AustLit

This, the tenth in a series on pioneer and explorers, tells of the exploration of Cape York in 1864 by brothers Francis Lascelles Jardine and Alexander William Jardine. Their father John Jardine arranged with the Queensland Governor, Sir George Bowen, for the brothers to explore the land on the way to Somerset. The Indigenous Australians harried them on their journey, poisoning and stealing their horses, setting their provisions on fire and attacking them. Finally the brothers frightened them off and then had to deal with torrential rains and later insects that made the journey more difficult. At last they arrived at their destination. Aboriginal Australians were reported to believe that Frank Jardine's ghost still haunts the beaches of Cape York.