National Museum of Australia - 1928 expedition

1928 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.

Mackay exploring expedition in Arnhem Land

Herbert Basedow and Donald Mackay teamed up again in April 1928, this time for a
four-month exploration of Arnhem Land.

The party caught a train from Darwin to Katherine, where they took delivery of 26 horses and six mules. Much of the country was a maze of rocky gorges, and at times they were forced to retrace their steps. They climbed hills to gain vantage points to determine the route ahead.

Towards the end of the trip, the party was relieved to find a camp of Aboriginal people near the headwaters of the Liverpool River. Some of the men offered to guide them to Oenpelli. On the way, Basedow photographed rock paintings using a film camera.

At one stream crossing, several horses got bogged and food supplies were spoilt. After just one day in Oenpelli, the expeditioners pressed on to Pine Creek, where they caught a train back to Darwin.

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Map outlining the expedition in 1928 in the Northern Territory. The stylised map only shows the expedition route as a white line. Locations such as Darwin, Oenpelli, Roper River and Katherine are shown on the map. There is no other map information in regard to terrain, roads and such. The land mass is an ochre yellow colour while the sea areas depicted are dark brown. The map takes in about the upper 25 per cent of the Northern Territory. A small white map of Australia in the bottom left hand corner shows the area covered by the main map as a small rectangle.

Map outlining the 1928 expedition route through Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory

Spearing fish in a billabong off the East Alligator River, Northern Territory 1928. Two Aboriginal men stand in ankle-deep water near the bank of the billabong at the left side of the image. They face to the right, out toward the water, holding spears above their heads with the points just above the water's surface. They stand in the shadows of trees on the bank behind them. Across the water to the right can be seen the opposite bank, covered in trees and dense scrub. Reflections from both banks play on the water. Parts of two palm plants can be seen in the right and left foreground corners of the image. The billabong stretches away in the background.

Spearing fish in a billabong, East Alligator River, Northern Territory 1928

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

Two Aboriginal men, George and Buddy, guided the expedition from Oenpelli mission to Pine Creek. The day after departing, the expedition reached the East Alligator River and camped for lunch by a billabong. Here, two men, possibly George and Buddy, speared some large fish they called 'walilli' and gave them to the expedition party.

An Aboriginal man, Neighbour (or Ngaller-iga), near Roper Bar, Northern Territory 1928. He stands facing the camera, visible from about the waist up. He wears trousers and a long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His hair is cut in a more European style and he has a full beard. He smiles at the camera in an enthusiastic and friendly manner. Neighbour appears to be relatively young, perhaps in his late twenties. The background of grass and scrub is out of focus in contrast to the sharp and clear image of Neighbour.

Neighbour (or Ngaller-iga), near Roper Bar, Northern Territory 1928

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

The day before reaching Roper Bar, Basedow received a letter delivered by Neighbour, who was well-known as a recipient of the Albert Medal bravery award. In 1911, while a prisoner in chains, he had saved the life of a policeman who had been kicked unconscious by his horse while crossing the Roper River.

Man holding a bundle of spears and rock python, Liverpool River, Northern Territory 1928. An Aboriginal man stands turned toward and looking beyond the left frame of the image. He is in the image foreground. In his left hand he holds at about chest height a long python snake; most of it hangs from his hand. Its tail curls onto the ground. He cradles a bundle of spears in his right arm. He holds them vertically, with the ends resting on the sandy soil. He appears to have some areas of customary ochre markings on his face and body. In the right background, near a stand of trees, is the out of focus form of a dog. The trees beyond the dog lean from right to left, on more sandy soil.

Man holding a bundle of spears and rock python, Liverpool River, Northern Territory 1928

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

The terrain around the Liverpool River was particularly rocky, making progress slow. On reaching the river, the party encountered a large group of people, including this man who had been hunting and had covered his body with clay as camouflage. He and another man guided the expedition through land to the west for a time.

Elsey River, Northern Territory 1928. A body of water lies in amongst trees and scrub. In the foreground leaf litter appears to float on the water's surface. In the middle ground on both sides of the water are trees and dense scrub. In the distance the water runs to more trees. Deep shadows are at the left and right of the image. The still water surface reflects the trees and scrub at the water's edges. The bright sky can be seen through the tall trees in amongst the scrub.

Elsey River, Northern Territory 1928

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

Expedition guides next to wet-weather hut, near the Liverpool River, Northern Territory 1928. Four Aboriginal adults and one Aboriginal child are at one end of a long, low rectangular floor plan hut. the adults sit in a rough circle while the child stands at the right of the adult on the right. The hut appears to be no more than about chest-high. It's covered with sheets of bark and blankets. The covering overlaps in a way designed to keep rain out. The hut has one wall and one enclosed end; the end near to the people and the long side nearby are open. The ground around the hut is bare; beyond it in the foreground are scattered grass tufts. Behind the hut is scrub with trees and taller scrub grass.

Expedition guides next to wet-weather hut, near the Liverpool River, Northern Territory 1928

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

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