Today's Stories from our Past
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Today's Stories from our Past
E20 - Off to the Rush - An Initial Challenge
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A desert boundary, a flooded creek, and forty bullocks that won’t stop heading home—this is the uneasy start of a family’s 1852 push from Kooramoora to the Bendigo goldfields. We open with the puzzle of Goyder’s Line, the fenceless border where rainfall drops, Mallee yields to saltbush, and the dream of cropping often turns to stone ruins. Then we set our wheels on the Upper Murray track, chosen to dodge rutted southern routes and the bottleneck at the Wellington ferry, only to find the “dry” path drowned by a storm that swells Burra Creek and bogs every crossing.
Through first-hand diaries, we trace the rhythms and frictions of moving a small economy across harsh country: pre-dawn tea, yokes on, scouts probing unknown creeks with whip handles, and a relentless cycle of finding water and feed before dusk. Worlds End Gorge becomes both gateway and refuge—permanent waterholes under towering River Red gums, flanked by semi-arid flats that blur toward the Murray. When the livestock bolt, Joe rides through the night, reads tracks by first light, and turns the mobs fifteen miles from home. The camp adapts with bush yards, hobbled horses, and hard choices, inching toward the river’s North West Bend as cliffs rise and floodplains widen.
Along the way, we unpack the wider story: how Goyder’s 1865 survey codified climate reality, why “rain follows the plough” led settlers astray, and how old coach roads, squatter runs, and the modern Goyder Highway mirror each other across time. Route selection becomes a study in risk management—shorter isn’t safer if the sand is churned and the feed is gone, and “longer” may win when water, ground, and patience align. By the end, progress is slow but earned, the line on the map feels less abstract, and the lessons are plain: respect the country, move with its limits, and expect weather to rewrite plans.
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G'day, I'm Peter.
SPEAKER_01:And good day, I'm Greg.
SPEAKER_05:Welcome to today's Stories from Our Past, a podcast about a history of Australia from about 1800 onwards. In 1865, George Goida mapped the boundary between those areas of South Australia that had received good rainfall and those experiencing drought. Goida's Line runs roughly east-west across South Australia and it effectively maps the southern edge of a great saltbush desert.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, but what's Goyda's Line got to do with your trek of your ancestors down to the Victorian goldfields?
SPEAKER_05:Our happy band of trekkers are about to start their journey from Kouramura, which is about 12 kilometres south of Borough, down to the goldfields at Bendigo. And they will follow an infrequently used route. They will start from Kuromura, which is located close to Gordes Line, and travel north of the line down to the Murray River.
SPEAKER_01:That sounds a bit risky. If they're trekking through a saltbush desert, will they be able to find enough feed and water for their bullocks and other livestock?
SPEAKER_05:We'll see. But first to recap from the last episode. We talked about William Henry Neal and his extended family living in South Australia near the Boroughborough mine. They'd been infected with gold fever and were planning to go to the Bendigo Goldfields. To do this, they'd put together a party of 19 men, women and children. They'd heard that bullocks were in great demand at the goldfields, so they planned to trek overland Bendigo with six bullock trays, and thus about 40 bullocks, plus a horse tray and cart and other livestock to sell once they arrived.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, they were up at Borough, a fair way north of Adelaide. What route did they intend to take to get there? And what's Goida's Line got to do with it?
SPEAKER_05:Our party were hardly the only people travelling overland from South Australia to the goldfields. A few different routes were taken. We'll discuss these routes soon. But first some background on Goida's Line. Goida's Line is an imaginary boundary that runs roughly east-west across South Australia and in effect joins places with an average annual rainfall of about 10 inches. That's 250 millimetres. In textbooks, a desert is often defined as an area receiving less than 10 inches of annual rain. North of Gordon's Line, annual rainfall is usually too low to support cropping, with the land being only suitable for grazing. Related to that, the line also marks a change in vegetation. To the south, it's composed mainly of mallee scrub, while saltbush predominates to the north of the line.
