Second medical relief expedition, 1920

The Basedows embarked on a second medical relief expedition in South Australia only four and a half months after returning from the first.

During the two-month trip they travelled along South Australia's coast as far as Eucla, Western Australia, and visited the Nullarbor and locations along the Trans-Australian Railway. They travelled in various cars, a Ford truck and a mule-drawn buggy, as well as by train. Basedow took a glass negative camera and a film camera on the journey.

An Aboriginal man standing in front of a building wall, Nullarbor Plain, South Australia 1920. He wears trousers, an undershirt and a hat. He has what appears to be a mailbag over his left shoulder. A dog stands at the man's right side, looking at the ground. The wall is made from earthen materials. To the left of the image the horizon can be seen. - click to view larger image — An Aboriginal man standing in front of a building wall

Two teams of camels ploughing a field, Fowlers Bay station, South Australia 1920. Six camels are in each team, in two rows. One team is in front of the other; the direction of both teams is diagonally from right to left across the image. A person is seen walking at the back of the second team. To the left of the image, turned topsoil with clumps of grass shows were the teams have ploughed. - click to view larger image — Ploughing with camels

View of low-lying scrub and rocky terrain, Nullarbor Plain, South Australia 1920. In the foreground are scattered bushes about knee high. In the middle distance is a low outcrop of rocks and small boulders. Beyond the outcrop the bushes continue to the distant horizon, which is placed about two thirds of the way up the image. Small cumulus clouds can be seen in the sky. - click to view larger image — View of low-lying scrub and rocky terrain, Nullarbor Plain

An Aboriginal woman with an infant being carried on her back, Denial Bay, South Australia 1920. The woman wears a dress and hat; she is barefoot. She stands facing the right side of the image with her head turned toward the camera. The infant sits on her back in a carrier made from material wrapped around the woman's body. Another infant being carried on a woman's back can just be seen on the right side of the image. - click to view larger image — Woman and child

A T-Model Ford truck with two passengers, South Australia 1920. The truck has a flat tray body, upon which is stacked some equipment. The driver and a passenger are in the open cabin. The truck appears to have just driven through an open gate at the left side of the image. The gate is part of a fence that is between the truck and the camera. A single telegraph pole is at the far left of the image, rising up through the horizon line. - click to view larger image — Nullarbor station’s T-Model Ford truck in which Herbert Basedow travelled to Eucla

Yalata station homestead, South Australia 1920. The homestead is in the right far distance of the image. A woman in the right middle ground walks toward it with her back to the camera. Two drays with horses are in the middle of the image. The corner of a large barn style building is at the left side of the image. The foreground shows bare earth with what appear to be exposed sections of flat rock. - click to view larger image — Nell Basedow (right) at Yalata station homestead

An Aboriginal man at a European grave in a remote location, Yalata Station, South Australia 1920. The grave is marked by a large horizontal slab; on top of that is a plaque with information of the deceased. The Aboriginal man squats at the top left corner of the grave, with his hands almost touching the plaque. He wears a coat, trousers and peaked cap. The background is open ground leading to the horizon. - click to view larger image — Mugena, an assistant explorer on Richard Maurice’s expeditions, at Maurice’s grave

Portrait of a young Aboriginal man, South Australia 1920. He wears a headband high on his forehead. His long hair hangs down on his neck and shoulders. He faces the left side of the image with his head turned toward the camera. He appears to wear a coat or heavy shirt. His face is in deep shadow, however his eyes can still be seen looking at the camera. The background is out of focus, adding emphasis to the young Aboriginal man. - click to view larger image — Young man

Basedow examined more than 400 Aboriginal people, with chest and eye complaints being the most common ailments. Most people were inspected at Koonibba mission in the south and at Ooldea along the railway, where they met Daisy Bates, who was working with the local Aboriginal people.

Although Basedow found the health of people on the coast to be satisfactory, he reported unfavourably on the health of those living along the railway line. He recommended that Aboriginal people be prevented from going within a certain distance of the railway, and encouraged their return to the 'wilds'.

Map outlining the second medical relief expedition, South Australia 1920. The stylised map shows the expedition routes in white lines. Locations such as Eucla, Ceduna, Port Augusta and Adelaide are indicated on the map. A small map of Australia is in the lower left hand corner, showing the area covered by the main map.

Map outlining the second medical relief expedition route in 1920 in South Australia

Read more on the 1920 April expedition