Journals of Expeditions of Discovery into Central Australia and Overland from Adelaide to King George's Sound in the Years 1840-1: Sent By the Colonists of South Australia, with the Sanction and Support of the Government: Including an Account of the Manners and Customs of the Aborigines and the State of Their Relations with Europeans

In Short

This two-volume work records Edward John Eyre’s attempts between 1840 and 1841 to penetrate the interior of South Australia and traverse the arid coastline to Western Australia. Published after Eyre spent three years as Resident Magistrate at Moorunde, the text pairs a daily journal of overland travel with an extensive ethnographic study of the Aboriginal peoples of the region. Eyre details the physical reality of leading expeditions through waterless terrain, the loss of pack animals, and the collapse of early geographic hopes, culminating in a perilous coastal march driven by bare survival. Beyond the physical trial, Eyre offers a meticulous account of Indigenous languages, hunting technologies, social structures, and burial rites. The work endures because it balances a harrowing narrative of survival with an early European attempt to observe, document, and policy-formulate around the Indigenous inhabitants whose lands were being occupied.

The Story

The narrative opens in Adelaide in June 1840 amidst public celebration and high civic expectations. Financed by public subscription and colonial government backing, Eyre sets out northward to explore the interior of South Australia, aiming to reach the center of the continent. Supported by drays, horses, and a small party—including his companion Mr. Scott, an overseer, and Indigenous guides—he establishes a base camp near Mount Arden and pushes toward Flinders Range.

As the party advances north, geographic reality shatters Eyre’s expectations. He Encounters salt flats, broken rocky ranges, and the impenetrable, horseshoe-shaped expanse of Lake Torrens. Ascending prominent heights like Mount Serle and Mount Deception, Eyre looks out only upon dry, barren wastes. The spring waters in the gorges run brackish or vanish entirely into sandy plains. Realizing that the interior route to the north is barred by impassable salt basins and a complete lack of fresh water, Eyre shifts his objective. He redirects his expedition westward toward Port Lincoln and Fowler’s Bay, resolving to attempt an overland crossing along the Great Australian Bight to King George’s Sound.

At Fowler’s Bay, the expedition faces severe hardship. The coastal terrain consists of dense eucalyptus scrub, shifting sand hummocks, and sheer limestone cliffs that drop directly into the ocean. Water becomes the single controlling factor of their movement. The party is repeatedly forced to bury heavy stores, dig deep into coastal sand dunes, and send back relief parties for provisions. Recognizing the extreme danger of pushing a full team through this landscape, Eyre scales down the expedition. He sends Mr. Scott and several men back to Adelaide by sea on the cutter Hero, refusing to subject the entire group to the perilous journey ahead.

Eyre chooses to press forward on foot with only his overseer, John Baxter, and three Aboriginal young men—Wylie, a native of King George's Sound, and two young men from the Murray district. What follows is a brutal struggle against starvation and thirst along the coastal margin. Pack horses collapse from exhaustion and are abandoned or slaughtered for food, leading to severe dysentery when the men consume the dried, spoiled meat. Desperation mounts as the party covers hundreds of miles of waterless cliffs, surviving by collecting morning dew from grass or digging shallow wells in sand hummocks.

The journey turns tragic in late April 1841. While Eyre is away from the camp monitoring the horses at night, the two Murray district natives shoot Baxter, plunder the remaining provisions and firearms, and flee into the scrub. Eyre returns to find his overseer dying on the barren rock, leaving him isolated thousands of miles from settlement with only Wylie, who chooses to remain loyal.

With minimal ammunition and barely any water, Eyre and Wylie continue their march west along the line of cliffs. Their physical condition deteriorates to the point of near-fatal exhaustion until June, when they spot the French whaling ship Mississippi anchored off Rossiter Bay. The ship’s captain, Mississippi native Captain Leclair, welcomes the emaciated travelers aboard, providing them with food, shelter, and rest for nearly two weeks. Restored by this respite, Eyre and Wylie resume their overland journey on foot, navigating the remaining rainy, scrub-dense miles until they successfully reach the British settlement at King George’s Sound (Albany) in July 1841.

