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WESTERN AUSTRALIA
£30,000 - £50,000
Footnotes
In 1832 the Swan River Colony had been renamed Western Australia to reflect an aspiration rather than fact. The Great Southern Expedition, with the aim of connecting the settlement around Perth with that at Albany on King George Sound was a milestone in the endeavour to make Western Australia a reality. Roe's party included Governor James Stirling, for whom Roe named the mountain range that lay before them. This notebook relates to the outward journey and first route, while the return explored an alternative, which connected with Perth via the new settlement at Williams.
The notes commence at sunrise on 8 November, somewhere to the east of Toolbrunup and north of the Stirling Range. On the march Roe carefully records the changing vegetation, geology, soils as well as kangaroo and cockatoos, punctuated by frequent bearings, which initially always included Toolbrunup (bearing 155 degrees and 18 miles late afternoon 8 November). From time to time trees were marked in particular ways and the symbols recorded in the notebook. This pattern of entries continues, interspersed every day or so with a detailed sketch map which gives order to the notes and bearings. On 9 November there was an unsatisfactory encounter with some aborigines who seemed similar to those around King George Sound, but appeared to never have been there. They were afraid of the expedition's horses and, despite precautions, made off with some articles. On the same day numerous brackish lakes were recorded and a sketch map of some included, while another map shows the country traversed. On 10 November, perhaps near modern Cranbrook, the expedition found the water they so eagerly sought at "a native well". Friendly aborigines were met on 11 November, who knew some of those around King George Sound by name, and others who named the place where they camped as Kumbalup. It rained all night of 14 November, when the expedition camped further west near the Frankland River (red and brown loam, red gum, blue gum and mahogany). From here the direction was south to William Bay, sketched on 17 November, and then moving on to Wilson's Inlet on the following day. Also on 18 November, in sight of Mt. Lindesay, Roe named Bennett's Range "after the family of Mrs. Roe". The following day they encountered aborigines who "came to us with confidence and good humour. They consisted of a middle aged man with a fine open countenance & forehead, a younger man, 3 women, 2 of which had young children in bags at their backs...The recognition of one of their own people in the person of Migo was very amusing, and Migo was not at all adverse to receiving the kisses which all three women gave him on both sides of the neck". They camped together, the aborigines giving helpful information on how the reach King George Sound, and identifying tracks as those of a white man named Taylor. On 20 November the party was at Torbay, and the sketch map shows the adjacent coast with Seagull Island, Richard Island and "I. Migo" presumably named by Roe in honour of the party's aborigine guide, and into Albany on the 21st. Geographical information from the journey was sent to Arrowsmith in London, and was incorporated in his map of 1839 [Tooley 127].
On 26 November Roe left Albany for two days in the schooner Sally Ann to survey King George Sound and Bremmer Bay, represented by dozens of bearing s filling 27 pages including a sketch map showing "Bight of Many-Port Bay" with Port Jane and John Cove.
Roe's place amongst the most important explorers of Australia is without doubt. Born at Newbury in England in 1797, he entered the Royal Navy in 1813, and in 1817 was appointed to the surveying service in New South Wales under Philip Parker King, taking his first steps in Western Australia at King George Sound in January 1818. For the next three years he served on King's expeditions that completed the coastal survey. Roe returned to England in 1823, but was back the following year in the Tamar and involved in the ill-fated attempt to establish a settlement on Melville Island. In 1828 he tried for the post of Surveyor-General of New South Wales, but instead was offered the similar post for the fledgling Swan River Colony.
Roe arrived at the Swan River on 1 June 1829 along with Captain James Stirling, the colony's progenitor and first lieutenant-governor. He chose the sites for Perth and Fremantle, and then had to survey and allot the land as needed for government and private purposes. Every year for the next decade Roe was at some point away from Perth exploring and surveying, and continued to explore, and later to inspire others to explore, until retirement in 1871.
Saleroom notices
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