The Great Northern Exploring Expedition The day after his return Stuart met with Governor Sir Richard MacDonnell. Another expedition was organised. Public interest was keen, even as far away as London, for the newspapers had followed Stuart’s progress. His Royal Geographic Society medal had arrived and was now on public display. There was no shortage of applicants, to the young men it was the chance of an exciting adventure. In less than a month, after Stuart’s return most of the members of the expedition were on their way taking horses with them to Chambers Creek Station. On October 25th they were farewelled at a private luncheon at the home of James Chambers at North Adelaide. The Hon J B Neales MLC called for a toast to their success “Many people give you six months to reach the north coast but I know you will have many difficulties to encounter. I give you this day nine months. If you succeed in planting this flag” (holding in his hand a flag made by Miss Chambers) “on the Northern seashore you will have done your work well.” A member of the party Patrick Auld later recounted “After a few more toasts we adjourned to the yards, fixed the bags on the pack horses and mounted. We were loudly cheered by the crowd assembled. Inspector Hamilton said to us ‘You hear that cheer boys; do your duty; stick to your leader, and when you return we will give you a cheer that will make your ears tingle.’” The pack horses were now let out of the yard, each man leading several roped together. Many were wild and only half broken and once let out of the yard as Auld said “They went for a real go-as-youplease, bucking, kicking, squealing, jumping, sending their packs all over the parklands; horseshoes, blankets, hobbles, etc bobbing about as if they had life. One horse broke into a garden and Frew and I rode in to drive him out, when an excitable lady with a very red face appeared on the verandah with a broom in hand and expressed in strong words the pleasure it would give her to brush us down”. All was brought into order again and the cavalcade moved off along the North Road. Stuart and James Chambers accompanied the party as far as an inn on the outskirts of Adelaide, where an unfortunate accident happened. One of the horses got his halter entangled with another and when Stuart went to free it, the horse reared and struck him on the head, knocking him to the ground unconscious. As he lay there, it trod on his right hand, seriously injuring it. He was to spend the next six weeks recovering. Next day, being Sunday, the party attended church services at Gawler, before continuing north through Auburn, Clare and Melrose through the beautiful Flinders Ranges. According to Auld “Travelling along between Arkaba and Wilpena Pound Station a whirlwind caught us. Two or three horses were carrying riding saddles, the wind made the flaps fly up like wings. I don’t know if those horses thought they had been transformed into angels or not but they started off as hard as they could gallop. Frew’s horse bucked Frew and saddle off. Many of the other horses followed the would-be- angels into the ranges. It took us two days to collect them again.” They continued on past Aroona, Moolooloo and on to Chambers Creek. The next month was spent with the enormous task organising provisions, jerking (drying) the 10 Australia’s Explorers’ Way beef, weighing and packing flour and gear, with two sets of horseshoes for each horse; enough to last ten men and seventy one horses for twelve months. News had reached Adelaide that the explorers Burke and Wills had perished. Mr Howitt’s party had found King “half demented by starvation and loneliness” being cared for by natives. He directed the party to the bodies of Burke and Wills at Cooper Creek. It was later learnt that seven lives had been tragically lost. Stuart with Mr Waterhouse (the botanist) had by now joined their party. On the 8th January 1862 The Great Northern Expedition left Chambers Creek. Stuart writes: “At 10.30am I got a start, and they all went off in excellent style, arriving at Mount Hamilton without any trouble.” The procession of eleven men and seventy-one horses was an impressive sight. The party proceeding in single file behind Stuart, each man leading a few horses with Kekwick bringing up the rearguard. They wore coloured shirts, riding boots and leggings over moleskins, topped off with a “cabbage tree hat”. Each man carried a canteen of water and had a pistol in his belt for safekeeping (should the horse throw the rider); bedding roll in front of the saddle. The first week out, they travelled under a scorching sun. “January 14 The William Springs I stopped at the Douglas without water until after sundown, both men and horses suffered from the excessive heat. This is the hottest weather that I ever experienced in this latitude; during the day the horses will not eat a mouthful but stand about in groups.” The new chums learnt quickly. Water was to be conserved (in case there wasn’t any at the following night’s camp). The rule regarding the watch was most strict; the men changed every two hours, Stuart declaring if ever he found the watch asleep, he would “shoot him dead”– no doubt said to impress Some of the members of the expedition. Back: W.P. Auld, J. W. Billiatt, F. W. Thring Front: J. Frew, W.D. Kekwick, F. G. Waterhouse, S. King
