68o NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



In 1905, the same Church established a mission, named Tre~ 

 banaman, on Trebanaman Creek, one of the mouths of the MITCHELL 

 RIVER, with out-stations named ANGERAM, KOONGALARA and 

 DAPHNE. (SEE MAP F.) An area of about 500 square miles has 

 been reserved for this mission. Through the instrumentality of 

 the missionaries at the Trebanaman base, considerable additions 

 have been made to the geography of the MITCHELL DELTA, and these 

 have already been referred to when dealing with the Mitchell. 

 While prospecting for a suitable site for the first mission station 

 in 1892, Mr. J. B. Gribble and Inspector Roland W. Garraway, 

 of the Native Police, were attacked by natives at one of their camps 

 on the Mitchell delta. 



The Moravians, under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church 

 of Australia, established missions at MAPOON (1891), WEIPA (1898) 

 and AURUKUN (1904). (SEE MAPS B AND D.) In 1914, the Pres- 

 byterians established a mission station on MORNINGTON ISLAND in 

 the Gulf of Carpentaria, off the south-western base of the Peninsula 

 and near the north-western corner of Queensland. 



In something like a quarter of a century, Douglas' idea of 

 dotting the Queensland shores of the Gulf with mission stations 

 has been fully realised. 



I am not in a position to form any opinion regarding the com- 

 parative values of the mission work done by the various bodies of 

 Christians already mentioned. In the matter of the EXPLORATION 

 OF THE CAPE YORK PENINSULA, however, the case is different, and 

 I have no hesitation in asserting that the greatest services have 

 been rendered by the PRESBYTERIAN MORAVIAN MISSIONARIES. 

 It is only fair, however, to say that the Church of England improved 

 its comparatively limited opportunities in the Mitchell delta, 

 and that the Blomfield, Cape Grafton and Cape Bedford missions 

 were planted in localities which had already become so well known 

 that few geographical problems remained to be solved. 



In the last days of 1864, when the BROTHERS JARDINE made for 

 the backbone of the Peninsula, far to the east, to avoid the floods 

 which would surely have overwhelmed them on the setting in 

 of the wet season, had they kept to the west coast, they missed the 

 mouth of the Archer, and left the west coast country between the 

 mouths of the Archer and Batavia Rivers unexplored. It was this 

 tract of country which was destined to be the theatre of operations 

 of the Moravian Brothers. 



The history of their explorations is inextricably mixed up with 

 that of the mission, which is gathered for the most part from 

 ARTHUR WARD'S " MIRACLE OF MAPOON." l The geographical 

 information given in this book by the brother of the pioneer 

 missionary, Jas. G. Ward, is only a by-product, but, like many 



1 The Miracle of Mapoon, or From Native Camp to Christian Village, by Arthur Ward. 

 N.D. (Preface dated 2nd April, 1908.) London, S. W. Partridge & Co 



