Narrative of an Expedition Into Central Australia: Performed Under the Authority of Her Majestys Government, During the Years 1844, 5, and 6, Together with a Notice of the Province of South Australia, in 1847 by Charles Sturt


Narrative of an Expedition Into Central Australia: Performed Under the Authority of Her Majestys Government, During the Years 1844, 5, and 6, Together with a Notice of the Province of South Australia, in 1847
Title : Narrative of an Expedition Into Central Australia: Performed Under the Authority of Her Majestys Government, During the Years 1844, 5, and 6, Together with a Notice of the Province of South Australia, in 1847
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 1876247118
ISBN-10 : 9781876247119
Language : English
Format Type : Unknown Binding
Number of Pages : 504
Publication : First published January 1, 2001

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

Narrative of an Expedition Into Central Australia: Performed Under the Authority of Her Majestys Government, During the Years 1844, 5, and 6, Together with a Notice of the Province of South Australia, in 1847 Reviews

  • Pop Bop

    An Oddly Inviting Narrative of True Adventure

    Captain Charles Sturt is widely regarded as one of the great early explorers, and in that sense founders, of modern Australia. He led four expeditions into the country between 1828 and 1845, mapping such major rivers as the Murray, the Murrumbidgee, the Darling and the Macquarie. This two volume work is his popular narrative of his expedition of 1844-46. Of interest, there was much speculation that several major Australian rivers ran inland and that there might thus be some sort of inland sea covering part of the Australian interior. What a powerful incentive to exploration.

    As you might expect given the time period and the circumstances, Sturt is dry, formal and earnest. But once you get used to that style you realize that there is grit, humor, ambition and similar good stuff underlying that style. You don't explore the Australian interior if you're just a stuffed shirt or blowhard. This isn't "ripping" action-every-moment adventure, but rather a thorough and thoughtful accounting of a real and substantial undertaking. A brief browse will still be rewarded, but patient reading will be rewarded manyfold.

    Apart from recognized classics that you can find among public domain Kindle freebies, ("Moby Dick", and so on), the search for treats can be a bit daunting. Much of what's available is musty and dated, as you might surmise. But every now and then you turn up an unexpected or overlooked gem. That's what I found here. It is reasonably well formatted, and certainly readable, for such an old freebie.

    To be fair, a lot of the expedition detail is a bit heavy going. But even if you are inclined just to browse/skim, there are lots of interesting factoids and adventure bits. A serious student of Australian history probably will have a copy of this book somewhere on his shelf. But for armchair travellers with even a passing interest in the region, or an interest in 19th century adventure writing, this book offers many pleasant rewards. A nice find.