SPEAKER_01:So why was the line drawn? I assume that somebody called Goydon was involved.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. With barely 30 years experience in the new colony, new farmers needed reliable information about the climate and thus suitable growing conditions for wheat and other crops. So in 1865, now that's thirteen years after our hardy trekkers had set forth, George Woodruff Goyder, the then Surveyor General of the Colony, was asked to map the boundary between those areas that received good rainfall and those experiencing drought, as if such a line could exist. After traversing an estimated 3,200 kilometres on horseback in November 1865 and inspecting northern pastoral lands devastated by drought in 1864-65, he submitted his report and map to the colonial government on 6 December. The map included a line of demarcation, the areas north of which being those Goida judged liable to drought, with the areas to the south deemed arable. Goyda discouraged farmers from planting crops north of the line, declaring this land suitable only for light grazing. Goida's report was based on the information already available in his office, supplemented by the observations made during the 1865 journey to observe the effects of drought. He was guided in drawing the line by changes in vegetation, especially various kinds of saltbush.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, so changes in vegetation could indicate changes in the long-term rainfall, but those vegetation changes could also be simply indicative of changes of soil type or short-term rainfall events.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. Then good rains fell in most years between 1867 and 75. This prompted farmers to ignore Goida's report and to settle to the north of his line. They started building homesteads and planting crops. The idea that rain follows the plough had developed during the contemporaneous westward expansion of cropping in the United States. That idea further encouraged this trend.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. So our trekkers were going to start trekking through a desert, but will they get adequate water for their livestock?
SPEAKER_05:You'll find out soon enough. Sadly, however, for those farmers who built to the north of the line, a few years later, many of those farmers had to abandon their properties. The land was indeed too dry for crops in most years, and Goida was proved correct. So today, if you're driving around Borough and places to the north and east of the town, you'll come across many ruins of stone farmhouses. One of those abandoned cottages found fame on the cover of an 80s Australian rock band's album.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, now back to the trekkers.
SPEAKER_05:Yes. It's 1852 and gold fever has taken over South Australia. Our group were hardly the only people living in South Australia who were infected. As we mentioned in the previous episode, many of those going to the goldfields were miners from the Borough Borough mine. Some men simply hopped on a ship leaving Adelaide for Melbourne. They would then trek up to the goldfields. This left wives and children living alone, with little income. So apparently many women would gather together in one house for security and company. Those people who wanted to take their whole family and their earthly possessions to the goldfields would have to travel overland. There were a few different routes that they could take, and the newspapers printed accounts of the different overland tracks.
SPEAKER_01:Alright. So what were those different routes?
SPEAKER_05:You may not be surprised to know that several other pioneers kept diaries of their journeys to the goldfields. From these diaries and newspaper reports at the time, three main routes can be described. I should point out that in 1852, many of the towns that we know today didn't exist, and most journals describe going from one squatter's run to another. But for this exercise I'll describe the routes using towns that exist today.
SPEAKER_01:Sounds fair enough.
SPEAKER_05:The one big obstacle that faced just about everyone going from anywhere in South Australia to the goldfields was the Moray River. In eighteen fifty two, no bridges existed across the Lower Murray. There are only two options for trekkers. One was to cross at Wellington, which is at the point where the Murray River enters Lake Alexandrina. A government controlled ferry operated 24 hours a day there, taking eager goal seekers across the Moray. The Wellington Ferry was very busy. Reports from February 1852 indicated that a total of 1,200 people and 1,300 horses and bullocks, pulling 164 carriages, crossed the river during that month. During October to November of the same year, the ferry carried 3,000 passengers, 360 carriages, and 2,800 bullocks. The other alternative was to follow along the northern side of the Murray River upstream until the river was lower enough to cross. This meant going at least as far upstream as modern day Renmark and crossing there, or going further along the northern side, past the Murray's confluence with the Darling River. This meant crossing the Murray somewhere east of Wentworth. In a dry season, there would be places in the Murray where livestock and drays could get across.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, well that's understandable, but for Madelaide, wouldn't most people choose the route via Wellington? It'd have to be shorter than going north along the Murray.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, you're right. But for those leaving Borough, the route along the northern side of the Murray was a viable option. The only problem for trekkers leaving from Borough is that they would be north of Goydas Line while tracking down to the Murray. In other words, they'd be travelling through a salt bush desert, and water supplies for livestock could be an issue.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, well I can see that. So which route did your ancestors take?
