Edward John Eyre (1815–1901)

The concluding 2nd volume. Like the 1st volume, a bit of a dry read as its written by a 19th Century explorer and is more focussed on information sharing than entertaining, a s well as written in the verbose Victorian style. That said, its a great insight into the trials and tribulations of the early explorers. Whilst very few discoveries were made in this Nullarbor section of his mission (the one discovery being hat there was basically absolutely nothing there), Eyre does give a gripping account off the relentless battle for survival in what was literally the "do or die" leg of his mission.
An even more rewarding section is his first hand account of aboriginal life and customs of a fast disappearing culture - the second half of this volume is exclusively devoted to a. study of the native peoples in the areas he had explored in this and earlier missions, as well as lengthy quotations from other explorers of the time.… (mais)

A good read, and one of the most important books from the first half-century of Australia's colonial history. Edward Eyre's reputation went downhill late in life with his actions in Jamaica, which are now seen as part of a broader white imperialist trend, but his time in Australia was marked by a surprising empathy for the natives and for the nature of the Australian bush. This is an explorer's journal, so its relevance and interest to modern eyes may not be huge, but it's an important piece of Australian narrative, and one of the first.… (mais)

Whilst a bit dry to read, this book gave a great first hand insight into the opening up of the Australian Continent to western civilisation and also gave a some views on the land prior to settlement and the habits of the aborigines who had had little or no contact with Europeans. Living in South Australia and driving up the Main North Road its is fascinating to see how the early colonialists and exploers had to travel the same route and how they were much more closely connected to nature and the land as they did their journey.… (mais)

https://shawjonathan.com/2016/08/03/edward-john-eyres-journals-of-exploration/co...:
' I could have sat quietly and contentedly, and let the glass of life glide away to its last sand. There was a dreamy kind of pleasure, which made me forgetful or careless of the circumstances and difficulties by which I was surrounded, and which I was always indisposed to break in upon.'… (mais)