Mararoa geological expedition to the Victoria River, 1922

Herbert Basedow journeyed to the Northern Territory in 1922 to assess possible oil deposits for the Mararoa Gold Mining Company.

The party, which included Frank Feast and prospector Billy Williams, travelled from May to September. For transport they used an Argyle car and horse-drawn buggy. At times the terrain proved heavy going for the car. They cleared rocks by hand and the horses had to haul the vehicle up sandy river banks. At one stage the carburettor caught fire but was extinguished before causing serious damage.

Mustering horses across the Victoria River, Northern Territory 1922. The photograph has been taken about fifty metres or so along the riverbed so that the whole mob of horses is visible. The mob approaches the shallow crossing from the left of the river. A man on horseback is just behind the mob. The water level is quite low, revealing flat rock shelves and channels. The left bank is almost flat, sloping very gently up from the river. The right bank is steeper, with an eroded surface and tufts of grass. Trees are on both sides of the crossing. - click to view larger image — Mustering horses across the Victoria River

Aboriginal men and boys playing a customary game, Humbert River station, Northern Territory 1922. Three men and two boys are participating. They all have their backs to the camera; the boys are closest to the camera on the left of the image. A rolling bark disc is out of shot to the left. The two boys and two of the men are throwing spears at it. The third man stands with a spear held at head height in his right hand. Another man watches the game from the right background. - click to view larger image — Men and boys playing a game of ‘gorri’

Ponga Ponga woman carrying her pet possum, Northern Territory 1922. The possum perches on the woman's head. The woman faces to the left of the image; the sun catches highlights in her wavy hair. She is visible down to her shoulders and appears to be wearing a pale European shirt or dress. The background is out of focus and very indistinct. - click to view larger image — Ponga Ponga woman carrying her pet possum

Buildings, Victoria River Downs station, Northern Territory 1922. A raised house with an enclosed verandah is in the middle of the image. It has a simple timber and wire fence in front and to one side. Part of the fence is covered by a creeping vine plant. A second house and farm shed are visible in the background. A few tall trees are behind them. - click to view larger image — Buildings, Victoria River Downs station

Aboriginal man carrying a Aboriginal child on his shoulder, Victoria River, Northern Territory 1922. The man has his back to the camera and is only visible to his lower back. The child is perched on his right shoulder, with its left leg around the back of the man's neck. The child looks directly at the camera, its cherubic face looking a little stern. The background is out of focus. Some blurred objects in the right background may be a hut with a box or case in front of it. - click to view larger image — Man and child

Katherine River, Northern Territory 1922. The photograph has been taken at the edge of one riverbank looking across to the far riverbank. In the right foreground at the water's edge is a tall palm plant growing up from a base of large tangled leaves. The shallow river's surface is gently rippled in the foreground and more disturbed in the middle distance where the water flows over some rocks. Undergrowth and trees can be seen on the far side. The angle of some of the undergrowth suggests periodic flooding. - click to view larger image — Katherine River

Crossing the Victoria River, Northern Territory 1922. Four horses, hitched one behind the other, struggle to pull an expedition car out of a difficult crossing. The crossing is rocky at its low point; the horses pull the car up a narrow sandy crossing approach path. Four men are with the horses while one drives the car. The man with the front horse uses a whip. In the centre and left background can be seen the boulder-strewn dry river bed and trees beyond it. - click to view larger image — Using horses and coconut matting to help the expedition car negotiate a difficult crossing

Wagon carrying an 8-tonne load, Victoria River, Northern Territory 1922. The wagon, moving from left to right across the image, is descending into a wide, flat creek crossing. Approximately 16 horses are pulling the wagon. A man can just be seen at the far right leading the horses. Trees intermittently line the visible bank of the creek. The photo has been taken from near the ground, showing the stony creek bed in the foreground. - click to view larger image — Wagon carrying an 8-tonne load

Mararoa geological expedition, 1922 3:58

Frank Feast’s recollections and photos of the Mararoa geological expedition, 1922. Read the transcript

The country west of Humbert River station was too rough for the car and the party continued on horseback. They examined the geology around Wave Hill and Victoria River Downs stations, where Basedow treated Feast for malaria and saved a boy's life by removing an abscess near his throat.

In his expedition report, Basedow concluded that there was nothing to suggest the presence of oil, nor any valuable minerals, on the Mararoa block.

Map outlining the expedition in 1922 in the Northern Territory. The stylised map only shows the expedition routes as white lines; there is no topographic or other information. The main map features locations such as Darwin, Katherine, Victoria River Downs and Wave Hill. The upper half of the NT and its coastline is depicted. In the bottom right corner is a small white map of Australia showing the main map area covered. In the main map, the NT land mass is ochre yellow and the sea is dark brown.

Map outlining the 1922 expedition route in the Northern Territory

Mararoa geological expedition to the Victoria River, 1922

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