Australian Inland Exploration

Medal in Celebration of the Discovery of the Johnstone River, Queensland in 1873.

Produced in 1973 the celebrate the 100 year anniversary of George Elphinstone Dalrymple’s Discovery.

Cast in coppered bronze by K G Luke. 50 mm in diameter, weighing 48 gm, very good condition.

Nice design of the North and South Johnson combining and meandering down to the Pacific Ocean through heavily wooded hilly terrain. A very clear horizon, and in the sky above the explorers full name and commemorative dates the full commemorative details in a border around the edge. On the reverse a Floral and scroll design, presumably to take the engraved name of any recipient – here still blank.

The designer is associated with Sir Kenneth George Lake (1896-1971) who had a very successful business making all things requiring metal design … he was also an important identity in sports administration in Australian particularly the AFL.

George Elphinstone Dalrymple was a legendary explorer, pioneer and pastoralist in northern Queensland. See Robert Logan Jack’s Northmost Australia for a good account of his efforts. He named the Johnstone River in 1873 in honour of Robert Johnstone of the Native Police who had carried out his handy work in the region. Unusually, the river had already been named by Captain Moresby a year or two earlier … his name the Gladys did not stick, thankfully. The Johnstone is a spectacular part of Australia .. the rivers are subject to exceedingly high rainfall and make for the very best of white water rafting. The confluence of the North and South is about five kms west of the town of Innisafail. If you go there … watch out for salty crocodiles.

Very good uncirculated condition, strong relief.

Celebrating Northern Queensland Exploration

$80.00

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Northmost Australia – Logan Jack 2 Volumes First Australian Edition – 1922

… Three Centuries of Exploration, Discovery, and adventure in and around the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. A first edition the Australian edition published by George Robertson, Melbourne in 1922. Two volumes with all 17 separate folding maps.

Robert Logan Jack was the senior Government Geologist for Queensland for 20 years. He replaced Richard Daintree who was the first to hold that position. The best work of its type by far and with a number of unique aspects. Completed in Logan Jack’s final year as he passed away November 1921.

Large, royal octavo, very good condition, nice clean covers, some foxing to page edges and near the ends as usual due to the thick spongy paper. Maps in great condition.

Volume 1 commences with early exploration – Maghelen, Quiros and Torres and the Duyfken at Cape York followed by the Pera and Aernemdealt. Tasman arrives in 1644 and then pre-Cook the voyages of the Buijs and Rijder in 1756 with Van Asschens and Gonzal. And then we have the Endeavour and Cook’s discovery from the South and East and soon after in 1789 Bligh in the Bounty launch. Flinders with the Investigator and the after “Wreck Reef” the Cumberland and captivity. Philip Parker King in the Mermaid fills the gaps in 1819 and then in the Bathurst a year later. The wreck of the Charles Eaton in 1834. Wickham and Stokes in 1839 to the Normanton and Albert Rivers and Burketown. Blackwood and Yule and the “Fly” and their mark on the Straits.

Then Logan Jack takes us to the interior and much on the great Leichhardt and Kennedy and that other fateful expedition. Back to the coast and Owen Stanley and the Rattlesnake. And then Burke and Wills up the centre and the searching parties … Landsbourough, Walker and McKinley. Closing with good content on the Jardine Brothers up the Cape, the special efforts of first geologist Daintree and then Captain John Moresby (jnr) into the Torres Straits.

Whilst volume I contains hard to find narrative such as the Jardines and Daintree Volume II is a masterclass. After opening comments on Aboriginal and Polynesian labour we commence our explorations with the elusive William Hann and the Palmer River followed by Mulligan and 150 pages of Logan Jack’s own extensive explorations. Ending with explorations gems with Donald Laing, Embley, William Baird, John Dickie, William Lakeland and William Bowden.

We have gone on a bit but fell justified in attempting to describe the effort put into this book and the scarcity of the accounts. The whole wonderfully illustrated by images of the explorers often from family sources and at the rear separate indexes by persons, localities and subjects.

The Further North you go the better it gets in these Volumes.

SO SORRY SOLD

$590.00

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Historical Survey of Northern Tasmania – Low Head to Launceston – McKnight

Hard to find soft cover and a quality production.

Published in 1998 at Launceston, effectively self published. 144 pages, perfect bound nicely illustrated.

Carefully written history with particular emphasis on the earliest reports of Port Dalrymple and the Tamar.

