Review: The Calvert Scientific Exploring Expedition 1896-7

Gooday Mick,
send me your email address (my email is in my profile) and you can have a PDF (459kb) and or JPEG (976kb) of the map.... Sorry.. no lotto numbers... lol.. (: Yes, it covers everything. You will need a decent magnifying glass to read some of the text on the map though. As I said, paper/print quality isn't the best, but it is usable. The map is printed in a very unusual size. Don't tell anyone... I gently tore the map out (using a hobby knife to try to seperate the glue/gum from the paper) of the back and got my local printer to print a copy on normal paper as the original tears fairly easy when unfolding. That allowed me to follow their journey much better, and helps to make sense of the story.

Surprised you haven't cottoned onto this one earlier Mick.... lol...

Thanks Fred. It's been on my list of things but I thought the book was still out of print. I had a lot of previous information from the Elder Expedition, Rudalls and Hahns travels etc. A fair bit on teh web as you can see by the blog lol. Message sent.

Cheers Mick

Hi Mick

Like all early Exploration Expeditions, it is a compelling read. I purchased mine from Hesperian about 10 years ago. I do not know about the later copies, but there is one single map coving the whole trip at the back, measuring 650mm X 900mm.

Very fine details taken from their original maps.

It is a great read.


Cheers


Stephen

Certainly. Having been out that way to Joanna Springs and to the general vicinity of where the bodies were located...it's real tough country.

I've done a bit of a cut and past from some web sources and put it in a blog if you want a more in depth read. You can access it from the Blog link at the bottom of the page'

Below is a concise overview of the 1896 Calvert expedition prepared by Rod Cramer and sourced from wikipedia biographiocal entry on Lawrence Wells - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Wells



"In 1896 Albert Calvert, a London mining engineer, proposed through his Adelaide Agent, A.T. Magarey, to finance an expedition to complete the task of the Elder Expedition, again supervised by the South Australian Branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia. Lawrence Wells was selected to lead the Calvert Exploring Expedition of seven men and twenty camels, which left Lake Way, near present day Wiluna, on 16 July 1896, and headed northeast into uncharted country.

After a substantial reconnaissance trip, October found the party just over halfway through the two Sandy Deserts, when it was decided that Wells's older cousin Charles Wells (2IC) and George Jones, (the 18y.o. nephew of David Lindsay) would make a 'flying trip' to the west, and then rendezvous with the main party at Warburton's Joanna Spring, some 300 km further north. The increasing heat of the advancing summer, lack of feed for the camels, and scant water, caused both parties incredible hardship - the main party was soon only travelling at night, and were forced to abandon virtually everything at Adverse Well, and the remainder the following day. Low on water and unable to locate Joanna Spring, innocently missmapped by Warburton, they made a desperate dash for the Fitzroy River.
Charles Wells and Jones abandoned the flying trip, and following the main party by about twelve days, perished. Their sun dried bodies were finally found on 27 May 1897, 26 km south west of Joanna Spring, after five search expeditions by Larry Wells.





The Calvert Expedition of 1896


Mick

Thanks Mick,
you put it much better than I could. As I said earlier, I am surprised you haven't been onto this much earlier, given your treking of that area.

The map also shows some parts of the other explorers tracks into the region as well.
Including:
Colonel P.E. Warburton
Ernest Giles and
J. Forrest

The reason for the "Calvert" Expedition was to "fill in the gaps" of Western Australia not yet on the then known maps. The map and journal was first published in 1902.
regards

An excellent read. We really have it easy these days don't we. Maybe I may get the chance to go that way but . . . .

Thanks

Phil

I make the above and these statements purely as an observation on my part; not a criticism. If I had seen the product prior to purchase, I still would have done so. I think this print run has used cheaper paper to keep costs down. The map paper is "glossy", and even though I took care when unfolding the map, the folds started to tear on it's second only opening. The paper used in the "journal" is of the cheaper paperback novel variety. Can't speak for earlier print runs. I am still very happy with my purchase, and will do everything I can to keep it in good order. It will be something that I will read again and or refer to again from time to time. It will not be an ornament on the shelf.
regards