The second half of the work transitions into a comprehensive sociological, botanical, and ethnographic treatise. Eyre synthesizes his observations from the expedition with his subsequent three-year tenure as Resident Magistrate at Moorunde on the Murray River. He systematically documents Aboriginal life, covering hunting practices, net-making, language, territorial boundaries, and complex mortuary customs. The work concludes with Eyre’s policy recommendations to the British Government, arguing for systematic food distribution and a legal framework that recognizes Indigenous rights while protecting both native populations and white settlers from escalating violence.

How It Unfolds

Departure from Adelaide Amidst public fanfare and official patronage, Eyre’s expedition departs Adelaide in June 1840 equipped with horses, drays, and heavy supplies. The party marches north past Spencer’s Gulf, establishing early depots along the dry watercourses of Flinders Range.

Blocked at Lake Torrens Probing northward, Eyre climbs elevated points like Mount Serle, only to find his path blocked by the vast, salty basin of Lake Torrens. Finding no fresh water or navigable passages to the interior, he abandons the northern route and redirects his force west toward the coast.

Reorganization at Fowler’s Bay Facing dense scrub, extreme heat, and dwindling horse strength, Eyre establishes a base at Fowler’s Bay. Realizing the extreme hazard of the overland coastal route, he sends the ship Hero back to Adelaide with Mr. Scott and part of the crew, keeping only his overseer Baxter and three Aboriginal young men.

The March Along the Bight Eyre’s reduced party pushes along the line of steep limestone cliffs bordering the Great Australian Bight. Water grows critically scarce, forcing the men to dig wells in coastal sand hummocks, collect morning dew, and kill emaciated horses for meat.

Tragedy in the Scrub During a dark night camp, two of the native men murder overseer John Baxter, steal the remaining rations and guns, and vanish into the wilderness. Eyre is left destitute and stranded in an unknown waste with only one companion, the King George’s Sound native Wylie.

Rescue at Rossiter Bay Near the end of their physical endurance, Eyre and Wylie reach the coast at Rossiter Bay and spot the French whaling vessel Mississippi. Captain Leclair takes them aboard for twelve days, supplying fresh rations, clothing, and shoeing their remaining horses.

Arrival at King George’s Sound Re-equipped from the French vessel, Eyre and Wylie complete the final leg of their overland journey through heavy rains and dense brush. In July 1841, they march into the settlement at King George’s Sound, successfully completing the perilous overland transit.

Magisterial Service at Moorunde Following his return, Eyre assumes the post of Resident Magistrate along the Murray River from 1841 to 1844. He applies his practical experience to establish peaceful relations with local tribes, observing native governance and mediating frontier conflicts.

Ethnographic Record and Policy Proposal Eyre details the material culture, hunting techniques, dietary habits, and funeral rites of the Indigenous populations. He concludes his volume with a critical evaluation of colonial policy, advocating for regular food distributions to offset lost native hunting grounds and protect both races.

The People

Edward John Eyre The leader of the expedition and author of the journals. Eyre is driven by geographic curiosity, public duty, and personal ambition to map the Australian interior. Facing repeated physical failure, water shortages, and the murder of his companion, his resolve shifts from geographic discovery to stark personal survival. As a writer and later magistrate, he displays a disciplined, observant mind, determined to treat Indigenous populations with empirical fairness rather than unexamined colonial prejudice.

John Baxter The expedition’s overseer and Eyre’s long-standing companion. Capable, hard-working, and obedient, Baxter bears the heavy physical labor of managing the drays, searching for strayed horses, and managing provisions under extreme stress. As the expedition drags through the waterless wastes of the Bight, Baxter grows increasingly despondent about their prospects. His journey ends tragically when he is shot and killed in his sleep by two of the party's native members during a night raid on their supplies.

Wylie A native youth from the King George’s Sound region who joins Eyre’s party. Good-tempered and skilled at hunting local game like kangaroos, Wylie experiences the same extreme hunger and cold as the Europeans. Though deeply tempted by food shortages and distressed by the desertion of the other native members, Wylie remains loyal to Eyre, guiding and accompanying him through the final hundreds of miles to his home territory at King George’s Sound.

Mr. Scott Eyre’s energetic second-in-command during the initial phases of the expedition. Scott handles logistics, manages camp preparations in Adelaide, drives relief supply runs between Port Lincoln and Fowler's Bay, and conducts advance reconnaissance. He leaves the expedition when Eyre decides to reduce the party for the dangerous coastal push, returning safely to Adelaide on the cutter Hero.

