In 1883, the South Australian Government despatched an expedition in charge of David Lindsay to complete the survey of Arnhem’s Land.  Lindsay left the Katherine station, and proceeded to Blue Mud Bay.  On the way the party had a narrow escape of massacre at the hands of the blacks, who speared four horses, and made an attempt to surprise the camp of the whites.  Lindsay had trouble with his horses in the stony, broken tableland that had nearly baffled Leichhardt; and from one misfortune and another, lost a great number of them.  In fact, at one time, so rough was the country that he anticipated having to abandon his horses and make his way into the telegraph station on foot.  On the whole, however, the country was favourably reported on, particularly with regard to tropical agriculture.

Another journey was undertaken about this time by O’Donnell and Carr-Boyd, who left the Katherine River and pushed across the border into Western Australia.  They succeeded in finding a large amount of pastoral country; but no important geographical discoveries were made.

In 1884 H. Stockdale, who had had considerable experience in the southern colonies, and was an old bushman, made an excursion from Cambridge Gulf to the south through the Kimberley district.  Stockdale found well-grassed country with numerous permanently-watered creeks.  When he came to the creek which he named Buchanan Creek, he formed a depot.  On his return from an expedition to the south with three men, he found that during his absence the men left in charge of it had been hunting kangaroos with the horses instead of allowing them to rest.  There were other irregularities as well, and Stockdale found his resources too much reduced, both in horseflesh and rations, to continue the exploration.  They started for the telegraph line, but on the way the two men who had been misbehaving requested to be left behind.  As they persisted in their wish, there was nothing left but to accede to it.  The two men, with as much rations as could be spared, arms, and powder and shot, were then left at their own request on a permanent creek in a country where game could be obtained.  Stockdale himself had to undergo some hardship before reaching the Overland Line.  Although search was made for the two men, they were never afterwards found.

One little area of country, of no great importance but still untrodden by man yet remained in Central Australia, as a lure to excite the white man’s curiosity.  This unvisited spot was situated north of latitude 26, and bounded on the west by the Finke River, on the north by the Plenty and Marshall Rivers and part of the MacDonnell Ranges, and on the west by the Hay River and the Queensland border.  An expedition to exploit it was equipped by Ronald MacPherson, and assisted by the South Australian Government with the loan of camels.  The leader was Captain V. Barclay, an old South Australian surveyor, whose name has already been mentioned in these pages.