Queensland Exploration and the Mcintyre Expedition

In early February 1866, Philip contracted the often deadly Gulf Fever and was in dire need of medical treatment. 

He travelled with the last of the wool bales to Port Denison by bullock train 600 miles also to get supplies. 

The following poem he wrote graphically portrays the challenges in the Gulf Country

In Queensland Philip penned the following poem.

A Bushman's Farewell to Queensland

"Queensland! thou art a land of pest,

From flies and fleas we ne'er can rest.

E'en now mosquitoes round me revel;

In fact they are the very devil.

Sand flies and hornets just as bad,

They nearly drive a fellow mad.

The scorpion and the centipede.

And stinging ants of every breed.

Iguanas, Lizards, and poisonous snakes,

Deadly fever with the shakes.

Bandicoots and thieving rats,

Bears, opossums, and native cats.

Wallabies and kangaroos,

Native dogs and cockatoos,

Barcoo spew, rot, and sandy blight.

Dingoes howling all the night,

As well as hosts of croaking frogs,

Curlews, quails and yelling dogs.

Carpentaria alligators and crocodile.

Cause one to fear, dispel a smile:

Kanakas, Chinese and murderous Blacks.

Frightful roads and outlandish tracks,

Spinifex and desert sandy,

Horrid rum and retched brandy.

Bad tobacco and ad velorem.

These troubles - who could e'er get o'er 'em?"

Written in Bowen Downs 1867

1866 May 24th Letter from Philip from Port Denison.

“ I am just recovering from an attack of fever ague — a very severe one : you may notice my handwriting is changed, for I am still very weak and not able to walk any distance. My own belief is that sheep farming will never do in Northern Queensland ; the climate is too hot. White men cannot stand it, but we will stay in the Flinders country until our time expires in September 1866. By then we hope that something will be done for us ; but, for one thing, we will not enter into squatting in Queensland. We will make for New South Wales. I have now devoted myself to sheep for five years, and am competent to take charge of a station. I have been in Port (Denison) a month and have been fortunate in getting well so soon. My system nevertheless has received a great shock, and had I not been of temperate habits, I should now have been in my grave. Now I must say ‘good bye' for a time. My next letter will be written in September, if I am spared.  In the meanwhile, I shall have a journey to the Flinders country and back of just 1200 miles."

“I Returned to Cloncurry to find Peter had the fever.” 

Peter recovered with some medical help from the passing McIntyre Expedition and they went onto Burketown in the company of Duncan McIntyre, and the expedition in search of Ludwig Leichhardt. It would seem that the expedition arrived during Philip’s time at Port Denison when he was recovering from the fever. Peter also with the fever welcomed McIntyre who provided him medical help. 

Both brothers then joined the McIntyre Expedition leaving the property owned by Messrs A and J Brown of Minmi Colliery Newcastle. The following time with the expedition, as described by Philip, endured great hardship and sorrow with the death of Duncan McIntyre on 5th June 1866 and then his replacement William Flashman Sloman on 14th November 1866, both from the Gulf Fever or ‘Yellow Jackie’ or Typhoid. This was together with many others. 

Following which, it was claimed by Philip, he became the search party leader. This cannot be confirmed as this is not documented in any historical text found. 

The probability is that following the death of the replacement of McIntyre, and Mr William F Sloman, who also died from sunstroke and heart attack at the dinner table, that whilst waiting for instructions from the authorities regarding his replacement, Lorimer may have assumed leadership of the expedition. 

The expedition was though now under the direction of Donald McIntyre, brother of Duncan, at the expedition base Dalgonally Station on the Julia Creek. 

This would have been for the months up until the arrival of a William Frederick Barnett. 

In December 1866 Barnett was to assume leadership of the Leichhardt expedition. Evidence also suggests Barnett may not have ended up leading. One source states he returned to Victoria, as Donald McIntyre seemed to have decided he would continue to oversee the expedition. 

‘During this time they had numerous fights with the blacks, as many as 60 being killed in one battle.’ Philip also makes reference to the leader of the Walker Expedition also at about the same time surcoming to the fever. Frederick Walker died on the 19th of September 1866 at J G MacDonald’s Station ‘Floraville’ 70 kms south of Burketown. Walker was attended to there by the Leichhardt Expedition doctor at the station, thus the Lorimer brothers  would have also been present, explaining Philips knowledge and documentation. 

