INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 5 



made two excursions westward — the first bringing Lini to a point from 

 whicli he could see Mount Serle ; the second to Lake Blanche, which 

 he considered to be part of the horseshoe Lake Torrens. 



The principal results of his expedition were to make known Cooper's 

 Oreek and Eyre's Creek, and to add, as delineated on his map, a Sandy 

 Desert and a Stony Desert to the horseshoe Lake Torrens. His report 

 also strengthened the belief that Central Australia was practically a 

 desert, unfitted for settlement. 



For some 10 or 12 years after Sturt's expedition little was done to 

 increase the knowledge of Central Australia, excepting that the country 

 of the Flinders Range had been more or less occupied as runs for cattle 

 or sheep. The desire for new pastoral country, howeyer, led to some 

 small expeditions on the west side of Lake Torrens by Hack, Swindon, 

 and others. 



In 1858 Mr. B. H. Babbage was appointed to lead an expedition 

 to explore the country on the western side of Lake Torrens, and also 

 northwards. Previous to this he had been employed in prospecting 

 the settled districts for gold. The results of the explorations of Babbage 

 and his successor (Warburton) were far-reaching, bringing about the 

 ultimate exploration and settlement of Central Australia. 



As different opinions have been formed by ^\Titers as to their 

 merits and demerits, I shall discuss the questions at issue, and express 

 my own opinions on them. Fuller details will be found in the Appendix. 

 The instructions given to Babbage by the Commissioner of Cro^vn 

 Lands were briefly as follows : — He was to thoroughly explore, as 

 far as practicable, the country lying between the western shore of 

 Lake Torrens and the eastern shore of Lake Gairdner, and thence 

 northwards. He was to survey and map the western shores of Lake 

 Torrens, so as to remove the doubts existing as to the extent, direction, 

 and outline of the lake ; in like manner also the shore of Lake 

 Gairdner, and, as correctly as possible, the longitude of all remarkable 

 landmarks, ranges, watercourses, lakes, permanent freshwater springs, 

 and waterholes. This was a large order, since Lake Torrens as then 

 believed to exist would have extended 250 miles from its southern 

 end in a northerly direction. The country between Lake Torrens 

 and Lake Gairdner is some 100 miles in width, and the northern shores 

 of the latter lake rmi west 100 miles at least. The greater part of 

 this was little better than a desert, and with little or no permanent 

 water. Having performed this service as completely as circumstances 

 would admit of, he was at liberty to push his explorations northerly, 

 to round the northern shores of Lake Torrens easterly, and, as far as 



