Ernest Giles describes the help his Aboriginal guide Jimmy, provided in locating water supplies for the expedition. While Jimmy's directions were not always a direct path from the previous waterhole, they were accurate. Jimmy also had some difficulty comprehending how much water was required by the expedition's camels. Giles also describes at some length the dam constructed by the Aboriginal people of the area to hold water after rain.

This expedition of Giles in 1875 was a quick survey on Eyre Peninsula looking for suitable pastoral lands. From here he crossed to Sir Thomas Elder's camel stud at Beltana where he was equipped with 15 baggage and seven riding camels. This time, taking a more southerly route than on his previous attempt, he successfully crossed from South Australia to Perth. He discovered the Queen Victoria Springs and named the desert he crossed the Great Victoria Desert. His crossing would not have been possible without the camels. The water supplies he discovered were too isolated to be of any value to pastoralists.