Geographical Notes

Abstract

AT a meeting of the South Australian branch of the Royal Geographical Society, on November 1, 1889, Mr. Tietkens gave an account of his recent explorations in Central Australia. His expedition was despatched by the Central Australian Exploring and Prospecting Association, and consisted of a party of five persons, including a black tracker and a native boy. At one point of his journey, when the party came within sight of “an imposing range,” Mr. Tietkens hoped to find a watercourse flowing from its slopes to Lake Amadeus. He was disappointed. No watercourse worth mentioning was discovered, nor any spring or place where water could collect. Mr. Tietkens discovered several ranges of hills, to which he gave names. One of the pleasantest places found by him he called Gill's Creek, after the hon. treasurer of the South Australian branch of the Royal Geographical Society. Here a stream flows from a range of hills through a gorge or glen of sandstone formation. “This,” he says, was a most beautiful spot, where a few days could be spent profitably, so the camels were unloaded, and Billy and myself went up the creek to explore its wonders. We found that the creek separated into three distinct channels. Following the principal one, we found the creek to be running through a glen with perpendicular cliffs 80 or 100 feet high on each side, and fully three miles in length. We returned to our charmingly situated camp late in the afternoon. … The water will not be found to be always running, but in the glen at the head of the creek, and which I have named after my sister Emily, large deep pools will be found, four or five chains long, 10 and 15 feet deep, and so shaded by rocks from the sun that they cannot be looked upon as otherwise than permanent.” After the reading of the paper Mr. G. W. Goyder, Surveyor-General, expressing gratitude to Mr. Tietkens, said that although as an effort to increase the extent of Australian mineral and pastoral resources Mr. Tietken's expedition might have been a comparative failure, yet the route which he had travelled might serve as a most useful base for after-comers. His journey showed that no large large river, as had been hoped, flowed into Lake Amadeus, and only gave another proof that the interior of Australia consists of a series of low mountains with shallow basins, which in wet seasons form lakes and in dry seasons evaporate.