Government prospecting expedition, 1903

Herbert Basedow's first major expedition was a five-and-a-half-month exploration in north-west South Australia.

Funded by the South Australian Government, the expeditioners were searching for evidence of minerals in the Musgrave, Mann and Tomkinson ranges, and the region between Oodnadatta and Lake Torrens.

Two blacksmiths at work, Mount Davies camp, South Australia 1903. One kneels on the ground to the left, operating a small improvised furnace. The other stands to the right, hands on hips, facing the camera. Both are bearded and wear hats, light-coloured shirts and long trousers. A tent from the camp is behind them to the left. Two rounded hills are in the distance. - click to view larger image — Camel driver Arthur Grieg (left) and prospector James Trainor blacksmithing at Mount Davies camp, South Australia

A small First Nations child tobogganing down a bare rocky slope on a seat of rushes, Kurrekapinnya Soakage, Ayers Range, Northern Territory 1903. The surface of the slope has marks that suggest that the tobogganing was a frequent game. The child is in the middle of the image; behind is more rock leading up to a large slope that rises up from left to right in the image. - click to view larger image — Unnrubinna ‘tobogganing’ down a rocky slope on a seat of rushes, Kurrekapinnya Soakage, Ayers Range, Northern Territory

First Nations man Dinjimanne, his wife and daughter, Giles West Camp, South Australia, 1903. Dinjimanne stands to the left, holding horizontally two spears and a spear thrower in his left hand. His wife stands to the right, with their daughter on her right hip and a large wooden bowl balanced on her head. She holds what appears to be a digging stick in her right hand. Behind them is a patch of knee-high bushes leading to trees in the distance. - click to view larger image — Dinjimanne, his wife and daughter, Giles West Camp, South Australia

Strawbridge Springs, Tomkinson Ranges, South Australia 1903. The spring pool is in the left middle ground; a single eucalypt tree is at the pool's far edge. Beyond it are scattered eucalypt trees leading to a low mountain range. A rock outcrop with horizontal layers is in the right foreground. Smaller rocks a scattered amongst the long grass at the front of the image. - click to view larger image — Strawbridge Springs, Tomkinson Ranges, South Australia

Three clothed First Nations peoples hold a large bird. A bearded man on the left, a girl in the centre and a woman on the right. They are standing on a plain with low vegetation and a belt of trees and large shrubs in the background. - click to view larger image — Arrerika, Mijargardonne and Unnruba with an eaglehawk, near Mount Woodward, South Australia

A man, woman and five children in front of a rocky hill. Two girls are on the left and on the other side of a small gap are a girl, boy, woman and the man. Another child can be seen partially seen behind the man's left shoulder. - click to view larger image — Family, north of Mount Davies, Tomkinson Ranges, South Australia

Oodnadatta campsite with camels, expedition members and equipment, South Australia 1903. In the foreground are two large wooden enclosed boxes and a smaller open box. Behind them are seven camels at rest on the ground. In amongst them are expedition team members; some appear to be carrying equipment or camping stores. Standing in the middle ground facing the camera appears to be an Afghan camel driver. The campsite is on a vast open plain. Trees on the horizon behind the group are quite some distance away. - click to view larger image — Expedition camp, Oodnadatta, South Australia

Aparanya campsite, South Australia, 1903. This panoramic view of the campsite features a camel at rest in the right foreground. In the middle ground is the campsite, made up of at least five tents. The tents occupy a clearing in the the scrub. Spindly scrub is in the left foreground. Beyond the campsite the scrub continues; in the far distance is a substantial mountain range in lighter tones due to atmospheric perspective. - click to view larger image — Expedition camp, Aparanya, South Australia

Larry Wells was the expedition leader, and Frank George was his second-in-command. Both were well-known explorers. The other members of the group were four prospectors (including Basedow), two camel drivers and three Aboriginal assistants. They departed Oodnadatta with 20 camels on 6 April 1903.

Basedow used two Kodak cameras on the trip: a pocket folding camera and a panorama camera. In his spare time he carried out ethnological and scientific research in a region largely unknown to science. Basedow later received the Tate Memorial medal for an article based on this work.

During the expedition Wells and Basedow became good friends. It was from Wells that Basedow learnt many of the bush skills that would serve him well on future expeditions.

Map outlining the expedition routes in 1903. The stylised graphic image has Australia in the top-right corner, showing the area covered by the enlarged map section. The enlarged section shows an area at the border intersection of South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The expedition routes are marked by white lines. Locations indicated on the map are Oodnadatta, the Musgrave Ranges, the Mann Ranges, the Tomkinson Ranges and Mt Connor.

Map outlining the 1903 expedition route in north-west South Australia

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