18
Leichhardt's 1844-45 route
III
COCKATOO CHRISTMAS ON THE COMET
December 1844
Now travelling north along the Comet River (so named because of a comet sighting), on 20th
December the expeditioners made an early Christmas meal of one of their bullocks. By now their
meals were increasingly bush-based. Under Leichhardt’s encouragement they had learned to dine
on emu, kangaroo, bandicoots, goanna, various‘green picks’, native lime, honey, fish and birds.
Young John Murphy and Fisher would often hunt with their dogs and both were good shots when
it came to birds. Leichhardt went on a reconnaissance trip until late Christmas Day, whilst back at
Camp No. 50 the others dined on
'stewed cockatoo and suet pudding'
at Brown's Lagoon under a
'cloudy and sultry'
sky.
80 x 120 cm
oil on board
2013
