To the Desert with Sturt: A Diary of the 1844 Expedition by Daniel George Brock

Book Description

Secondhand. Good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges. Mark to top foredge. Dust jacket has insect dmage to edges and is now enclosed in glossy protective cover. Interior and binding are still excellent

In 1844, Captain Charles Sturt (1795-1869) set out from Adelaide with fifteen companions to find the inland sea which he believed must exist in central Australia.

In the next 18 months, his party struggled out and home again in ever-increasing hardship and privation caused by searing heat, shortage of water and unsuitable diet. The discovery and naming of Cooper's Creek were poor consolation for the failure to find an inland sea.

To the Desert with Sturt was written by Daniel George Brock, an English migrant who was desperately hard up and, with a young family to support, joined the party as an armourer and collector of bird specimens. It was not intended for publication, but written as a day-to-day account for his mother in England.

Enthusiasm, grief, fear, anger and frustration are on every page. At the same time, his sensitive observation, warm sympathy for the "natives" and remarkable command of language provide a picture whose vividness Sturt's official account can seldom match.

Edited by Kenneth Peake-Jones.