In considering the risks in advancing further north, Sturt assessed the condition of the expedition's horses, already suffering from lack of feed and water. They had been more than twelve months on dry grass and other innutritious plants, and their condition was poor. They managed to stumble 15 miles or so a day, and at night were picketed to prevent their wandering. Water too was scarce. At present if he turned back he would in all likelihood reach water, but to advance even one day, would put that water beyond the reach of the horses. Without the horses, the men had little chance of survival.

In 1847 Charles Sturt received the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society, one of the highest awards an explorer could aspire to. The citation for the medal included the words 'for the prudence with which further advance was abandoned, when it could only have risked the loss of those intrusted to his charge'. His prudence is evident in these pages as he agonises over the condition of his horses and men, weighing these against his own desire to proceed.

Sturt, Charles, 1795-1869

Sturt, Charles, Narrative of an expedition into Central Australia: performed under the authority of Her Majesty's Government, during the years 1844, 5, and 6, ... New York: Greenwood Press, [1969]

Langley, Michael, Sturt of the Murray: father of Australian exploration London, Hale, 1969

Beale, Edgar Sturt, the chipped idol: a study of Charles Sturt, explorer Sydney: Sydney University Press, 1979

State Library of South Australia: Mortlock Wing. Taking it to the edge August 2004-