R.E. BUSH, GASCOYNE EXPLORER AND PASTORALIST by C.W.M. Cameron , Robert Edwin (most frequently referred to as R.E.) Bush, first interested me whenI wasresearching Frank Wittenoom. They wereofthesame age, andfriends from the time Bush came to Western Australia untiltheyboth diedwithina few months of each other, in 1939. A section in the Wittenoom book represented mostof what I knewof him until by courtesy of hisgranddaughter, Miss Tessa Bush, I received a copyofsome early journals, written to his family. Thejourneys described were at the start of his Western Australian life, a start fromwhichhe became a prosperous pastoralist and a public citizen and thenretired to England to bea countrygentleman, keeping up the tradition hisancestors hadmaintained in Gloucestershire for 400 years. Robert Bush wasbornin 1855 anddiedin 1939, having made his last of thirteen trips to W.A. in 1938. There are therefore a few who wouldremember hislater visits to W.A., but nonehis arrival in 1877. What no doubt attracted the young man of twenty-two to try his luck in W.A. was that his father, Lt. Col. Robert Bush. was in charge ofthe96thInfantry guarding theyoung Swan River settlement in the 1840s, returning to Bristol in 1851. At the age of ten young Robert Edwin went as a day boy to the new public school, Clifton College, at Bristol. There his chiefclaim to remembrance seems to havebeen that he was Captain of the school cricket and later played for Gloucestershire from 1874-7 in the time of the famous Grace brothers. This had its own results for W.A. Bush had a boarder friend at Clifton, Thomas Souther Lodge. who was two years olderandwho,afterleaving school, hadgoneto Norfolk, to learnfarming. On Bush's suggestion theydecided to try theirluckin Western Australia andon l Zth March 1878, they arrived at Fremantle on the barque 'Lady Elizabeth' of 500 tons, aftera voyage of 112 days. They proceeded to Geraldton, also by the 'Lady Elizabeth'. There Bush had introductions to settlers, through his father's previous acquaintances. It is fairly to be presumed, from his activities in W.A., that young Bush was not without the means to keep himself, or the capital to invest in various enterprises. The first journey he made to the interior was in May 1878 in the company of Hepburn Gale, A.du Boulay, Thomas Souther Lodge and]ohn Giles. They set off to find gold at Peterwangi - no great distance, but throug.i very Robert Edwin Bush rough, waterless country. They did not find gold. 56 The Royal Western Australian Historical Society R.E. Bush 57 From hiscompanions Bush no doubtlearnta greatdealaboutthelifeof second­ natives.) In the returndirection, thefirstto make a successful journey with sheep generation settlers at Champion Bay. With T.om L~d~~ he visited the Mou.th of wasEdward Roberts in 1868, bringing down Walter Padbury's flock fromNickol the Murchison River and he took part in socialacnvines. In 1936 Bush said he Bay. 'had beena jackeroo for eighteen months' but the dates I now ha.ve, show that he musthavebeenonlyintermittentand itinerantjackeroo. Hearrivedon March The story of the Gascoyne is told in the memoirs of George JosephGoochas 12th 1878. From 9th to 26th May he was searching for gold. On 25thJune he written by F.W. Gunning in 'Lure of the North' published in 1952, and I have returned from a visit to the Murchison Mouth. Between 19th August and 28th accepted hisaccount of thenextstage. Theoverland routehaving beenpioneered, September he and Tom Lodge made a trip to Cossack and back to Fremantle, a numberof would-be pastoralists started to try their luck.John HenryMonger returning to Geraldton by 5th October. From then to 6th .May, 1879 he was, andAubrey Browntook up landon the lowerGascoyne down to the coast,sight perhaps, at his jackeroo activities andthese couldhave beenwith ~he Lacy brothers unseen. Brownstarted from Yorkwith 4,000 sheep. Charles Brockman wished at 'Warra Warra', withFrank Wittenoom at 'Yuin' or 'Murgoo' or III theRoebourne to explorethe Gascoyne and, supplied bya friend with the necessary horsesetc., area. he set out on 1 May 1876, a reasonably good year. Bush returned to the north-westand his next adventure, recordedin a journal BothBrownand Brockman struck the Gascoyne betwee Mt. Clere and Mount home wasto take horses from PortWalcott toMauritius. This wasa very strenuous Puckford and followed the river down. Brockman explored the country to the experience, broken by a socially enjoyable stay in Mauritius, and at Fremantle east, thenleft Aubrey Brown'sparty and on reaching the coastfound that a boat and Perth on his return. It occupied him from May to July 1879. expected withsupplies, wasnot there. Helaterlearntthathisprovisions hadbeen lefton DirkHartog Island. Hesetaboutconstructing some buildings for thearrival By this time Bush had probably decided that he wanted to ta.ke up land for of Brown and the sheep. sheepand cattle culture. The Murchison had been largely occupiedand he had seenthe possibilities further north, round Nickol Bay. Between was a largearea Meanwhile Robert