Eyre’s determination

At his third attempt at crossing the continent from Fowlers Bay to Albany, Edward John Eyre reached the head of the Bight, but the difficulties involved made him decide to send all the members of the expedition back to Adelaide, except for John Baxter, Wylie, Joey and Yarry. With them he intended to traverse the 1368 kilometres to King George Sound, with a determination “either to accomplish the object I had in view, or perish in the attempt.”

Crossing the continent

With eleven pack horses, the small party left Fowlers Bay on 25 February 1841. On 12 March they reached good water at what is now called Eucla, “after having passed over one hundred and thirty-five miles (217 km) of desert country, without a drop of water in its whole extent, and at a season of the year most unfavourable for such an undertaking.”

As they continued round the Bight they met with the same difficulties of terrain and lack of water and by the middle of April they were also suffering severely from cold, as they had previously discarded most of their clothing.

Murder of Baxter

On the night of 29 April Joey and Yarry murdered Baxter and disappeared with most of the provisions and all the serviceable firearms.

“At the dead hour of night, in the wildest and most inhospitable wastes of Australia, with the fierce wind raging in unison with the scene of violence before me, I was left, with a single native, whose fidelity I could not rely upon, and who for aught I knew might be in league with the other two, who perhaps were even now, lurking about with the view of taking away my life as they had done that of the overseer.”

Struggling westward

For more than a month Eyre and Wylie struggled on to the west, until on 2 June at Thistle Cove they sighted the French whaler Mississippi, under the command of Englishman William Rossiter. They were picked up by his crew and given hospitality until they recovered their strength. After Eyre insisted on completing his overland journey to King George Sound Rossiter replenished their stores, enabling them to move on. Through heavy rains and cold weather, they pushed westwards for a further 560 kilometres, reaching Albany on 7 July.

For this incredible journey Eyre was awarded the Founder’s Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1847. The Society also published three of his papers.

Further Reading
Australian Dictionary of Biography Online Version

 

© Kim Epton 2016-2018
Feel free to use any part of this document but please do the right thing and give attribution.
439 words.
See Terms of Use