26
Leichhardt's 1844-45 route
XI
FIRES AND FARMED EMUS
August 1845
Wheeling around the southern base of the Gulf of Carpentaria then moving north, the party, which
was still recovering from their earlier injuries, met up with many aboriginal communities. Leichhardt
described
'systematic grass burnings'
as part of an agrarian practice. On 13th August he observed
“…a barricade or hedge of dry sticks, leaving only one opening to allow the emus to approach the
water…”
. Leichhardt wrote how they
'parleyed with the natives'
. His diary portrays an ordered and
interesting indigenous society.
80 x 120 cm
oil on board
2013
