ROUGH COUNTRY
AUSTRALIA’S NORTH-WEST. RICH MINERAL DEPOSIT'S. SYDNEY, December 19. Amazing stories of the wild northwest of Australia were told by a party which returned to Melbourne this week after inspecting a concession of more than 3,1X,0,000 acres. The party left Broome in a lugger nine months ago, and spent a huge part of the time since then in a country rich with mineral deposits, and made many interesting discoveries. Mr I). C. Stacy managing director of the Kimberley Exploitation Syndicate, said that tin, tantalite, copper, wolfram, lead, and a range of titaniferoiis iron existed in the vast area that was inspected. One of the most interesting discoveries made was a now bay which the party called Toe H Bay. This large expanse of water, which was 30 miles in length, was to the south-east of Yampa Sound, and entrance was obtained through a narrow gorge of hills on the coast line. In the bay there was a rise and fall of the tide of 36 feet. In one locality on the coast, 50 miles of wild rubber trees were found. It was thought that this forest had been started years ago bv seeds that, were east ashore from some ship-wreck, During their travels the party came across one Samson, a big native who had killed thirteen of his fellow tribesmen. Most of these murders had been committed in avenging the death of ethers who had been ‘‘sung” to death at eorrohorees. One of the last murders committed by Samson arose from the death of a native called Larry. Larry took part in a native ceremony, where he was ‘‘sung.” A fortnight later, before he died in hospital at Broome, lie called upon Samson to avenge his death. Samson carried out the request and killed the singer. At the trial by ordeal which followed. Samson, who stood as a target for the tribal spear-throwers was wounded in the leg. At the Port George Mission, the mission that became world famous when the Southern Cross was lost, they saw the missioner, Mr Love, and bis family. As money is unknown among the natives who attend the mission, they each take a piece of stone on their shoulder. These stones are used for paving the mission church. During no portion of their travel did the members of the party encounter hostile natives. Often tney went for 'weeks without sighting a native, and the vastness of Australia was vividly impressed upon them. They can understand, probably better than any, how it was that the Southern Cross was lost. They actually saw the Southern Cross in difficulties, and' even when the natives had told them of a “big bird nesting” they were unable to approach the spot where it was thought that the aeroplane may have been forced clown. When they visited the place three months after the crew of the aeroplane had been rescued, the wheel marks made by the machine in the mud were still visible. Mr Stacy will leave for Now Zealand this week and will return next year for another tour of the wild and neglected north.
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Hokitika Guardian, 31 December 1929, Page 2
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517ROUGH COUNTRY Hokitika Guardian, 31 December 1929, Page 2
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