Mackay exploring expedition in Arnhem Land, 1928

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.

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. - click to view larger image — Spearing fish in a billabong

An Aboriginal, 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. - click to view larger image — Neighbour (or Ngaller-iga)

Man holding a bundle of spears and rock python, Liverpool River, Northern Territory 1928. A 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. - click to view larger image — Man holding a bundle of spears and rock python

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. - click to view larger image — Elsey River

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. - click to view larger image — Expedition guides next to wet-weather hut

Laurie Coonan shoeing a horse, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory 1928. He stands holding the rear right hoof a light-coloured horse that faces away from the camera. Laurie is wearing trousers but no shirt. His feet are obscured by the mid-shin high grass around him. An Aboriginal man stands near the horse's head, holding its reigns and its right ear. He wears trousers, shirt and a hat. His feet are also obscured by the grass. The men and the horse a in a small clearing in a stand of trees. A small tree trunk is visible in the front right foreground of the image. Larger trees are in the background. There are glimpses of the sky in the distance, through the trees. - click to view larger image — Laurie Coonan shoeing a horse

Expedition members negotiating rough terrain, northern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory 1928. An Aboriginal man on horseback leads four horses through a gorge hemmed in by vertical rock walls. The man and horses move through the gorge from the background to the foreground. He is in the left middle ground of the image. Two horses are in the left foreground and two are in the middle background. On the left and right the rock walls, with horizontal layers clearly visible, tower up to possibly 15 metres or more. Deep shadows are cast on the walls by overhanging sections. Trees and long spindly grass are in the gorge. Large rocks are strewn about the gorge floor, obviously making progress through the gorge difficult. - click to view larger image — Negotiating rough terrain

Rock paintings at Kunumidjara, Liverpool River area, Northern Territory 1928. The paintings are on a rock wall under an overhang. Aboriginal customary representations of a crocodile, a fish, a turtle and spirits can be seen. The representations are overlayed on other images that are indistinct. The fish representation in the middle of the paintings is more detailed and in different tones to the other representations, suggesting that it's a more recent painting done with a range of ochre colours. The rock wall has its own tones and textures. Above and below the paintings are large horizontal cracks that separate the wall into at least three sections. - click to view larger image — Rock paintings at Kunumidjara

Mackay expedition in Arnhem Land, 1928 3:50

Frank Feast’s recollections and photos of the Mackay expedition in Arnhem Land, 1928. Read the transcript

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.

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

Mackay exploring expedition in Arnhem Land, 1928

Read more on the 1928 expedition