Dead Heart of Australia Ref
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This file is fully searchable (read search tips page) but is not FASTFIND enabled Dead Heart of Australia Ref. AU0031 ISBN: 978 1 921315 27 5 This book was kindly loaned to Archive CD Books Australia by the University of Queensland Library www.library.uq.edu.au Navigating this CD To view the contents of this CD use the bookmarks and Adobe Reader’s forward and back buttons to browse through the pages. Alternatively use any table of contents or book index to look for specific information and then use Adobe Reader’s page navigation controls in the status bar at the bottom of the window to go to the relevant page. Searching this CD • This CD is searchable using Adobe Acrobat Reader 4 or later. It is also FASTFIND enabled, giving very fast searches of all files on the CD at once! The FASTFIND search enhancement only works with Adobe Reader 6 or later. Use the Binoculars/Search icon in Adobe Reader or “Search” under the Edit menu to initiate all searches. • For more information on advanced searching and other tips for the best search results click here • Generally 95% - 99% of the words can be searched. Where the original type was poor the words may not be recognised for searching. The technical advancements that allow this searching bring a wonderful finding aid but there is still no substitute for reading the book! Copyright ©2007 Archive CD Books Australia Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved For more books on CD from Archive CD Books Australia, see the web site at www.archivecdbooks.com.au Archive CD Books Australia exists to make reproductions of old books, documents and maps available on CD, and to co-operate with family and local history societies, libraries, museums and record offices to digitise their collections in return for other benefits. THE DEAD HEART OF AUSTRALIA THE CA\IEI, TRAIN CROSSING THE STONY DESERT NEAR \` UN1ANOORINNA. THE DEAD HEART OF AUSTRALIA A JOURNEY AROUND LAKE EYRE IN THE SUMMER OF 1901-1902, WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE LAKE EYRE BASIN AND THE FLOWING WELLS OF CENTRAL AUSTRALIA BY J. W. GREGORY, F.R.S., D.Sc. PROFESSOR OF GEOLOGY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS COLONIAL EDITION LONDON JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W. 1909 CONTENTS PART I.-INTRODUCTION CHAP. PACE 1. HOW THE KADIMAKARA CAME DOWN FROM THE SKIES . 3 PART II.-NARRATIVE II. THROUGH THE GREAT VALLEY OF SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA . 17 III. THE GATHERING AT HERGOIT SPRINGS 28 IV. ON THE QUEENSLAND STOCK-ROAD . 47 V. ALONG COOPER'S CREEK TO KOPPERA- MANNA . 64 VI, DOWN COOPER'S CREEK TO LAKE EYRE . 74 VII. ACROSS THE TIRARI DESERT . 100 VIII. THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE DIAMAN- TINA . 108 IX. FROM POONARANNI TO THE PEAK 124 A x11 CONTENTS PART III.-THE LAKE EYRE BASIN CHAP. PAGE X. THE DEAD HEART OF AUSTRALIA . 145 XI. THE CHARM OF THE DESERT . 155 XII. THE ABORIGINES OF LAKE EYRE . 165 XIII. A CORROBOREE AT THE PEAK , 209 XIV. GEOGRAPHY AND MYTHS . 222 XV. THE GEOGRAPHICAL PLAN OF SOUTH AUS- TRALIA . 236 XVI. THE DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION OF LAKE EYRE . 246 PART IV.-THE DEAD HEART OF AUSTRALIA- THE CHANCES OF ITS REVIVAL XVII. THE FLOWING WELLS OF CENTRAL AUS- TRALIA . 271 1. THE SUBTERRANEAN WATERS OF CENTRAL AUSTRALIA 271 41. THE NATURE OF FLOWING WELLS 280 III. EAST-CENTRAL AUSTRALIA AS AN ARTESIAN BASIN 292 IV. WHY THE WATER RISES IN THE AUSTRALIAN WELLS 300 V. THE ASSUMED PERMANENCE OF THE SUPPLY AND THE DANGER OF THE PRESENT WASTE 331 VI. SUMMARY . 336 XVIII. ON THE PROPOSAL TO FLOOD LAKE EYRE FROM THE SEA . 342 CONTENTS xiii APPENDIXES CHAP. PAGE 1. LIST OF THE NEW FOSSIL BIRDS DISCOVERED WITH THE BONES OF THE KADIMAKARA. DESCRIBEDBY MR. C. W. DE VIS . 353 II. NOTE ON THE MAMMALS COLLECTED. BY E. B. Dow, B .M.E. (MEns.) . 354 III. A LIST OF ORIGINAL LITERATURE ON THE LAKE EYRE BASIN . 356 INDEX TO SUBJECTS . 373 PERSONS AND AUTHORITIES . 378 PLACES . 