Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Point Stuart / Part One

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On 1 July, Stuart thought he had reached a tributary of the Adelaide River. He named it the Mary River after one of Chambers' daughters. The country improved as they made their way down Strangways Creek to the Roper River, which they crossed. They followed a tributary, Chambers River, in a north-west direction. Two hundred miles was all that remained between the party and Adelaide River, which had been explored by Lieutenant Helpman in a boat.

Of those, 150 miles were along the River Chambers which brought new problems of swamps, mosquitos and rank grass which made the horses ill.

Auld was later to recall: …mosquitoes and flies were terrible. Our hands, wrists, necks and feet were all blistered with their bites, and many earnest inquiries were made as to who could explain their use in this world. One of the party thought they were sent to teach a man how to swear fluently.


On 24 July 1862, Thring and Stuart, scouting ahead of the party, received their ultimate reward‚ the northern coast of Australia. Stuart was first on to the beach.

Pike wrote: He struggled across its soft blue mud and washed his hands and face in the Indian Ocean.
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Acacia leptocarpa
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Aidia cochinchinensis Close Up
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Aidia cochinchinensis
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Terminalia sericocarpa
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Black and White Ichneumon with Red Legs Gotra sp
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Black Berry Nightshade Solanum nigrum L
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Blue-banded Bee Amegilla sp
Feeding on
Snakeweed Stachytarpheta cayennensis
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Canthium lucidum
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Carallia brachiate
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Case Moths Psychidae sp
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Chalky Percher Diplacodes trivialis
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Cocky Apple Planchonia careya
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Cologyne pilosa
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Colourful Board-headed Bug - Noliphus erythrocephalus
Feeding On
Leichhardt Tree Nauclea orientalis
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Common Lynx Spider - Oxyopes quadrifasciatus
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Common Tree Snake Dendrelaphis punctulata
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Coreid Bug - Coreidae sp
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Crusader Bug - Mictis profana nymph 4th instar
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Darkling Beetle Lagria sp
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Dentella dioeca
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Point Stuart/Part Two

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Stuart's journal entry for that day refers to himself as "being very unwell" but not feeble and struggling, although his health was to deteriorate.

Thring could hardly contain his excitement and shouted "The sea! The sea!" to the others.

Stuart wrote: At length understanding what was meant they commenced cheering at a terrible rate which lasted some time. The next day, the party cleared a space around a tree and nailed a Union Jack to its highest branch. Across the centre of the flag was Stuart's name, embroidered months earlier by Elizabeth Chambers.

A paper bearing the party's names and signatures was buried in an air-tight tin case at the foot of the tree. The paper read: South Australian Great Northern Exploring Expedition. The exploring party, under the command of John McDouall Stuart, arrived at this spot on the 25th day of July 1862 having crossed the entire Continent of Australia from the Southern to the Indian Ocean, passing through the Centre. They left the City of Adelaide on the 26th [it was, in fact, the 25th] day of October 1861 and the most northern station of the colony on the 21st day of January 1862. To commemorate this happy event, they have raised this flag bearing his name. All well. God save the Queen! (Webster; 233).
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Feral Buffalo Bubalis bubalis
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Fiery Skimmer Orthetrum villosovittatum Female
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Fiery Skimmer Orthetrum villosovittatum Male
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Green Long Legged Fly - Heteropsilopus or Sciapus sp
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Hylaeus sp.
Feeding on
Cocky Apple Planchonia careya
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Hypholoma australe
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Hypoxis nervosa
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Large Yellow Grass-dart Taractrocera anisomorpha
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Leichhardt Tree
Nauclea orientalis
Story Part 01
Immature Globular Flower Head Inside Terminal Branchlet Leaf
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Leichhardt Tree Nauclea orientalis
Story Part 02
Immature Globular Flower Head Emerging From Terminal Branchlet Leaf
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Leichhardt Tree Nauclea orientalis
Story Part 03
Immature Globular Flower Head Outside Terminal Branchlet Leaf
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Leichhardt Tree Nauclea orientalis
Story Part 04
Immature Globular Flower Head Outside Terminal Branchlet Leaf Swells
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Leichhardt Tree Nauclea orientalis
Story Part 05
Calyx Elongate and Start to Change Colour
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Leichhardt Tree Nauclea orientalis
Story Part 06
Calyx Fully Extended and Start to Change Colour as They Mature
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Leichhardt Tree Nauclea orientalis
Story Part 07
Corolla Colour Change Complete
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Leichhardt Tree Nauclea orientalis
Story Part 08
White Styles Start to Emerge from the Corolla Tubes
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Leichhardt Tree Nauclea orientalis
Story Part 09
White Styles Start to Emerge from the Corolla Tubes Close Up
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Leichhardt Tree Nauclea orientalis
Story Part 10
The White Styles,Stigma and Stamen are Visible in This Close Up
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Leichhardt Tree Nauclea orientalis
Story Part 11
The Comoplete Mature Globular Flower Head
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Leichhardt Tree Nauclea orientalis
Story Part 12
The Brown Corolla and White Styles of a Ripened Globular Flower Head
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Leichhardt Tree Nauclea orientalis
Story Part 13
The Brown Corolla and White Styles of a Ripened Globular Flower Head Fall Out Exposing the Seed Pod
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Point Stuart / Part Three

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Stuart's journal recorded naming the bay: Elizabeth Bay in honour of Miss Chambers who kindly presented me with the flag which I have planted on this day . . . The name of the bay was later changed - by whom is not clear - to Chambers Bay.

This area was later unofficially named Point Stuart. The name remains today, although it has never been gazetted.
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Smith, Robyn.John McDouall Stuart: Explorer. Explorations in Australia The Journals of John Stuart: During the Years 1858,1859,1860,1861,& 1862, when he fixed the centre of the continent and successfully crossed it from sea to sea. Stuart,John McDouall 1815-1866, University of Sydney Library 2003 [www.northernexposure.com.au] [http://setis.library.usyd.edu.au/ozlit/pdf/stuexpl.pdf]
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Little Shrike-thrush Colluricincla megarhyncha Race parvula
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Lobelia quadrangularis R.Br
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Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles Juv
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Native Drone Fly Eristalinus hervebazini
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Orange Palm-dart Cephrenes augiades
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Orange Spider Wasp - Priocnemis bicolour
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Palemouth Brachydiplax denticauda Female Front
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Palemouth Brachydiplax denticauda Female Side
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Port Essington Ctenotus Ctenotus essingtonii
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Psychotria nesophila
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Rainbow Spiny Orb Weaver Gasteracantha westringi Web
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Rainbow Spiny Orb Weaver Gasteracantha westringia
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Red Swampdragon Agrionoptera insignis allogenes Close Up
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Red Swampdragon Agrionoptera insignis allogenes
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Red-sided Rainbow Skink Carlia rufilatus
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RedTail Ceriagrion aeruginosum
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Rufous Fantail Rhipidura rufifrons
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Sedge Schoenus falcatus
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Shining Flycatcher Myiagra alecto Female
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Smartweed Polygonum attenuatum
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Swamp Bloodwood Eucalyptus ptychocarpa
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Syzygium nervosum
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Tent Spider Cyrtophora mollucensis
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Tipulidae sp
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Typhonium flagelliforme Berries
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Varied Eggfly Hypolimnas bolina
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Xyris complanata
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