THE KIMBERLEY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XII, Issue 1741, 23 June 1886, Page 2

THE KIMBERLEY.

Mr Robert Purvis, who lately returned from the Kinaberley, sends the following interesting letter to the Dubbo Despatch: — " As I have just come back from the Kimberley district, Western Australia, after nine months' prospecting and exploring', I am able to give full information about it. We made up a party at Port Darwin, and came over to Cambridge Gulf. After waiting six weeks for the horses we started — six of us and twenty, two horses — up the Ord Eiver, which we followed for about 200 milei through well-watered and splendid pastoral country, gross growing to the height of sft and 6ft, and of a good fattening quality. For fifty miles or more, as far as the tide goes up, the Ord is infested with alligators, but beyond the tidal influence the river is full of crocodiles. The blacks m this part of the country are cannibals, as they eat their own children : and no doubt they would treat the white man the same, but they are too wild to attack, as they run like deer at the sight of him, but when they become half civilised they will be troublesome no doubt. They are the fiercest race of I have teen m appearance. Most of them are six feet high, with fine limbs and broad chests. We used to round them tip on horseback like a mob of cattle, but never ill-used them. We used to tire our rifles off at trees, which had the effect of frightening them m case they should feel inclined to attack us. After leaving the Ord we struck up Panton River, and from that on to the Elvire. After six months' travelling we came to this part which is the gold region ; and I believe will be the future El Dorado of Australia. The party divided here, three of us going south twenty miles, where we got nearly lOOozs m three weeks, baing compelled then to leave for the want of rations. In returning to Derby from here, about forty miles, we got about 12ozs m a few days, but had to leave or starve. There never was a white man m this place before. The party we separated from got gold, and that was sixty miles north fioin where we got ours last. The intervening country is not half prospected. The gold is a beautiful sample, having got £4 per ounce for it. We found a great many quartz specimens thickly impregnated with gold, m fact one. half gold and the other half quartz, and I believe it will turn out to be a grand reeling country, as the country is full of reefs and leaders of good looking stone, but I had no time to prospect; them. It is no use men going till the wet season sets m, which was January with us, and lasts three months, the rest of the year being dry and no water for gold was ling, but sufficient for domestic use by carrying it three miles. It is also no use men going unless they are provided with provisions to last them through the wet season. They will require plenty of pack horses. They are dear at Derby, bringing £20 and £30 each . The distance is about £400 miles. On our way down we were compelled to live on boiled grass and grubs, and thought ourselves lucky if we could catch a snake or an iguana, we being away from more desirable game, on account of having to travel on the high ground, it being the wet season, and the lower country being flooded. After a great deal of trouble and privation we reached Derby, and good deal the worse for having no boots and very little other clothes. The climate agreed with me, but not so well with the others, owing to the hard fare no doubt. 1 am going back with another company at once.