Philip wrote a poem I never his manuscript of the Grave of Walker. It explains its presence without a monument and is unique with potentially new information re the actual location of the place of his burial. A transcript follows and an image of the manuscript page is in the gallery below. 

Walkers Grave

Where Leichardt streams alone,

Mid wild rugged cliffs and steep - 

Majestic torrents gush adown their dreadful leaps.

With thunder in their roar,

Wild echoes join the din.

Again the cloud of spray,

Ascends the giddy height,

And falls fearful as if an endless storm,

had risen into might,

to rain for evermore.

Close w’this, this scene of grandeur,

ere the grave of Walker,

‘neath a drooping nameless tree,

is all that’s left of one,

who loved to wander free.

Through this genial clime,

no stone is there to shew,

the honour of his name,

nor e’en his honterend.

No county’s love has raised,

a pillar w’his fame,

Who died – unknown to time.

September 1866 Floraville Station

It would seem also not long after this, the brothers left the expedition in search of better health at the end of their agreement. This was on the 12th December 1866 and the 2 brothers left with good regards and with their discharge documents signed off by Francis Nash they then retracing their steps back to the Bowen Downs Station on the Thompson River.

“One of our own party," says Peter, "died on the Albert, and another in Burketown. We pressed on, taking up country on the Barkley tablelands, or ‘The Plains of Promise,' and remained in the Gulf Country till our terms of agreement were up. We then resolved to return to civilisation. Between the Albert and the Thomson Rivers was a journey of 1000 or 1200 miles to be performed mostly on horseback.. The monsoon had set in and the Gulf country was a network of billabongs (blind water courses) creeks and rivers. One river we came to I shall never forget. Very ill as I was, to attempt my weight on the horse, meant certain destruction by bogging. Up to our knees in mud, and to our necks in muddy water, we got safely over. Drying ourselves off we started, only to get wet again, with the heavy passing showers, of which we had sometimes to encounter five or six a day. Our clothes dried on our backs and we camped dry at night. We had something like 500 miles of this country to get over, besides the risk of being murdered by the blacks who infested the whole district, there were alligators too in some of the rivers which we had to cross. We camped as the water holes lay. Our longest day's journey being forty-seven miles. Many a time I have laid myself on the bare ground and never expected to see the sun rise again, with what splendour it does rise in Queensland! To make a long story short, we got back safely to Cornish Creek, on the highlands of Bowen Downs, in about three months. The hardships I had gone through taxed my constitution to the utmost and I made up my mind to return to New South Wales."

1867 11th February letter from Philip to his sister from Bowen Downs Station Thomson River.

I have just finished writing a long letter to father and mother, and I will now give you the remainder of my news. I dare say you have been wondering why you have received no letter from us. No doubt, you have all been anxious about our wellbeing, and I can assure you that we have been as anxious about you and all our relatives. The last letter you received from me bore date Port Denison May 1866. . . . Since then I have been to the Gulf of Carpentaria and am now once more within the bounds of civilisation. If I could relate here, as I should like to do, the full details of our journey from the head of the Flinders River to the Gulf township, Burketown.  It would be only relating a sad tale. The scene has passed before me like a dream.  I hope never to see such again. Around us death was taking away the finest and noblest youths as fast as they could be buried. Out of 105 inhabitants, there were seventy deaths. From that town to the head of the Flinders the fever raged, generally ending fatally. Since then the fever has never entirely left the district, now and then breaking out with renewed vigour. Peter was taken ill on the 17th September 1866 and from that date to this, has had the fever on him. He cannot get rid of it and is now exceedingly weak. We were obliged to leave the station and having obtained good testimonials. We now find ourselves in a healthy climate. Peter is quite unable to do anything for himself and had not the manager of this station, who has welcomed us here, given me a job, we should have been in an awkward position. The Gulf district is unsuited for stock and it is the general opinion here that it will eventually be deserted. I am disgusted with Northern Queensland."

Writing again from Bowen Downs to his sister three months later, 5th May, 1867, Philip says : 

" You will learn with deep regret that Peter's health continued so bad up here that he was forced to leave and is now on his way to Sydney for proper medical advice. He was unable to travel on horseback and we sent him down to Port Denison by a team driven by a married man whose wife will look after Peter during the journey of nearly 400 miles, of which almost 200 miles are across a desert. 

(The couple would be have been most likely Ellis Read of Ellis Read &Co and his wife who were the regular traders or station merchants who traded with the stations in Carpentaria in the specific area of Cambridge Downs trading from Bowen or Port Denison.)     

