within three hours there was none, and the dust flying on our horses' tracks.

I think I have said all that is necessary until my return, trusting you will look over errors, for I am writing on my knees on the ground.

I have the honor to be Sir,

your obedient servant,

C. C. HUNT.

To The Hon. the Surveyor-General.

---

1864: Journal: Mr. Hunt's Exploring Expedition [9 July-4 November.]

Table of Contents

Journal of an Expedition organised under the Patronage of H. E. the Governor, by the Agricultural Society of the York District, for the purpose of exploring the country to the eastward of that district, and placed under my command.

N.B.-The Camps noted are only those at which the whole party were present.

By the united efforts of the