MYSTERY LAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 90, 17 April 1929, Page 7

MYSTERY LAND.

LUCK OF AIRMEN.

Country Explored By Sir George

Grey.

ENGINEER'S THEORY

New Zealanders. and Auckland people in particular, have reason to attach more than sentimental interest to the disco\ery and rescue of the Southern Cross

monoplane in north-west Australia, where Sir George (."rev (then Lieutenant' and later Captain) spent two hazardous years in exploration before embarking upon his great career in the public 1 if.' of Australia, and, subsequently, of New Zealand. As a matter of fact .'the eminent statesman and coloniser, who placed such an important part in the early history of this Dominion, actually named a good deal of the wild, irregular northwest coast, including the prominent features of the very region where Kingsford Smith and his men made the forced landing. It was in the vicinity of the (ilenelg River (called after the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Lord <';icnelgj that Sir (teorge Grey was severely wounded bv blacks. Expedition for Minerals. Reference to this incident, wliich nearly robbed both the Commonwealth and Dominion of a notable ligtire in the making, was made to-day by Air. 15. ]•'. Moore, consulting engineer, of Auckland, who has a vivid recollection of what he terms the "mysterious"' north-west, which he visited in 1000 as leader of an expedition exploring for minerals on behalf of a Melbourne syndicate directed by James (.'lice, of. (.'lice. Son itnd Co. The party, six white men and four blacks, chartered a fourteen-ton lugger at Broome, and, sailing up the coast into the bays, gulfs and sounds, made various inland detours in the nature of research and surveys. They went up Brecknock Harbour and also' where tiePort George mission is located. At that I time, however, the site was occupied bv the home of Mr. Bradshaw, who was running a sheep station with sonic dilliculty. Wise to Wait for Help. '"Between the mission and where 1 believe the airmen have been found is. all very rough country," remarked Mr. Moore. "It is covered with pindan and low, stunted gum, but there is not a great deal of scrub like mulga. 1 doubt whether it would have been possible for King's ford Smith and his men, in their condition, to have walked to the mission.- 1 think they would have perished in an attempt. They were wise to stand by the 'plane and wait for help. Al-

though game, kangaroos and wallaby arc plentiful, they are fairly difficult to catch, because there is not much cover for stalking. I am surprised that the men were found alive. They were probably saved by having a. handy supply of fresh water. It they had landed further north or east they would not have been found. They were just. <>11 the fringe of the worst part of all Australia and lucky to strike a patch ot flat country —probably one of the river swamps." Very Rough Country. Mr. Moore explained that north of where the airmen are stranded is the Horseshoe Range, a part of which is the Macdonald Range (named after Sir J. Macdonald, who gave Sir George <!rey his two years' leave from the Hor*-' Guards to go to Australia). Mr. Moore s party came to the conclusion that the nortli-west was a. mineral country, and. though plenty of quartz was found, ii vas not of much value. They were not. equipped to remain and, as the blacks in tlioso days were very ho-dile, they returned to the starting point, where the mission is, via the Glcnelg River. Ten miles a day walking in any ot the north-west country was good going hi the opinion of Mr. Moore, who says clothes and footwear become badly worn, in every way the topography of the north-west differed from anything we knew in New Zealand.

The caves in the territory where Si: Georgo Grey found and recorded a wonderful array of native hieroglyphics were visited by Mr. Moore, who confirms that tlifc stone carving is indeed remarkable evidence of savage art. Exploits of Our Ex-Governor. Sir (Jeorge Grey, under the aegis of the Royal Geographical Society, and with the full co-operation of the British Government., went to the north-west '11 IS.'?7. H.M.s. I', eagle was placed at his disposal, and lie carried out a survey 01 the coast of Dam pier's Archipelago and Cambridge Gulf. In the rugged area between the Prince Regent and Glenelg Rivers (where swamps and marshy places were also found) Sir George and his party were attacked by a large number of natives and almost ambushed. The fact that Sir George shot the chief saved the expedition. He was very worried about having to kill a native, because he did not believe in taking life. At the time Sir George was suffering severely from three spears, one of the wounds in his hip giving him much trouble for months. A fortnight later lie was well enough to be carried by stretcher to the coast. The rate of progress was two miles per day.

Sir George took a great delight in introducing all sorts of vegetable seeds, plants, trees and cotton, and he pictured the time when West Australia would be well populated." Subsequently he made another expedition to the north-west. They had a terrible time, suffering starvation (food supplies being submerged on the coa>t by tides), hardship and perils, but throughout Sir George showed great courage, which stamped him :» born leader of men. lie was soon honoured by being appointed Resident at ; King George Sound, and, in IS4I, he became Governor of South Australia at the age of 28 years—the youngest man ever appointed in the Empire to such a post.