Gosse continues his diary |
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| Title : | Gosse continues his diary |
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| Creator : | Gosse, William Christie, 1842-1881 | ||
| Source : | Rough diary of William Christie Gosse's expedition when Ayers' Rock was discovered, ms 49 | ||
| Format : | Diary | ||
| Contributor : | Royal Geographical Society of South Australia Inc | ||
| The State Library of South Australia is keen to find out more about SA Memory items. We encourage you to contact the Library if you have additional information about any of these items. | |||
| Copyright : | This item is reproduced courtesy of Mr J. G.Gosse and RGSSA. It may be printed or saved for research or study. Use for any other purpose requires written permission from Mr J. G.Gosse and RGSSA and the State Library of South Australia. To request approval, complete the Permission to publish form. |
| Description : |
On 21 July 1873 William Christie Gosse left Ayers Rock which he had discovered two days previously, to return to his main expedition camp. He hoped for rain which would assist with water for the 84 miles return trip. The travelling was however easier than on his approach to the Rock the previous week. The following day he and Khamran the cameleer reached a salt lake which Gosse considered was probably an arm of Lake Amadeus. He asked Khamran to test whether it would bear the weight of the men and camels. Finding the surface strong enough they crossed thereby saving some considerable time. They found a small water hole and were able to continue. Gosse planned to bring the rest of his expedition back to Ayers Rock by this route and save some time. On 23 July he reached the main depot and was pleased to find an emu joint being roasted as he and Khamran had stretched four days rations to cover eight days. Gosse had the whole of his expedition at Ayers Rock by 28 July, when he commenced a full exploration of the area. He was the leader of a South Australian government funded expedition seeking a viable route from the Overland Telegraph Line to Perth in Western Australia. The most significant discoveries of his expedition were those of Ayers Rock, Mount Conner and the ranges to the south, including the Musgrave Ranges which contain Mount Woodroffe, the highest mountain in South Australia (1435 metres). Gosse did not progress far beyond the Western Australian border because all he could see in his forward surveys was spinifex and sand. He did however explore and map some 60,000 miles of new country. |
| Subjects | |
| Related names : | Gosse, William Christie, 1842-1881 Khamran, (cameleer) |
| Coverage year : | 1873 |
| Place : | Uluru/Ayers Rock (N.T.) |
| Further reading : | Gosse, William Christie, Report and diary of Mr. W.C. Gosse's central and western exploring expedition, 1873 [Adelaide : Govt. Printer], 1874 Gosse, Fayette, The Gosses: an Anglo-Australian family Canberra: Brian Clouston, 1981 Laube, Anthony A lady at sea: the adventures of Agnes Grant Hay [Glenelg, S. Aust. : A. Laube, 2001] Layton, Robert, Uluru: an Aboriginal history of Ayers Rock Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, 1986 |
| Internet links : | |
| Exhibitions and events : | State Library of South Australia: Mortlock Wing. Taking it to the edge August 2004- |
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