On the cover this month
Unknown artist
[Portrait of Charles Sturt c.1805]
watercolour and bodycolour on paper; 14.5 x 17.5 cm
Pictures Collection;
nla.pic-an23236452
This
portrait shows the Australian explorer Charles Sturt (1795-1869)
standing next to his younger brother, Napier. After settling in New
South Wales in 1835, Sturt decided to undertake a search for the great
inland sea, the existence of which he had been convinced since his
explorations in 1828-31. The expedition left Adelaide on 10 August 1844
on an epic journey towards the centre of the continent. Sturt finally
abandoned his belief in an inland sea when they were stopped by the
sand dunes of the Simpson Desert. The return journey, beset by thirst
and scurvy, was a trial of endurance. Using Aboriginal food sources
(and probably Aboriginal assistance) the parry finally made it back to
Adelaide in January 1846. Sturt was awarded the gold medal of the Royal
Geographical Sociery in 1847, and travelled to England in that year to
publish an account of the expedition, a copy of which is held in the
National Library.
December 2003 Volume XIV Number 3
WANDERINGS AND GATHERINGS: TRAVELS OF A SURGEON-NATURALIST
Jennifer M.T. Carter discusses the exploits of Dr George Bennett in the South Seas
IT'S AUSTRALIAN--AND IT'S GOOD!: THE AUSTRALIAN MUSICAL COLLITS' INN
John Thomson explores the history of one of the earliest Australian musicals
BUYING BOOKS IN MY GARAGE: MEMORIES OF AN INDONESIAN ACQUISITIONS LIBRARIAN
Andrew Gosling describes his time working for the National Library in Indonesia
ETHNIC PRESSES: ASIANS AND ARABS, 1980s-1990s
In the second and final instalment, Barry York looks at the Library’s collection of ethnic community newspapers published in the 1980s and 1990s
CHEAP LIVERS AND DEATH DODGERS: VEGETARIANISM IN THE NATIONAL LIBRARY
Edgar Crook finds in the National Library a wide variety of material relating to vegetarianism
FRIENDS
A regular news page about the activities of the Friends of the National Library of Australia
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