The Murray River Natives Two young Aboriginal men who accompany the expedition from the Murray district. Plunged into unfamiliar, hostile coastal environments far from their home country, they suffer severe food restriction and fear. Their distress culminates in the night ambush where they shoot Baxter, steal the party’s provisions and firearms, and desert into the scrub.

In Its Own Voice

When detailing the severe physical strain of searching for water along the arid coastline, Eyre captures the precise mental contrast between European travelers and local inhabitants:

Another very important circumstance in favour of the native... is the fact, that the native sets to work to procure his supply calmly and collectedly, and before he requires it; whilst the European, even if acquainted with the method of obtaining it, would not resort to it until the last extremity, when the body was fatigued and heated by previous exertion, the mouth dry and parched by thirst, and the mind excited and anxious from apprehension.

Reflecting on the stark isolation and tragic losses of his expedition exactly one year after setting out from Adelaide, Eyre writes:

A year had now elapsed since I first entered upon the Northern Expedition. This day twelve months ago I had left Adelaide to commence the undertaking, cheered by the presence and good wishes of many friends, and proudly commanding a small but gallant party--alas, where were they now? Painful and bitter were the thoughts that occupied my mind as I contrasted the circumstances of my departure then with my position now, and when I reflected that of all whose spirit and enterprise had led them to engage in the undertaking, two lone wanderers only remained to attempt its conclusion.

Considering the rapid decline of Indigenous populations following European settlement, Eyre warns of the consequences of neglect:

From a long experience, and an attentive observation of what has been going on around me, I am perfectly satisfied, that unless some great change be made in our system, things will go on exactly as they have done, and in a few years more not a native will be left to tell the tale of the wrongs and sufferings of his unhappy race.

What It's Really About

Beneath its day-by-day record of bearings, distances, and waterholes, Journals of Expeditions of Discovery is an examination of physical limit and colonial encounters. At its core, the text challenges the imperial fantasy of an easily mastered, fertile interior. Eyre’s journey across the Great Australian Bight demonstrates how quickly European technology, domestic livestock, and military authority break down when severed from reliable water sources. The landscape does not yield to ambition; it strips the expedition down until survival depends entirely on Indigenous survival techniques—such as extracting moisture from plant roots, gathering dew, or locating hidden sand-well formations.

Beyond the physical struggle, the book is an early work of cross-cultural observation and critique. Eyre writes not merely as an explorer, but as an administrator attempting to understand why British settlement leads to violence and population collapse among Aboriginal tribes. He documents how pastoral expansion destroys native food supplies, forcing Indigenous people into conflict over livestock. Eyre argues that frontier violence is not rooted in inherent native savagery, but in colonial failure to recognize Indigenous rights, provide compensation for taken lands, and govern with equal justice. The work ultimately asks whether a colonial authority can establish presence without annihilating the original inhabitants of the soil.

Why Read It Today

Eyre’s Journals remains one of the most vivid and candid primary accounts of Australian exploration. Readers who appreciate historical narrative, wilderness survival, and primary ethnographic documents will find this work remarkable for its detail and lack of romantic embellishment. Eyre does not write as a myth-making hero; he records his own illnesses, bad decisions, failed lines of travel, and moments of intense despair with clear precision. The book offers an immediate, unvarnished look at the immense scale and environmental harshness of the Australian continent as experienced by a 19th-century European traveler on foot.

The book is also valuable for its non-judgmental ethnographic detail. The second volume provides a comprehensive look at Indigenous life prior to widespread alteration by settlement. Eyre takes care to document everything from the construction of wallaby nets, bark canoes, and drinking vessels to complex inquest procedures and mortuary customs. His observations are grounded in years of direct interaction, language study, and magisterial work along the Murray River.

Modern readers must navigate certain period difficulties. The text is long and structured around daily journal entries that record repetitive tasks, exact barometric readings, compass bearings, and routine searches for grass and water. Furthermore, while Eyre was significantly more sympathetic and observational toward Indigenous people than many of his contemporaries, his writing still reflects 19th-century colonial terminology, paternalistic views, and imperial frameworks. For those willing to engage with its length and period context, the work stands as a landmark document of human endurance, geography, and early Australian history.