'I hope to be in New South Wales before Christmas. I will not spend another summer in Queensland. Even now at ten am I can scarcely see to write this. Sore eyes and flies being so troublesome, not unlike your description of Cairo! This separation is very painful to me, and as bush life is out of the question for Peter, it leaves me to make my way alone'

'It is now more than six years since I left Scotland, and I am looking forward to the day when I shall be my own master. I can show sufficient proof of ability to manage sheep and stations. A sheep farmers life is full of anxiety and care. With my present charge of 10,000 sheep I feel a very great responsibility. I am at times very busy and seldom idle."

“This station," he continues, " is the largest in North Queensland, holding 60,000 sheep and 30,000 cattle. I believe that two thirds of it is one hundred miles square and it extends in one direction alone 300 miles. You can easily imagine the amount of riding an overseer has. A canter of 25 miles before breakfast or after dinner, is an everyday occurrence. The head manager of the station is exceedingly kind to us. When I leave, I may have to travel a long distance. I have known instances of men having to travel 700 miles before obtaining a job. You can imagine it requires a little money to travel with, and how wretched and miserable it is to be without any. Our journey here cost us nearly all our savings," “Peter and I know what it is to be on the last shilling and to go hungry from some stations, for they had nothing to give us. One squatter sent us 120 miles with only two pounds of flour to sustain us during the time we should take to travel it.”

“Since I parted from you I have been over a vast territory. I have met men of all nations and creed. I haven’t been where death was treated with levity on account of its frequency. Where we would awake in the morning to inquire how many had died during the night, and to see the corpses uncoffined, and in many instances unknown, hurled into their shallow graves. Circumstances have also thrown me unwillingly into all sorts of company. The old proverbs that ‘honesty is the best policy’  and ‘virtue its own reward,' are perhaps more exemplified in a civilised community. At the Gulf, it seemed to me that the greatest rogues succeeded best. The survivors pillaged the dead as soon as death came. Two public houses principally constituted the famous Burketown. Men will face death for a drink. Where drink is, the more careless they are of death. But I do not like to dwell on the subject.”

Philip, even though in company with the remainder of his original group, was now lonely in that his brother had left him. He was worried for Peter, and sincerely looked forward to being with him by years end. 

Upon Peter’s leaving, it would seem Philip was given the manuscript or notebook from Peter. This was most likely given to him so that he could continue use it to write his poetry in his solitude which Peter knew made him very happy. 

Alternately Peter inadvertently left some possessions behind.

In early 1868 the fever had finally abated, after wiping out half of Burketown. It was also the time finally for Philip to make his way back home toward Sydney. It had been a long journey over 2 years. 

During this journey Philip though somehow learnt of the death of his beloved Maryanne, the one that he was to marry. This knowledge probably came in letter form from Peter. This would have been in later 1867 as from then his poetry was a focus on his emotions following her death. 

Philip had saved during these 2 years up to £1000 to marry Mary Anne. The one that gave Philip all the purpose to his long sacrifice and adventure, and time, to ultimately settle down with. 

Sadly though his true love on 8th November 1866 was gone. Mary Ann having died from consumption. Philip was understandably devastated and he claimed his ‘brain was blank for 10 days’. 

You will see that as a result of Mary Ann's death it dramatically affected Philip in the years to come. Her loss was to be ultimately far more detrimental.

From this time onward he spent time on stations on the Thomson’s River and at Wallumbilla and Kilmorey on the Darling Downs. At the same time Philip was writing poetry expressing his extreme heartbreak and loss. Many of which were written in the manuscript. See photos of the following poems from the manuscript in the gallery at bottom of this page.

1868 Hashers Creek Thomson River Queensland Poem in MSS ‘Remembrance’ SV Printed 1871 

1868 November  in memory of Marianne Underwood poem in MSS ‘The Fallen Flower’  SV Printed 1871 

Wallumbilla

1869 12th September Kilmorey Queensland poem in MSS ‘Shades’ Unpublished 

1869 6th November Kilmorey Queensland Poem in MSS ‘The Nameless’ Unpublished 

1869 12th December Kilmorey Queensland poem in MSS ‘Autumn Dark Thoughts Winter’ ‘I cannot sing my love today’ SV Printed 1871 

1869 Kilmorey Queensland poem in MSS ‘To the Mountains’ Unpublished