Walker Bros. Prospecting Expedition 1913

Last changed 8 January 2009

Walker references

Work in progress with Jeremy Long: an edited and annotated edition of Diary -- Walker Bros Prospecting Expedition 1913.

The two brothers Christopher Henry and Arthur Charles Walker travelled with Commonwealth Government camels from Alice Springs to Meekatharra (Ryan's Well to Wiluna) in 1913, along with Arthur Edward Crofts (3 Jul 1883, Peckham UK – 1 Jan 1949, Perth) and Andy Everett (d. 8 November 1978, Meekatharra).

The elder brother, Chris, wrote up a journal at the end of the trip. The Perth Daily News serialised the WA part of the journal every Saturday in the Goldfields Section between 1 December 1934 and 23 February 1935.

We've studied Walker's journal and his maps, and we have travelled (with Aboriginal people) along parts of their route, in the NT-WA border areas and a section of the Gibson Desert. Our aim is to put together a book about the expedition, as it hasn't received the recognition we think it deserves. We've tried to contact the family of any of the people involved. We don't know of any living Walker family; the younger brother Arthur Charles Walker died at Nedlands (Perth) in May 1951.

memorial at grave

Memorial at Walker grave, Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth

Christopher Henry Walker (31/3/1861-12/3/1930)
Arthur Charles Walker (13/8/1873-14/5/1951)
Ethel May Walker née Grimshaw (c1880~5-12/12/1966)

Additions and corrections are welcome -- send to David Nash

Main references

1912: Australian Archives. ACT Branch. CRS A1 1934/9205. Walker Bros. Prospecting Expedition, N.T. (Jun)1912-1934(Sep). 4.5 cm
1992: Long, Jeremy. 1992. Christopher Henry Walker, pp.220-2, in Northern Territory Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2. Darwin: NTU Press.

Some background references

1967: Alexander, [Wing Commander] C.R. et al. 1967. Joint Services Expedition to west central Australia. 27th February 1967 - 19th May 1967. Roneod typescript, with map, annexures A-O. * Copy in WA Museum library, with 59pp. ms. Zoologist's report by Harry Butler. 2 copies in the library of the Royal Geographical Society, London.
2008: Fitch, Mike. 2008. '29 i. Arthur Edward Crofts' in FIFTH GENERATION at Fitch Family History website. Accessed 9 January 2009.
1975: Ford, B.M. 1975. Among the last of the camel men. Northern Times, 20 November 1975. * with thanks to Mark Chambers (Feb 1996)
1986: Gibson, D[avid] F. 1986. A Biological Survey of the Tanami Desert in the Northern Territory Technical Report - Number 30. Alice Springs: Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory. ISBN 07245 0836 8 ISSN 0729 9990 xiii+258pp.
1991: Carment, David. 1991. History and the Landscape in Central Australia. Darwin: NARU, ANU. ISBN 0731512952 xi+81pp. * Chapter 7, pp. 35-38, Wells on the North-South stock route.
1997: Strong, Bruce W. 1997. The history of Wallis Fogarty Limited in Alice Springs. Alice Springs, N.T.: B.W. Strong. v+38pp. ISBN 0646313118 * pp.28,32 -- facsmilie of 1912 receipts
in prep.: Long, Jeremy & David Nash. Diary -- Walker Bros Prospecting Expedition 1913. Edited and annotated. MS.

Back to Central Australia page