Cirrus@Austlit

19th-Century Australian Travel Writing

Botanist and explorer, William Carron (1821-1876), accompanied Edmund Kennedy on this ill-fated third expedition to the Cape York Peninsula in 1848. In the first chapter of Narrative of an Expedition, Carron introduces the Kennedy expedition and its members in a detailed though accessible narrative style. From chapter two onwards, Carron uses diary form, noting that the work is based on the combination of memory and notes taken during the course of the expedition. Carron describes supplies, equipment, members of the expedition, and, in keeping with his botanical interests, the varieties of flora encountered. He also details the exploring party's interactions with the Aboriginal population, features of the landscape, and daily incidents of travel. The expedition saw the death of its leader, Edmund Kennedy. Carron's text attaches three appendices: "the Statement of the Aboriginal Native Jackey Jackey, who accompanied Mr. Kennedy"; the "Statement of Dr. Vallack and Captain Dobson, who rescued the survivors of the expedition"; and the "Statement of Captain Simpson, of the 'Freak,' who proceeded in search of Mr. Kennedy's Papers, &c."