MAGAZINE OF SCIENCE AND ART. 
07 
THE EXPLORATION OF THE 
INTERIOR. 
It is a strange sensation to an European, 
and still more to an Englishman, to land 
on a continent, a large portion of which is 
utterly unexplored. Descended from a 
race which has penetrated the eternal ice 
of the Arctic and Antarctic zones, and has 
not been baffled by the torrid deserts of 
Africa and of Asia, or the pestiferous forests 
of central America, our fellow countrymen 
are apt to wonder that any corner of this 
huge island, which is accessible by sea on 
all sides, should have hitherto refused to 
yield its secrets tqfV.ye adventurous ex¬ 
plorer. We have-ooF wanted courageous, 
persevering, and scientific men, who have 
devoted themselves to the task.- The 
names of Leichardt, Sturt, Eyre, Mitchell, 
Cunningham, Kennedy, and Gregory, offer 
a sufficient guarantee that nothing that in¬ 
dividual effort could accomplish, even 
when aided by zealous and devoted assist¬ 
ants, has been left undone. Nevertheless, 
the same energy that despatched expedi¬ 
tion upon expedition to solve the mystery 
of the north-west passage, will, we are con¬ 
vinced, not rest satisfied until the interior 
of this vast territory has been thoroughly 
investigated. 
If we were to limit our view to this 
colony, the importance of such an enquiry 
would press with great force a.t the present 
time upon the inhabitants of New South 
Wales. We are threatened with the speedy 
removal of all that fine portion of our ter¬ 
ritory to the north of the 30th degree of 
latitude, which is to be formed into a sepa¬ 
rate dependency. It is in this direction 
chiefly that the recent extension of our 
squattages has taken place. Miles of 
country to the North of Port Curtis are 
already taken up, all of which will go to 
swell the district of Moreton Bay. The 
district to the other side of the Blue Moun¬ 
tain is all that remains to us. Like 
the American emigrants, our sheep far¬ 
mers and enterprising settlers will ere long 
be obliged to push out into the “ far west.” 
It is precisely of this portion of the conti¬ 
nent that we are ignorant, and the question 
arises, what means would be most likely to 
be successful in the exploration of it ? * 
We are not among those who believe that 
the interior is an arid stony desert. Al¬ 
though the great discovery which Mr. 
Goyder fancied he had made in South 
No. 5. 
Australia, of a vast fresh water lake, has 
recently been proved by Captain Freeling 
to be only the surface water aftef a period 
of heavy rains, we strongly incline to the 
belief that a large internal lake will be 
discovered. On no other hypothesis can 
M'e account for the scanty river drainage of 
such a vast continent. It is certain that 
in his journey Mr. Goyder crossed many 
considerable creeks running strongly north¬ 
ward. We have also just received intel¬ 
ligence from the same colony of the disco¬ 
very, by Mr. Stephen Hack, of a richly 
grassed district, with abundant water, to 
the east of the great Australian Bight. In 
his passage from Streaky Bay to Port Au¬ 
gusta, he crossed over this district, which 
will soon be covered with flocks and herds, 
for the squatters in South Australia are 
quite ready to occupy good land, however 
far advanced it may be in the unsettled 
districts. On the report of Mr. Goyder’s 
discoveries, 4,300,000 acres were immedi¬ 
ately applied for, and would doubtless 
have been taken up, had not the fallacy of 
his fresh water lake been discovered. In 
the same colony, it has now been disco¬ 
vered that a sea mouth, practicable to 
steamers of light draft, exists at the em¬ 
bouchure of the river Murray. This must 
have a powerful effect in opening up the 
country lining the banks of that noble 
stream. Within the last few weeks, the 
Murrumbidgee has been navigated by a 
small steamer, and efforts are making to 
clear the stream of the fallen timber, that 
renders this mode of navigation so tedious. 
To the northward, the mysterious inte¬ 
rior proves capable of access by means of 
the river Fitzroy, which is stated during 
this year to have been navigable to a dis¬ 
tance of 300 miles from the "coast. Here 
is an opportunity for Captain Caddcll to 
add to his w r ell-eamed laurels, and to place 
his name high on the roll of Australian 
discoverers. 
The scanty results that have been ob¬ 
tained by the various land expeditions, 
and the hardships and dangers by which 
they have been accompanied, would almost 
induce us to rely for the future on river 
explorations. But this, of course, would 
leave vast tracts untouched. Efforts must 
be made to organise some plan of opera¬ 
tion that shall obviate the difficulties that 
have been experienced. The following 
has been suggested, and appears to us ex¬ 
tremely feasible. Let four or five small 
