Kennedy of Cape York by Edgar Beale

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges. Previous owner has signed inside page. Light foxing and sunning to top foredge. Dust jacket has light wear to edges and is now in a glossy protective cover. Body text and binding are still very good.

One of the first comprehensive biographies of Edmund Kennedy. Edgar Beale presents Kennedy as a brave and gifted character.

Kennedy arrived in Australia in 1839, and through family connections was appointed an assistant surveyor. His first significant expedition was as second in command to Sir Thomas Mitchell on Mitchell's 1846 exploration of the northern interior (now Queensland) of New South Wales. Kennedy performed so well he was given his own expedition.

In 1847, Kennedy led a small group to the Gulf of Carpentaria to plot the course of the Victoria River. Kennedy and his men came near death but managed to return safely. With this success, Kennedy in 1848, was appointed to lead an expedition to Cape York. It became one of the most ambitious and disastrous expeditions in the British 19th Century exploration of Australia. Based on misleading information and enduring dreadful conditions, Kennedy perished. His Indigenous Australian guide Jackey Jackey saved the remaining men by leading rescuers to their camp.