SPEAKER_05:Well, before I get into that, I'll discuss the different routes in a bit more detail. The first routes that we'll describe take a southerly track from Borough. On both routes, the Murray crossing point was at Wellington. One route from Borough to Wellington went via Capunda, Nuriubta, Mount Pleasant, and what is now known as Murray Bridge to Wellington. The other route from Borough to Wellington went via Gaula, Adelaide and Mount Barker. Once over the Murray at Wellington, two routes led to the goldfields. The most southerly route went down to the Kurong and then followed the coast to modern day Kingston. From there it went across to Narracourt and then Horsham, which at the time was a small settlement. The other southern route went from Wellington across the Dry Malee through modern day Keith and Caniva and then on to Horsham. From Horsham, both southern routes headed east to the gold fields, being modern day Ballarat or Bindigo.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. There wouldn't have been any formed roads at the time, only well-defined tracks or corridors, and the route through the Maui would have been tough on livestock with limited water resources.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, you're right there. Going through the northern of the two southern routes took you through what is effectively the Little Desert National Park now. Not surprisingly, water could be scarce on this route. But there was another significant issue. Of course, there were no sealed roads at the time. So with large numbers going to the goldfields, the rough bush tracks became severely damaged, making progress very slow.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, one can only imagine how difficult it would have been to travel on a sandy bush track that had been hacked to pieces by previous bullock wagons.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. Now, the northern route, or the upper Murray track as it was called, was completely different. From Borough, the route went down to the northwest corner of the Murray at the modern day town of Morgan. At that point it followed the Sydney to Adelaide Coach Route as it was at the time. This went along the northern side of the Murray from northwest corner to Wentworth. This required crossing the Darling River just before Wentworth. They would then cross the Murray at a point somewhere near modern day Mildura and then head south, following the southern side of the Murray, going from one squatter's run to another until they reach Swanhill, and then going straight south the Benigo.
SPEAKER_00:A newspaper article in August 1852 said it is well known that there have been three different roads adopted, and that the two more generally travelled have now become totally impassable for vehicles, and present great difficulties in the way of horsemen. Of the third or upper Murray track, its length will, even at the present time, render its adoption only occasional, and on the approach of spring, it will, I imagine, be totally deserted. The Upper Murray Track, as defined in the times of 15th July, is far longer than either of the two mentioned, but it is dreary and tedious, and all who know the country will, I am convinced, agree with me, that the route mentioned hereafter is, although longer than the first two, greatly to be preferred on account of its dryness, and in comparison with the upper southern track, so much shorter and equally dry that its superiority cannot for a moment be questioned.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. So following a coach route would have been a good idea, because they have water about every ten miles or so for the horses.
SPEAKER_05:In principle, it was a great idea. As they had a convoy of heavy wagons, they needed to avoid the southern routes that had been cut up badly by heavy traffic. But they had not anticipated something unusual happening in the desert-like localities ahead of them. They faced torrential rain. Our trekkers started on Thursday, 5th of August 1852. The following newspaper article describes what happened at Clare, a town 35 kilometers west of Kurimura, two days later on Saturday, 7 August 1852.
SPEAKER_00:Fearful floods in the North. On Saturday, August 7th, there was a most fearful flood at Clare, and in consequence of the like visitations in the intervening districts, there was no arrival of a mail on that day. In Clare, the rains commenced on the previous Thursday night, and continued with little intermission until five o'clock on the Saturday evening named, when it poured down in torrents and continued almost uninterruptedly for ten hours. All the houses in Clare were flooded, so were all the Stanley flats, from Mr. Gleason's paddock downward, and it is said that if the rain had continued for another hour, many lives would have been lost, for the flats were covered with water, and the ground being low, it would have been impossible for lone women to have saved their children and themselves. In the vicinity of Watervale, a man named Harry Jones was unhappily drowned. It is supposed he was attempting to cross the creek. Mr. Jacobs held an inquest on the body on the following Monday, and the jury returned a verdict of accidental death. It may be necessary to state for the information of distant readers that the lone women alluded to by our correspondents are those whose husbands have been attracted from their homes by the golden laws of Mount Alexander and Bendigo.
SPEAKER_01:It's interesting that they clarify that the lone women have been abandoned by their husbands and are not ladies of ill repute.
SPEAKER_05:Yes. It must have been tough when those women left alone. Now, Thursday, the day that the rain started, was the day that our party left Kouramura. Not surprisingly, Borough Creek, which is typically not much more than a dry gully, was in a major flood.
SPEAKER_01:Well that would have been unexpected. How did they go?