381 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS DESERT SAND-GRAINS . On Cover THE CAMEL TRAIN CROSSING THE STONY DESERT NEAR WUNTANOO $ INNA FnttTi Time PAM PREPARING TO START, HEBGOTT SPRINGS . fae iV 34 BLACKS AT K ILALPANINNA . it 34 OUR BAGGAGE CAMELS . „ 44 THE MISSION STATION AT KILALPANINNA , ACROSS THE DRY BED OF THE LANE . „ 60 LEAVE-TAKING , KILALPANINNA . THE BLACKS APPRECIATE THE SHADE . „ 76 SECTION ACROSS A TYPICAL SOAKAGE 88 THE SHORE OF LAKE EYRE . facing 94 RETURN FROM LAKE TYRE . DELTA OF COOPER 'S CREEK BELOW OUR LOWEST CAMP . it 100 TIRARI DESERT , LOOKING NORTHWARDS TOWARDS THE DIA- MANTINA . „ 100 CLIFFS OF THE DIAMANTINA, WEST OF EALAMURINA, WITH A WATER -HOLE IN THE BED OF THE RIVER . „ 110 HIGH CLIFFS OF THE DIAMANTINA , WEST OF. KALAMURINA, SHOWING THE BEDDED LOAMS WHICH CONTAIN THE BONES OF THE KADIMAKARA . „ 116 DIGGING OUT A " BOGGED " CAMEL BESIDE A WATER-HOLE IN THE BED OF THE LOWER DIAMANTINA „ 120 NORTHERN END OF THE PEAK RANGE FROM THE NEALE RIVER . WHITE COLOUR DUE TO THE ABUNDANCE OF QUARTZ FRAGMENTS . „ 138 THE LAST MARCH . MR. GRAYSON TAKING THE BAGGAGE CAMELS ACROSS THE PEAK RANGE . „ 142 KARHALINA , A MEMBER OF THE DIERI TRIBE, EAST OF LAKE EYRE (AGED ABOUT FIFTY YEARS ) . „ 164 xv xvi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Peas DALBIRIKA , A MEMBER OF THE YAUROKL TRIBE, NORTH OF LAKE HOWITT, CooPER 'S CREEK facing 164 WOLPILINA , A YANTRUWUNTA , FROM NORTH-EAST OF LAKE GREGORY . „ 164 A YAUROKA , FROM THE LAKE HOWITT COUNTRY . „ 164 OUB GUIDE FROM KILALPANINNA TO THE SHORES OF LAKE BYRE -EMIL KINTALAKADI, A MEMBER OF THE TIRARI TRIBE , EAST OF LAKE EYRE . It 178 AN ABOBIGINEE FROM THE DIAMANTINA . „ 178 THE TJI-TJI -NGALLA COBROBOREE AS PERFORMED AT KILAL- PANINNA . „ 210 Fro m a Photograph lent by Herr Siebert. CORROBOBEE DANCERS. 213 SKETCH MAP SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE TJI.TJI- NGALLA COBROBOBEE . facing 216 SKETCH MAP OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL DIVISIONS OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA . „ 236 THE OUTLET OF AN ARTESIAN WELL . „ 278 Prom a Photog ra ph lent by the Royal Colonial Institute. FIGURE ILLUSTRATING AN ARTIFICIALLY FLOWING WELL AND A NATURAL ARTESIAN SPRING . 283 A SERIES OF PIEZOMETERS . 285 SECTION SHOWING THE APPROXIMATE HEIGHT OF THE SURFACE, THE DEPTH OF THE WELLS , AND THE HEIGHT TO WHICH THE WATER WILL RISE AT THE WELLS . 306, 307 SKETCH MAP SHOWING DISTRIBUTION OF SOLID CONSTITUENTS IN THE WELL-WATERS OF CENTRAL AUSTRALIA . facing 314 SKETCH MAP SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF UNDERGROUND TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS AS SHOWN BY THE ARTESIAN WELL-WATERS . It 318 MAP I. SKETCH MAP OF THE LAKE EYRE BASIN At end II. SKETCH MAP OF EASTERN AUSTRALIA , SHOWING THE CENTRAL ARTESIAN BASIN AND THE GENERAL COURSE OF THE ISOPOTENTIAL LINES . At end CHAPTER I HOW THE KADIMAKARA CAME DOWN FROM THE SKIES Sky created us ; but we shall be consumed by Eart h. A proverb of the Giriama, a tribe in British East Africa , near Mombasa. It is strange to find fables similar to those of the more no rt hern nations even in the hea rt of Africa . Can they be the vestiges of traditions of animals which no longer exist? The fossil bones which lie in the calcareous tufa of this region will yet, we hope , reveal the ancient fauna . LIVINGSTONE. ACCORDINGto the traditions of some Austra lian aborigines , the deserts of Central Australia were once fertile, wel!:watered plains. Instead of the present brazen s*y, the heavens were covered by a vault of clouds , so dense that it appeared solid ; where to -day the only vegetation is a thin scrub, there were once giant g um-trees, which formed pillars to support the sky ; the air, now laden with blinding, salt-coated dust , was washed by soft, cooling rains, and the present deserts around Lake Eyre were one continuous garden. The rich soil of the country , watered by abundant rain, supported a luxuriant vegetation, which spread from the lake-shores and the river-banks far out across the plains . The trunks of lofty gum- trees rose through the dense undergrowth, and 3 CHAPTER VI DOWN COOPER'S CREEK TO LAKE EYRE Not a pool,not a bush, not a house is seen Round the parchedflats , spreadas a lake between.