Carrying outback explorers

'Preparing to start.'

Three men, one of them James Henderson with his mount 'Dusty', preparing to leave for a day's ride during the expedition with Capt. EC Frome to the area north of the Flinders Ranges. It is unlikely the scene shown is the expedition leaving Adelaide on Saturday 8 July 1843, as a light cart, which had been sent on ahead with two of the party, is shown in this sketch.

Horses have been used throughout Australian history by explorers and surveyors to carry them and their provisions, particularly in remote outback regions such as the centre of Australia. The conditions can be harsh and unforgiving, with both men and horses at times paying the ultimate price.

The sketch here drawn by James Henderson is part of an album of sketches, most of which were done when Henderson was a member of Captain Frome's Expedition to Lake Frome in 1843. Henderson kept a journal (D 7504 L) and a sketchbook (B 2434) of 42 drawings. Born in Scotland, Henderson worked under EC Frome, including on various surveys around the Lake Alexandrina and Murray River areas. He also developed a reputation as an artist. In his diary, Henderson describes how the Coffin Bay pony, ridden by Frome for much of the trip, was a strong and reliable horse, and how his own mount, Dusty, was fresh and eager to go. Later he relates the difficulty of finding food and water, especially for the animals, and the freezing weather conditions.

Charles Frome was appointed as the third surveyor-general of South Australia. In his report on his visit to the lake named after him, Lake Frome, a salt lake situated in the northern Flinders Ranges, he described the poor country surrounding the area.

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