SPEAKER_05:Well, firstly I need to explain the geography of the locality around Kouramura. Burra Creek runs in a southerly direction through the town of Burra and continues south for about 19 kilometres. Along this route, it is bounded on either side by two distinct ridgelines that are now dotted with wind turbines, which constitute the Goida wind farm. The Kurimura Cottage was about 12 kilometres south of Borough on Burrah Creek. At the 19 kilometer point, the creek takes a sharp turn to the east through a break in the eastern ridgeline. This break in the ridge line is known as World's End Gorge. So, to get from Kuramura Cottage to the Murray River, they would need to go through Worlds End Gorge. Incidentally, Gorders Line passes through Worlds End Gorge. Their starting point was about seven kilometers north of the gorge. In the diary, our trekkers call the gorge World Ends Creek, but it's actually Borough Creek. Once through the gorge, they would need to trek about 25 kilometres, that's about 15 miles, to the northeast to reach what the trekkers call the Murray Track. It's quite likely that the current Gordon Highway from Borough to Morgan follows the route of the old Murray Track.
SPEAKER_01:Do you know where it came from?
SPEAKER_05:One source I read said that its curious name was bestowed at a time when to venture beyond the spur of the Flinders Range was considered to be courting ruination. The first landholder there was Donald MacDonald. Donald was a Scottish pastorist who established the World's End Pastoral Station. He was granted a lease for 35 square miles, that's 88 square kilometers, that became known as the World's End Run. It was reported that he got the lease in 1851, but I found information that says he was there a bit earlier than that. In January 1850, Mr. Donald MacDonald of World's End offered 3,300 sheep for sale. Also, in January 1850, there's another report which said Resident Magistrates Court.
SPEAKER_03:Donald MacDonald, stockholder, appeared on a summons to the complaint of William Henry Neal, charged with illegally impounding fifty head of cattle. Complainant not being in attendance, the case was dismissed.
SPEAKER_01:Hang on. So William Henry Neill, who was on the adjoining property, Kuromura, claimed that Donald MacDonald illegally impounded some of his cattle, and then he doesn't bother to turn up the court case to argue his case. That's a bit slack.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, well, yes, it does seem a little bit typical of William. Starting something and then not following through with it.
SPEAKER_01:So did anybody else apart from Donald MacDonald live near World's End?
SPEAKER_05:Well, yes, at least for a while. Wells End now refers to the whole locality east of the gorge. In the early days there was some closer settlement there. There was a World's End Post Office and a World's End Creek School, but both didn't last all that long. The Wesleyan Methodist Church was opened in 1889 but closed in 1975. The empty ruins of the Methodist Church remain along Worlds End Highway, not too far away from the gorge. There are several abandoned farm buildings near the entrance to the gorge. Today the area is just Large wheat or grazing paddocks. The gorge itself is a bit of an oasis in the desert. The gorge has permanent water holes and is full of magnificent river redgums. Compared to the flat, semi-arid land to the east, the gorge is a sanctuary.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, well it's enough about the gorge, but what's happening with our trekkers?
SPEAKER_05:Well, before we let Bill Emmett tell us how their journey went, it's worthwhile briefly describing what would be expected of a convoy like this on a usual day on the trail. The bullock trays would travel at a much slower rate than the horse tray and the spring cart. So the bullockies would rise early, have a quick bite to eat and a strong cup of tea, then yoke up their bullocks and get them on the road as early as possible. The remainder of the group would then clean up the campsite, pack up and proceed down the track. The second group would overtake the bullock trays somewhere along the road and would probably prepare lunch for the bullockies when they caught up. After lunch, both parties would leave, with the spring cart and others going ahead of the bullock trays. That group would select a campsite which would have a water source and some grazing for the livestock. The bullocks wouldn't have any opportunity to graze while on the track, so they would need to graze and rest when they arrived at mid-afternoon. The group would be expected to cover eight to ten miles per day. Some of the horses might be hobbled. Hobbles would allow them to graze but not stray too far. After the livestock had had a good drink and grazed for a while, they could lie down and rest for the night. The whole process would start again the next morning. As we do wherever possible, we'll let the trekkers speak for themselves. Let's start with Bill Emmet. They had all their drays and livestock bought and paid for and disposed of the Kurumura cattle. Just remember, Bill and James write their diaries in the third person.
