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Explorers of
Australia:
Edward John
Eyre
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Edward John Eyre was born in England in 1815. He came to Australia when he was seventeen. In 1839 Eyre left Adelaide to try to reach the centre of the continent. His way was blocked by swamps or sandhills, and Lake Torrens was mud, so he followed the Flinders Ranges to Mount Hopeless, and turned back. |
Once back in Adelaide, he found that an expedition was being set up to open up a trail from Adelaide to Western Australia. Eyre was made leader of the expedition. The group consisted of 6 white men, including his friend Baxter, and 3 Aborigines, including his friend Wylie. They took 13 horses, 40 sheep and supplies for three months. A government ship was to meet them at Spencer Gulf with more supplies.
They followed the coastline west, but it was hard going and they found little water along the way. At Fowler's Bay, Eyre decided to send some of the group back to Adelaide and to continue with a small group: his friends Baxter and Wylie, and the other 2 Aborigines. They took 11 horses and 6 sheep.
There were no trees to shelter them along
the Nullabor Plain and the heat was intense. They kept to the
coastline, but could not reach the sea because of the high cliffs.
There was little water. They were saved by local Aborigines who
showed them where to dig for water.They continued on and again
were without water, but found some Aboriginal wells at the place
now known as Eucla. They rested here and travelled on, keeping
close to the beach. Again water became scarce, and Aborigines
taught them how to break off roots and suck them for moisture.
One by one the packhorses were left behind. The party used sponges
to collect dew from plants in the mornings.
By the time they were halfway, it was winter and the cold at night was terrible. They had left most of their clothing, and guns and ammunition, with the abandoned packhorses. They had travelled about 1200 kilometres, and still had about 1000 more to go.
The two Aborigines rebelled, killed Baxter and took most of the remaining supplies and guns. Wylie and Eyre continued alone, but it was a week before they found water. They killed and ate kangaroos and other wildlife.
| Eyre and Wylie finally met a French ship near the shore. They were able to rest there for a couple of weeks. Then they continued on, still heading westward, having been given clothing and supplies by the ship's captain. |  |
The journey became easier, and in July 1841, they reached Albany, West Australia. The journey had lasted four and a half months.
Eyre was awarded a gold medal by the Royal Geographic Society. In 1846, he became Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand, and later Governor in the West Indies. He eventually returned to England, and died there in 1901.
Wylie remained in Albany, reunited with his people. He was rewarded by being given a pension.
If you use any part of this
in your work, acknowledge it in your bibliography like this:
Edward
John Eyre (2002).
[Online], Available: www.kidcyber.com.au
Explorers of Australia
Burke & Wills... Blaxland,
Lawson & Wentworth ...Hume and
Hovell ... Leichardt ... Mitchell
... Oxley
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