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This session reflected on the speakers’ travels by camels and in four-wheel drives as well as work with Dr Mike Smith in deserts and museums as well as the partnerships Mike formed with artists and Indigenous communities.

Ken Parry, ancient history scholar and Silk Road expert, and Sydney Morning Herald journalist Joyce Morgan, co-author of Journeys on the Silk Road, discuss the splendour and history of the Silk Road from before Genghis Khan to today.

The book, co-edited by Martin Thomas and Margo Neale, extends on the papers presented at the ‘Barks, Birds and Billabongs: Exploring the legacy of the 1948 American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land’ Symposium held in November 2009.

Professor Penny Sackett opens the Exploration and Endeavour: The Royal Society of London and the South Seas exhibition to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Royal Society, the world’s oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.

Matthew Flinders sailed through the Recherche Archipelago in 1802 and 1803 on board the Investigator. Curator Pip McNaught shares her work developing a Landmarks’ exhibit and talks about Matthew Flinders and his cat, Trim.

Robert Rush Miller was one of the youngest members of the 1948 American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land. Miller’s son, Gifford Miller, and son-in-law, Robert Cashner, provide insight into his life and work.

Mark Jenkins explores the role played by the Expedition’s primary American sponsor – National Geographic – and its intrepid representative, Howell Walker.

Curator and historian Roslyn Russell talks about the work of amateur scientists, including astronomer WJ Macdonnell, in the New South Wales coastal town of Port Macquarie, as part of her research for the Creating a Country gallery.

The National Museum’s rare 1883 Grubb refractor telescope, used in early Australian astronomical observing programs and returned to working condition, is discussed by curator Kirsten Wehner, astronomer Vince Ford and astronomical engineer Hermann Wehner.

Leading writers and historians discuss their recent books on Captain James Cook and explore Australia’s continuing fascination with the explorer.