SPEAKER_04:Bill Emmett then writes Thursday, fifth August. Already, but the horses could not be found till late, which prevented us from getting a good start. We, however, had a fine day and got within four or five miles of the Murray track.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, well that's a good start, but Thursday was the day that the big rain started. So to get within four or five miles of the Murray track must have got all of the bullock trays and other gear through the World's End Gorge, and they were cut out on the open plains east of the ridges.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, you're right. But there's something else I need to point out now. As we said in the last episode, they had about forty bullocks plus several horses and cows with them. So what would they do with something like fifty bullocks, horses, and cows when they stopped and camped? They couldn't possibly build pens to hold all of those animals every night, at least every time they stopped. All they could do was hope that the livestock stayed close to their camp, perhaps with one or two of the team keeping an eye on them.
SPEAKER_01:Well, that sounds like a plan, but were the livestock trained and accustomed to staying close to the camp?
SPEAKER_05:Well, let's see what Bill Emmett wrote in his diary.
SPEAKER_04:Friday, 6th August. Having had a very rough night, Mr. Halford, James O'Donohue, and Bill Emmett went in search of horses and bullocks, but could not find them until about 10 o'clock when Bill Emmett and Five Fingered Jack found Lucy and Abraham's mare. James O'Donohue and Charlie had started for home, thinking they had gone that way. Rained all day, miserably cold. James O'Donohue did not return that night. Saturday, 7th August. Horses being tethered overnight, Bill Emmett went in search of bullocks and found four, and also found the water had risen so high that it was impossible to cross the creek. James O'Donohue did not return that night. Very cold and raining.
SPEAKER_05:Now, the 7th of August was the day of the big flood in Clare. So it's not surprising they couldn't cross Borough Creek. Also, it's probably obvious, but Lucy is not a new member of the party. She's one of the horses.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, well let's get this clear. It's pouring rain, and now Borough Creek is in flood, and the bullocks and some horses have gone missing. James O'Donohue and Charlie, the French lad, have gone back to Kuromura, thinking that the livestock went back there. However, by now the Borough Creek has risen so high that James and Charlie couldn't get back to the main camp. This doesn't sound like a very good start.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. Clearly the livestock were not trained to stay near the camp. Bill explains what happened on the next day.
SPEAKER_04:Sunday, 8th, August. All the bullocks were seen this day, still blowing very rough, but every appearance of finer weather. William Henry Neal and men made a bushyard to keep the bullocks in, should they be found. Abe, in searching for bullocks, found three, and William Henry Neal said he would watch them. This was the time when all the others were sane. Joe was last man in and was eating his dinner, which was saved for him. He was sitting on a small water keg with a bag doubled up to make the seat more comfortable, with a panikin of tea beside him. Joe said to William Henry Neal, Where are the three bullocks? They are just down there among those small trees. It was getting late. William Henry Neal said, I will go for them. And he got his horse and started for them. Joe was watching him as he had just finished his meal. Joe said, Mr. Neil cannot find those bullocks, got his pipe, and went off to William Henry Neal, and when he got to him, he said, Where are the bullocks? They were here a few minutes ago, but I cannot see them now. Joe said to him, Give me the horse and you go back to the camp. There is the camp. See the fire. It was almost dark. Joe looked closely for the tracks, the ground being soft, and took a circle, soon discovering where the bullocks had gone. He followed the tracks of them until he could not see and sat and laid down all night. Gave the horses a long rein. That is done by unbuckling one side, and directly he could see in the morning he was up and followed the tracks of the three bullocks again, and after riding about ten miles down to the World's End Creek, he came on them, just joining another mob of cattle, and after a little trouble, got them away. They must have been close on fifteen miles away. Joe returned to camp with them, and they were out in the yard, and others were put in shortly afterwards, and were all right in the morning. There is not one man in a thousand who would have done what Joe did, and he deserved great praise. James O'Donohue and Charlie not returned, all very anxious about them, kept horse tethered to go in search of them next day. Monday, 9th August. Bill Emmett took Lucy and found James O'Donohue, who had attempted to cross the creek on Friday, but found it impossible, the water being much higher than it was ever known before. James O'Donohue took Lucy and returned to the camp. Bill Emmett and Charlie walking. Tuesday, 10th of August, packed up and started towards the Murray Road, journeyed about 14 miles and camped. Abe watched the bullocks at night on splendid feed until they laid down, then returned to his dray and went to bed about 12 o'clock at night. Bill Emmett and James O'Donohue went into the Borough Mines per arrangements and brought out Dr. Lloyd. James O'Donohue was married to Miss Fanny Neal, second daughter of William Henry Neal of the Borough Borough Mines, South Australia, and passed their wedding trip going overland.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, so let me get this straight. On the first day they got within four or five miles of the Murray Road, and then the livestock wandered off. James, O'Donohue, and Charlie go back looking for them to Koromura. However, while James and Charlie are going back, Borough Creek has risen further, such that James and Charlie couldn't get back to the main group until the next day. By this time the others had built a rough bushyards to confine the bullocks. But it's now five days since they left Koromura originally, and the group haven't made any forward progress at all.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. This is all very haphazard.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, well it seems they have got their act together now with the bullocks.
