172 RAMBLES IN THE DESERT 



price cattle were then fetching in the South Australian 

 capital, induced a number of enterprising stockmen (most 

 of whom were gentlemen by birth and education) to 

 endeavour to drive their herds overland (hence the 

 sobriquet bestowed on them) from one capital to the 

 other. Immediately after the completion of Eyre's journey, 

 one of these Overlanders took a herd of several thousand 

 cattle from Melbourne to Adelaide, realising a small fortune 

 by the exploit ; and according to Sir George (then Captain) 

 Grey, in little more than a year from that time, sheep and 

 cattle to the value of ;^230,ooo had been driven into South 

 Australia by the Overland route. The distance travelled 

 over was often quite nine hundred miles, and the difficulties 

 of the journey are indescribable in a paragraph, or, indeed, 

 in a chapter. Many years since the Overland route was 

 superseded by other and quicker means of transport, and 

 the incident is only noticed to show how speedily, when 

 once the country became known, the difficulties and 

 dangers of Australian travel could be overcome by enter- 

 prising and adventurous men. 



Even so, in these modern days, a journey in the interior 

 that a few decades ago would have perhaps cost a life or 

 two, and would, at any rate, have been performed only 

 with great suffering and deliberate slowness, excites no 

 interest unless the declared object of the traveller is some 

 particular discovery which may prove a source of gain. If 

 he is " on the track of gold," or even of a rich back-run, a 

 thousand pairs of eyes witness his start, a thousand tongues 

 wish him good luck ; but let it be understood that he is 

 only desirous of seeing the country and hunting for birds 

 and plants, and, with a thousand vile expletives, he is 

 declared to be a fool, and all interest in him and his move- 

 ments is instantly extinguished. Thus it came to pass 

 that though the journey I am now describing cost me 

 money, time, and suffering, yet it was a mere ramble. I 

 was told that enough was known of the centre of the 

 continent to satisfy ordinary minds, that I should never 

 succeed in reaching it with my small party, and if I did, 

 the feat had been performed so frequently that nobody 



