Summary

Two supply ketches moored on the McArthur River, with a group of Aboriginal men and children along the water's edge. The lugger, named 'Venture' anchored in the middle of the river on the left, has two men on board, and one of them appears to be playing a didjeridu. A ketch is a sailing craft with two masts and its identifying feature is that the main mast is taller of the two. They were used to transport mail and supplies from Darwin, and were especially useful in travelling the river's mouth where the larger luggers and steamers could not cross the sandbars. Baldwin Spencer and Frank Gillen arrived at the final camp located at Borroloola on November 2, 1901. They remained there for approximately two months and their departure on the 8th of February 1902, marked the end of their extraordinary 1901-1902 expedition. Spencer provides the following entry in his diary a few days earlier, 'January 29 Camp 70 Borroloola I have taken the last few photographs of this charming place: they make it look much better than it really does as they are little bits along the river with the two ketches showing. When this was over I packed the cameras up so that now we shall do no more photographing here - in fact everything is too warm and moist for this kind of work and the plates are very poor ones. However they are quite good enough for Borroloola!' (August 1901 to February 1902, p.156.)

Physical Description

Silver gelatin emulsion. Half plate.

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