SPEAKER_05:I wouldn't bet on it. Here's what Bill Emmett says next.
SPEAKER_04:Wednesday, 11th August. Abe was up very early this morning and away to see how the bullocks behaved, and when he got to where he left them overnight, he found they were all gone, so he walked round where they had been grazing to look for their tracks, and soon found all the tracks going in one straight line, so he returned to camp. The horses were close by. He called to me, Mr. William, get your horse and I will get my mare. The bullocks are all gone. We shall have a long ride to catch them, I am afraid. We were in hopes when they found water, they would stop to feed again, but not. They kept on in a straight line for the World's End Creek, and as we came up to them, they were within one mile of the creek. Soon got round them, counted them to see none were left behind, and drove them back to camp. They had travelled about 16 miles away before we overtook them. By the time we got back, they had travelled 32 miles, yoked them up, and kept on until dark. They were glad to lay down, they made off every opportunity they got. They did not like leaving South Australia.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, so those stubborn bullocks have gone back 16 miles towards home. They really didn't want to leave. They'd better get a good price for those bullocks when they got to Benigo. If this keeps happening every night, all of the gold will be gone before they even get there.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. It must have been very frustrating at this stage. Bill then continues his story.
SPEAKER_04:Thursday, twelfth, August. Got a fair start this morning and went steadily along and went about four miles on the road, came to a sort of old watercourse which you could see winding about away across the plain. I and others, looking at this, thought of many seasons there had not been any water running there. It was quite a small stream about ten to fifteen feet wide, and when I came up with the bullocks, I stopped to feel the ground and found it very soft at the edge. I called to Joe, who was next to me, and said to him, Joe, what do you think of this? I began to poke my whip handle down in the water and found I could put it down four or five feet, and Joe did the same, saying it would not do to put the bullocks across this until we could get something in the shape of timber or wood boughs to make a temporary crossing place. But there was nothing near that we could get, so abandoned the idea. William Henry Neal, James O'Donohue, and Dr. Lloyd went to explore to search for ground that would carry the bullocks. They returned about three o'clock and believed we could cross about 14 miles above our camp.
SPEAKER_05:When Bill pokes his whip handle down in the water, you've got to remember that a bullocky's whip handle is six to eight feet long. Overall, the bullocky's whip was long enough for him to be back near his dray, but be able to crack the whip over the head of the lead bullock.
SPEAKER_01:This rain must have been driving them mad. When they first decided on taking the route along the northern side of the Murray, they could not have expected that the problem would be too much water, not lack of it.
SPEAKER_05:No. I'll let James O'Donohue tell the story from here on.
SPEAKER_02:Friday, 13th August. The country round had a miserable and wild appearance, nothing but salt bush, occasionally a little scrub. Started through the scrub, went about ten miles and camped. Saturday, 14th August, travelled on until we could cross the plain and then camped on account of water. Sunday, 15th August, made a late start, went about twelve miles and made the Murray River at northwest bend nearly dark.
SPEAKER_05:The point that they have now reached is where the river Murray makes a sharp turn from heading west to heading due south towards its mouth. On the other side of the bend, the Murray is flanked by steep cliffs, and a massive floodplain covers the inside of the bend. Today, the modern town of Morgan is on the high side, but Morgan didn't exist back then.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, so it's taken them ten days to travel only about 50 miles. That's only averaging five miles a day. That's eight kilometers. It's a very slow start for their trek. Well, hopefully they'll get their act together soon.
SPEAKER_05:Well, in our next episode, we'll see how they fare on the next stage of their great trek. They will go along the northern side of the River Murray, following the old coach road. Most of the section that they will travel along is now called the Goida Highway.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and hopefully they'll keep those bullocks under control and make some good progress. Anyhow, thanks for listening.
SPEAKER_05:So it's goodbye from me.
SPEAKER_01:And it's goodbye from me.