Crossing the Dead Heart - Cecil Madigan

The Dead Heart was the area to the north of Lake Eyre, now known as the Simpson Desert. Cecil Madigan was an explorer, geographer and scientist. In 1939 he organised an expedition, by camel, across the northern part of the Simpson Desert from Andado Station to Birdsville and then south to Lake Eyre and Marree. This volume is a republishing of Madigan's book of that expedition. A five page introduction by Colin Harris of the South Australian Department of Environment, Heritage and Aboriginal Affairs, sketches Madigans career and character; Madigan was a bright lad (a Rhodes scholar) and obviously well organised.

The book is a popular account of the expedition rather than a scientific treatise. The region was originally known as the Arunta Desert and was renamed after A.A.Simpson, president of the RGSA, and who died shortly after the expedition's return. The initial chapters are taken up with the search for information, earlier expeditions in the general area, possible droving forays into the region which are dismissed as probably being exaggerations or cases of mistaken positioning, reconnaissance flights and preparations. Lawrence Wells, who led the Calvert Expedition in WA in 1896 (retraced by Land Rover in 1996) gets a mention as the surveyor of the Queensland and Northern-Territory border between 1883 and 1886. This border meets South Australia at Poeppel's corner in the desert. Other characters reappear from outback travel and lore - Jack Bejah, the Afghan camelteer is employed to provide and manage the camels. Tom Kruse (not Cruise), of outback trucking fame, provides transport with his truck as far as Andado station.

The body of the book is a record of the day to day travel, the scientific activities collecting plant and animal specimens, and the social life of the party. While not detailed enough an account to entirely conduct a modern trip by, it is a fascinating document from a time when travel was very much harder. It would add great interest to match the progress of any modern day's trip with that of Madigan's.

It took them 25 days to reach Birdsville and at times the anxiety over food and water supplies, for themselves and the camels, is quite clear, as is the relief when Birdsville came within reach. Ironically, some delays were experienced from rain which made loading camels unwise and, later, water around Lake Eyre made some crossings of usually dry river beds hazardous for camels. Marree was reached on day 51.

- Larry Stanley - 4wd.sofcom.com/4WD.html

Cecil Madigan (1889-1947), Crossing the Dead Heart, 1st published by Georgian House, Adelaide 1946, republished by Corkwood Press 1997

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