Campbell and George Hamersley arrivedby sea. With the scarcely explored, but in which there was a growing interest. In 1858 Frank latter, Charles Brockman explorednorthwards, finding and naming the Minilya Gregory, Government Surveyor, had explored the Gascoyne, Lyons, Alma and River. Theoutcomeof this wasthat Brockman took up country at 'Boolathana', Mount Augustus areas in a good year, recordingsomegood land. Gregory then Browndid not run the stationat the coast- it wasin the handsofJohn Michael went by sea to Nickol Bay in 1861 and as a result of his report, cattle, horses Finnerty andcalled byhis name. (Itwaslater sold to Forrest, Burtand Company andsheep werelanded therebyWalter Padbury; othersfollowed, including groups and became 'Brickhouse', so-called because the first dwelling, washedawayby from Victoria and from the ill-fated Camden Harbour settlement. As yet, an floods, was replaced by a brickone, the first on the Gascoyne. It is stillowned overland route which provided water and feed for stock had not been tried. by the Burt family). Theresultof allthisactivity wasthe beginning of congestion on theMurchison Settlement at the Gascoyne of all flocks heading for the north, as 1877 was a very dry year. A third party to arrive, with 2,000 sheep, was that of Charles Gale and Robert McNeill, who There are several reasons why the Gascoyne area was not pioneered after settledat 'Doorawarrah, furtherup the Gascoyne River fromthe bendat Rocky Gregory's 1858expedition. Firstly, although he reported over 150square ~iles Pool, which became quitea meeting place for explorers andflocks. George Gooch of good country with notable absence of poison plants, he gavetwo warrungs one wasthat the reliability of theseasons had not beenestablished; and theother earned up with Charles Wheelock, who had helpedCharles Brockman takehis was the length of communication with a port. He advocated a port north of -heep up in 1876-77, and who in 1879 piloted Gale and McNeill's sheep to Doorawarrah' . Exmouth Gulf. In addition there was very little investment capital in Western Australia at the time. Expedition North by Coast Route In 1866Edward TimothyHooley was the first to take sheepfrom Champion In 1879R.E. Bush organised hisexpedition, thejournalof whichisfrustrating Bay to whatisnow 'Minderoo' on the lowerAshburton, using theRiver Murchison in thatit doesnot sayhow it wasplanned andwhopaidforthe horses andrations-, from the Geraldine Mine to 'Milly Milly', and thence striking north with 1,920 Three young men set out to find pastoral country. Bush's companions had sheep. (Hooley abandoned his holdingafter a few yearsbecause of troublewith experience of the bush; there is no evidence that they knew much, if anything, 58 The Royal Western Australian Historical Society R.E Bush 59 about Gregory's exploration in 1858; they knew something of Finnerty's and encountered and it wouldbe too tedious to go through the whole journal. The Brockman's activities; they wanted to tryout a morewesterly route and assess main problem waswater, as the greaterpart of the journey was made through any countryon the way. They were impatient and chose hot and dry months. countrydevoid of anything but occasional rock poolsor dried-up pools with a Another frustrating feature of the journal is the lackof latitude and longitude verylittle muddysaltwater. But for the natives with them, and those theymet references, whichatrained surveyor like Frank Gregory gives in hisjournal. The on the way, the white men and horses might well haveperished from thirst. young explorers hadneithertheexpertise not the instruments for this.Theyhad Thefood they had 'off the land' depended largely on water. On the first days a compass, but how they measured their distances travelled, I do not know. out theyshot bronze-winged pigeons and small rockkangaroos. At what I think The expedition officially started at 'Murgoo' on 23rdOctober 1879. Thejournal was Breberle Lake, now on 'Curbur station between the Murchison and the begins on 14th October at 'Mungarra', the station founded by Walter Howard Wooramel rivers, thehorses'got bogged andfrightened and wetted,but didnot and Hare, after Howard's parson father and Shenton had discovered Mungarra do much harmto the packs'.Theyhad goodduckshooting anda bathe. Forthe Spring in 1873. Arthur, TedandWyndham Lacy started a station at 'Warra Warra' people backhome Bush described the cooking of the ducks, bush fashion. They about the same time: this is now 'Gabyon' station. Starting out were Walter sawemus but failed to shoot any. On the Wooramel theyshot a turkey, ducks Howard and Bush in a springcart, Ted and Wyndham Lacy riding and leading andcockatoos. Further down theyhadlizard abouttwo feetlongwith flesh like the other horses. They had two natives. chicken. After theyleftBrockman's, skirting thesouthendof Lake Macleod, they reached the sea.Oysters were now on the menu andmuchappreciated, Edward After thirty-two miles theyhada jolly evening at 'Warra Warra', TedLacy having Sewell nearly swallowing alarge pearl.