The Journals of John McDouall Stuart during the Years 1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, and 1862
When He Fixed the Centre of the Continent and Successfully Crossed It from Sea to Sea

An 1864 account of six expeditions into the Australian outback by one of the leading explorers of the time.

John McDouall Stuart (Author), William Hardman (Edited by)

9781108039161, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 3 November 2011

568 pages, 13 b/w illus. 2 maps
21.6 x 14 x 3.2 cm, 0.71 kg

John McDouall Stuart (1815–66) was a surveyor and a pioneering explorer of Australia. Born in Scotland, he emigrated in 1839 to Australia where he worked in surveying and made many expeditions into the outback. The treks he undertook from 1858 to 1862 are the focus of this account, published in 1864, and are compiled from Stuart's notes by William Hardman (1828–90). During these periods of exploration he managed - though suffering from scurvy - to cross the continent, and he also discovered various rivers and geographical features. Hardman's account uses Stuart's journals to give an account of six historic and often gruelling expeditions. The first was to the north-west; the following two were explorations around Lake Torrens; the fourth was an attempt to find the centre of the territory; a fifth involved a forced retreat after an aboriginal attack; and in the final one Stuart traversed the continent.

Preface
Journal of Mr. Stuart's expedition to the North-West, May to September, 1858
Journal of Mr. Stuart's second expedition (in the vicinity of Lake Torrens), April to July, 1859
Journal of Mr. Stuart's third expedition (in the vicinity of Lake Torrens), November, 1859, to January, 1860
Journal of Mr. Stuart's fourth expedition (fixing the centre of the continent), from March to September, 1860
Journal of Mr. Stuart's fifth expedition, from November, 1860, to September, 1861
Journal of Mr. Stuart's successful expedition across the continent of Australia, from December, 1861, to December, 1862
Appendix.

Subject Areas: Australasian & Pacific history [HBJM]