National Museum of Australia

1916 expedition

Warning: This exhibition and website contain some images of nudity and people in distressing circumstances. Visitors should also be aware that the exhibition and website include names and images of deceased people that may cause sadness or distress to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Prospecting for munition minerals in the Kimberley

In 1915 a South Australian mining syndicate commissioned Herbert Basedow to investigate a possible ore deposit in the Napier Ranges in the western Kimberley region.

For Basedow the trip presented an opportunity to explore a little-known area of Western Australia. The Australian Museum gave him £50 to extend his travels in the region. In return, Basedow would provide the museum with natural history and geological specimens and Aboriginal artefacts.

Basedow reached Derby in March 1916, stopping on the way to photograph Aboriginal rock engravings at Port Hedland. From Napier Downs station he inspected the deposit but no minerals of value were found. From Derby he made journeys to Port George IV, and to the Forrest River Mission via Wyndham.

While in the Kimberley, Basedow used a glass negative camera and two film cameras. He took many photographs of Aboriginal people as well as the pastoral and mission stations where he stayed.

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Map outlining the expedition in 1916. The stylised map shows the expedition routes between Wyndham and Derby in north west Western Australia. White lines show the overland and water routes taken to places such as Sunday Island, Forrest River and Kimberley Downs. A small map of Australia in the top left hand corner shows the main map area covered.

Map outlining the 1916 expedition route through the Napier Ranges and the Western Kimberley region in Western Australia

An Aboriginal man crawling along the ground wearing a tall headdress, Forrest River, Western Australia 1916. The man is on all fours. His arms and legs bear customary scarification. He wears a dark band of cloth around his waist. The headress sits on his head in a bowl style. It has a long vertical extension ending in some bird feathers. The headdress is coloured with a light material, which forms a spiral pattern going up to the top.

Kolaia man wearing a headdress worn in a fire ceremony, Forrest River, Western Australia 1916

photograph by Herbert Basedow
reproduced from glass plate negative
National Museum of Australia

One evening, while Herbert Basedow and his party were at the Forrest River Mission, the missionary Ernest Gribble gave a slide show. This was followed by a 'gala corroboree' in which a number of ceremonies were performed. As the ceremonies took place at night, Basedow asked this man to pose later, during daylight.

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Aboriginal husband and wife, Whistle and Nellie, standing in front of a wagon, Western Australia 1916. Whistle stands to the left, dressed in a shirt, trousers and hat. Nellie stands to the right, dressed in a pale skirt and jacket with three-quarter length sleeves. A donkey stands with its head between them. Behind is the wagon, heavily laden with provisions.

Whistle and Nellie, Western Australia 1916

photograph by Herbert Basedow
reproduced from glass plate negative
National Museum of Australia

Husband and wife Whistle and Nellie helped teamster Mr Perkins to transport supplies from Derby to Kimberley Downs station. The wagon, with its four-and-a-half-tonne load, was pulled by 30 mules. Whistle assisted Perkins while Nellie was the cook.

Two men standing on a rocky outcrop, Narlarla, Napier Range, Western Australia 1916. The outcrop is about six metres high, with a rough surface and signs of significant erosion. The two men stand toward the left of the outcrop. They are hard to see in amongst the shadows of the outcrop's surface. A single young tree is in front of the outcrop, in the middle distance.

Outcrop at Narlarla, Napier Range, Western Australia 1916

photograph by Herbert Basedow
reproduced from glass plate negative
National Museum of Australia

At Narlarla, Herbert Basedow inspected an outcrop of scheelite, making use of an abandoned shaft (at left) to examine the rock underground. Gilbert St John Sanders, Basedow's travelling companion, and Bandignan, or One-eye Tom, the expedition's guide from Napier Downs station, are standing at left.

A young Worora man paddling on a raft made from mangrove trees, George Water, Western Australia 1916. The raft is made up of eight tree sections tied together. The young man holds a paddle-like implement in one hand; he has his back to the camera. Partly submerged tree trunks are ahead to the left and right. The water's surface is lightly rippled.

Worora youth on a mangrove tree raft (or 'kaloa'), George Water, Western Australia 1916

photograph by Herbert Basedow
reproduced from a lantern slide
National Museum of Australia

Two men standing at the entrance to Wangalinnya Caves, Napier Range, Western Australia 1916. The cave entrance is made up of fantastic rock formations rising from the ground and hanging from the entrance roof. The formations hang in frond-like formations or appear to grow from the ground. The two men stand to the far right of the image.

Mr Sherwin and Gilbert St John Sanders at the entrance to Wangalinnya Caves, Napier Range, Western Australia 1916

photograph by Herbert Basedow
reproduced from film negative
National Museum of Australia