7
RETRACING THE
1844-45 EXPEDITION
The colony of New SouthWales was keen for a overland link from the east coast to
the small garrison, Victoria Settlement, north-east of today’s Darwin. The British
had fears of the French or other colonists claiming the north. Sir Thomas Mitchell
was delayed in taking on this venture and a small rag bag team led by the
unusual naturalist, Ludwig Leichhardt, took on the challenge. They left Jimbour
Station in south east Queensland on 1 October 1844.
See a month by month outline of the expedition starting at page 16, and a list of
source documents on the inside back cover of this booklet .
Photographs of Leichhardt's 1844-45 Field Diary with extracts of text, maps and calculations by kind permission of the Mitchell Library , State Library of NSW, Sydney