Naturally starts with Bass and Flinders in 1798; then Freycinet and Faure in 1802. Surveys by William Collins in 1804 along with the observations of Clark and Brown.

The last third is taken up by the seldomly referenced activities of Lieutenant Governor William Patterson who in 1804 was sent by Governor King to establish a colony at Port Dalrymple on at the behest of Lord Hobart from his desk in London. Patterson’s official and private journals are referred to as well as Mountgarrett’s account and the Paterson led explorations of the North Esk river.

Northern Tasmania, Port Dalrymple and, in particular, the keen observations of William Patterson.

$30.00

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An account of a Voyage to Establish a Colony at port Philip in Bass’s Strait, on the South Coast of New South Wales, in His Majesty’s Ship Calcutta, in the Years 1803-3-4. – J.H. Tuckey.

Tuckey was a First Lieutenant of the Calcutta and this is a true facsimile of the voyage to and affairs in Australia of the abandoned attempt to create a settlement at Port Philip and the consequence of the move that led to the foundation of Hobart in Tasmania. Some useful footnotes are added.

The voyage out occupies approximately 60% of the book .. to Teneriffe; Cape Verde; Rio de Janeiro [much about Rio]; Cape of Good Hope [Via Voyager’s favourite island group Tristan d’Acunha; then the mysterious St Paul's and on to Port Philip. Them transactions at Port Philip which gives rise to the addenda … lists of plants; Meteorological observations; timbers found and observations respecting the selection of convicts and the means of preserving health. Hobart get a mention but its brief before the vessel turns for home.

Published by marsh etc, Melbourne in 1974. Octavo, set as the original of 1805, 240 pages. Bound in full leather with impressed design to front and back, raised bands to spine, separate leather title label [spare label at back]. Number 51 of a limited edition of 500. Hand bound at the Dove Bindery, Melbourne. A very good copy albeit previous ownership details hidden in the end papers.

Tuckey on the Calcutta – his account.

$120.00

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Sketch of the History of Van Diemen’s Land – James Bischoff

Originally published by John Richardson, London, 1832. This is from Australiana Facsimile Editions published in Adelaide in 1967. A scarce edition of this series maybe not as mainstream as some of the others.

First in this form 260 pages including the appendices, large folding coloured map by John Arrowsmith, frontispiece and one other plate, both also by Arrowsmith, of the Van Diemen’s Land Company’s establishments at Circular Head and Emu Bay.

Original faux leather binding, gilt titles to spine, very clean, large folding map in super condition. The map is far far too big to scan on our A3 scanner so we have just done a bit of unfolded bit so you can see the quality.

An important book which Bischoff intended for distribution to the Van Diemen’s Land Company shareholders and to encourage potential investors. In it he reprints several of the Company’s yearly reports, including the important third report of 1828, and in full the exploration journals of Alexander Goldie, Henry Hellyer and Joseph Fossey, which were included in an appendix to the third report. An important appendix includes Lt-Governor Arthur’s dispatches on the Aborigines and their growing resistance to the European settlement

Good facsimile of Bischoff’s important early work on Van Diemen’s Land

$90.00

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The Todd Journal – Andrew alias William Todd – John Batman’s Recorder and his Indented Head Journal 1835

Effectively self published by Peter Alsop [who drew the maps] and Philip Brown who edited the then unpublished journals through the Geelong Historical Society. We are not sure how many publication the Geelong Historical Society sponsored but they di a good job here.

Large squarish octavo, 199 pages, illustrated including from sketches by Wedge, end paper maps by Alsop. A nice production in fine condition.

Todd’s journal covers five months in 1835 with misunderstood Bateman and his surveyor friend Helder Wedge in there travels around the Geelong region south east of Melbourne. Including the location “Indented Head” if you were curious of the title. Much about the local aboriginal groups and individuals.

Andrew (or William) Todd and his acute observations of realty.

$40.00

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Medal in Celebration of the Discovery of the Johnstone River, Queensland in 1873.

Northmost Australia – Logan Jack 2 Volumes First Australian Edition – 1922

Historical Survey of Northern Tasmania – Low Head to Launceston – McKnight

An account of a Voyage to Establish a Colony at port Philip in Bass’s Strait, on the South Coast of New South Wales, in His Majesty’s Ship Calcutta, in the Years 1803-3-4. – J.H. Tuckey.

Sketch of the History of Van Diemen’s Land – James Bischoff

The Todd Journal – Andrew alias William Todd – John Batman’s Recorder and his Indented Head Journal 1835

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