Exploration
The State Library holds many books on exploration in Western Australia, ranging from the early Dutch, English and French voyages to New Holland to the internal exploration of the hinterland. A small selection can be found below and others can be located in the State Library Catalogue. Also see our Guide to Exploration.
Australia Unveiled : the Share of the Dutch Navigators in the Discovery of Australia / by Gunter Schilder
Published in 1976, it provides a detailed account of the part played by the Dutch in the exploration of WA.
The Explorations, 1696-1697, of Australia by Willem De Vlamingh / [edited by] Willem C.H. Robert
Published in 1972, it contains extracts from the two log-books concerning the voyage to, and explorations on, the coast of WA by Willem de Vlamingh (Dutch texts with English translation and notes).
France Australe : the French Search for the Southland and Subsequent Explorations and Plans to Found a Penal Colony and Strategic Base in South Western Australia 1503-1826 / by Leslie R. Marchant
This reprint, published in 1998, provides an account of the part played by the French in the exploration of WA.
A Voyage to New Holland : the English Voyage of Discovery to the South Seas in 1699 / by William Dampier
This edition, published in 1981, describes the voyage of William Dampier to WA in 1699.
Western Australian exploration
Volume 1 December1826-December1835: the letters, reports & journals of exploration and discovery in Western Australia edited by Joanne Shoobert; Volume 2 1836-1845: the letters, reports & journals of exploration and discovery in Western Australia edited by Marion Hercock and Sheryl Milentis, with Phil Bianchi.
These two volumes, published in 2005 and 2011 respectively, were compiled from records in the Lands and Surveys Department of Western Australia (now Landgate), Admiralty records in London, the Australian Joint Copying Project, various archives and repositories throughout Australia and the world, newspapers, the Historical Records of Australia series etc. As such they are a comprehensive look at early exploration in Western Australia from the settlement at Albany in December 1826 up to the end of 1845. All documents have been extensively researched and authenticated, so these volumes are a must for any researcher into early Western Australian exploration.
The Beginning : European Discovery and Early Settlement of Swan River, Western Australia / by R.T. Appleyard & Toby Manford
Published in 1980, this book details explorations in Western Australia 1829-1850.
Journals of Several Expeditions Made in Western Australia During the Years 1829, 1830, 1831, and 1832, Under the Sanction of the Governor, Sir James Stirling, Containing the Latest Authentic Information Relative to that Country, Accompanied by a Map / [compiled by] J. Cross
Originally published in 1833, this 1980 facsimile provides full text of the journals kept by WA explorers 1829-1832.
Australia Twice Traversed : the Romance of Exploration being a Narrative Compiled from the Journals of Five Exploring Expeditions into and through Central South Australia and Western Australia from 1872 to 1876 / by Ernest Giles
Originally published in 1889, this 1995 facsimile provides details on the exploring expeditions of Ernest Giles in WA 1872-1876.
Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia, During the Years 1837, 38, and 39 / by George Grey
Originally published in 1841, this 1983 facsimile provides details on the exploring expeditions of George Grey in WA 1837-1839.
Journals of Expeditions of Discovery into Central Australia, and Overland from Adelaide to King George's Sound, in the Years 1840-1 : Sent by the Colonists of South Australia, with the Sanction and Support of the Government : Including an Account of the Manners and Customs of the Aborigines and the State of their Relations with Europeans / by Edward John Eyre
Originally published in 1845, this 1964 facsimile provides details of Edward John Eyre's expedition from Adelaide to Albany 1840-1841.
Journals of Australian Explorations / by Augustus Charles Gregory & Francis Thomas Gregory
Originally published in 1884, this 1981 facsimile provides a detailed account of the exploring expeditions in WA of Augustus Charles and Francis Thomas Gregory.
Journal of the Western Australian Exploring Expedition through the Centre of Australia, from Champion Bay to the Overland Telegraph Line between Adelaide and Port Darwin / by Sir John Forrest
Published in 1875, this is the account of John Forrest's 1875 exploring expedition from Geraldton to the overland telegraph.
North-West Exploration : Journal of Expedition from DeGrey to Port Darwin / by Alexander Forrest
Published in 1880, this is the account of Alexander Forrest's 1880 expedition from the DeGrey River to Darwin.
Spinifex and Sand : a Narrative of Five Years Pioneering and Exploration in Western Australia / by the Hon. David W. Carnegie
Originally published in 1898, this 1998 facsimile is the account of David Carnegie's explorations in WA.
Journey Across the Western Interior of Australia / by Peter Egerton Warburton
Originally published in 1875, this 1981 facsimile is the account of Peter Egerton Warburton's exploring expedition across WA in 1875.
Do Not Yield to Despair : Frank Hugh Hann's Exploration Diaries in the Arid Interior of Australia, 1895-1908 / compiled and edited by Mike Donaldson & Ian Elliot
Published in 1998, this is the account of Frank Hann's explorations in Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory 1895-1908.
Page last updated: Wednesday 13 June 2012
