xvi Report of Exploration Committee. 



portion of the Australian interior which has as yet baffled the 

 attempts which have been made to penetrate it. 



With reference to the line suggested, simply viewing it on the map, 

 no line could appear better chosen than that proposed, viz., the line 

 of the tropic, from E. to W. The question, however, is, can this be 

 effected with the means at present available 1 



JN ow it has been demonstrated that a party well equipped can per- 

 form a journey of equal length with that contemplated ; but it is not 

 the number of miles, but the character of the country to be traversed 

 in which the real difficulty consists, and we should therefore inquire 

 what is the probable nature of the country under consideration. 



First. The principal tract which is unexplored is comprised be- 

 tween the meridians of 115° and 140°, and the parallels of 20° and 

 32° of latitude, or 1,600 miles long by 800 miles wide. Its circum- 

 ference is 4,500 miles, of which only 800 miles (on the N.W.) 

 remain unexamined. Along the whole Hue exa min ed (extending to 

 3,700 miles) the universal character of the country along the bound- 

 ary is level sandy desert or worthless scrub, without any sign of 

 change in advancing into the interior beyond that of increasing ste- 

 rility, caused by the greater aridity of the climate, while not one 

 single stream emanates from this inhospitable region, to indicate 

 ranges of hills, better soil or climate, beyond the limits of actual 

 examination. 



At what conclusion can we therefore arrive, from a consideration 

 of the premises, except that the interior is equally barren and 

 forbidding with its exterior limits 1 



I therefore consider that it is almost hopeless to attempt to tra- 

 verse this tract of country from east to west, and that the only 

 prospect of success would be to penetrate it in the direction of its 

 shorter diameter (north or south). 



But at what point is this practicable 1 The whole coast of the 

 Australian Bight, from Streaky Bay to Cape Arid, is so barren that 

 neither sufficient water nor grass exist at any spot for the formation 

 of a depot from which a party could start, and the result of the 

 expedition from Streaky Bay is very discouraging. Thus it only 

 remains to attempt to penetrate on the northern side. But even 

 here there is scarcely any prospect of success until that coast shall 

 have been settled, when by forming a depot on the border, or rather 

 on some of the creeks within the limits of the desert, early in the 

 season, light parties might be pushed a considerable distance into it 

 during the short continuance of the rains. 



This is certainly a somewhat gloomy view of the subject, but it is, I 

 conceive, our duty to ascertain, as far as possible, the nature of the 

 difficulties to be met before encountering them, as failure must be 

 the result unless judicious preparations are made to overcome the 

 obstacles which interpose. 



Thus reduced to the alternatives of either awaiting the sure but 



