SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 30 August 1926, Page 9

SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION.

IN NORTH-WEST AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALANDERS’ EXPERIENCES

SYDNEY, Aug. 12

Some exciting experiences befell a party which recently returned to Melbourne from a .scientific expedition in the far .north-west of Australia. The party was led by Mr. Douglas Stuart Wylie, of Auckland, the other members being .Messrs B. D. O. Ryder and W. E. J. Alar den, of Auckland, E. J. Stuart, of Perth, and W. Sully, of Sydney. About three months ago they set out to investigate the ■possibilities' of developing the deep-sea, fishing industry off the northern coast of Western Australia on behalf of an Auckland business firm, of which Air. "Wylie is the managing director. This work involved the examination of thousands of marine .specimens. The party was exposed to many hazards and hardship® in this sparsely-inhabited portion of the continent. The party left Broome in a nrteeufcon lugger, and for most- of the time was sailing up and down the coast collecting specimens, penetrating as far north as the Prince Regent River, near the northernmost extremity of Western Australia. Here, Messrs Stuart and Wylie left the others and travelled overland to the McDonnell Ranges, ai trip which entailed numerous hardships, although it was undertaken at a favourable time of the year. At- one, spot, between King Sound and Yampi Sound, where the lugger had to proceed through a marrow passage between the mainland and an island, 1 they were caught in a fierce whirlpool, which whirled the small craft round for about an hour and ia-half. They were fortunately not much worse off for the experience, although, most, of the stores were lost and the cabins flooded out. Only the day before this they had been bumped on a reef pretty badly. Another time the party found itself in such perilously shallow water that if a, strong wind bad not held the lugger over at a, steep angle the bottom would have been ripped out of her on the rooks.

Voyaging up and down the coast, landing every day or so, the party covered about 1000 miles. Over 1000 photographs were taken, in addition to about 10,000 feet, of kinemat-ograph film. Numerous cases of specimens have been despatched to New Zealand, while the party ha:s with it several tanks of live specimens. Speaking of his experiences after his arrival in Melbourne, Air. Wylie said that he had been, much impressed with the mineral wealth of the north-western parf of the continent. He did not think that it would be over largely populated, owing to, the inhospitable mature of the country and the lack of natural facilities.