Bessie Mountford on a camel

Bessie Mountford was appointed secretary of her husband Sir Charles' expedition to Arnhem Land from 18 March to 10 November 1948. She kept five meticulously written diaries with details of place names, travelling conditions, landscapes, and reflections on the Aboriginal people she met, especially the women. Transcripts of the diaries can be accessed from the Library catalogue.

Expeditions were important opportunities for scientific research in the field. Some significant expeditions were the 1891-2 Elder Scientific Exploring Expedition 'to the unknown portions of Australia', the 1894 Horn Scientific Expedition to Central Australia, the 1939 Simpson Desert Expedition, and Charles Mountford's 1948 American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land. Their reports make fascinating reading, often with chapters written by the experts in the relevant field describing new discoveries and original research.

This photograph of Bessie Mountford with an Aboriginal man has been shown in the Treasures Wall exhibition with kind permission of John Dallwitz, Coordinator Irititja Project.

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