The 1939 Simpson Desert ExpeditionPrint Page 
The cairn commemorates the 1939 crossing of the Simpson Desert by Cecil Madigan and his party.
The Simpson is a sand-ridge desert extending 322 kilometres west to east, the ridges running parallel from north to south at roughly 0.4 kilometre intervals, some reaching as high as 30 metres.
Madigan planned a ground crossing in the winter of 1939. A party of nine, including a biologist, a botanist, a photographer and a radio operator, with nineteen camels, made the exhausting crossing from Andado station in the Northern Territory to Birdsville in twenty-five days. It verified Madigan`s previous conclusions that the area was a wasteland.
This last classic Australian exploration adventure pioneered the use of mobile radio communication; national broadcasts were made through the Australian Broadcasting Commission from desert camps.
Location
| Address: | Adelaide & Burt Streets, Opposite Birdsville Hotel , Birdsville, 4482 |
|---|---|
| State: | QLD |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -25.899221 Long: 139.351296 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Landscape |
| Sub-Theme: | Exploration |
| Approx. Event Start Date: | 1939 |
| Approx. Event End Date: | 1939 |
| Link: | http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/adbonli… |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | June-1962 |
|---|
Plaque :
THE
SIMPSON DESERT
EXPEDITION
1939
Dr C. T. Madigan With 8 Men And 17 Camels
Arrived Here On The 6th July 1939
Having Left Andado No 1 Bore 31 Days Earlier
Erected By The Royal Geographical Society
Of Australasia South Australian Branch
1962
Plaque :
On July 6th 1939
THE SIMPSON DESERT EXPEDITION 1939
Led By Cecil T. Madigan M.A., D.Sc., B.E., F.G.S.
Arrived At Birdsville After Successfully Crossing The Simpson Desert By Camel From Charlotte Waters Wia Andado H.S. The Hale. The Hay And the Mulligan.
The Party Comprised Of :-
Cecil T Madigan Geologist University Of Adelaide
Robert L. Crocker Botanist. Albert Hubbard Cook
Harold O.Fletcher Palaeontologist. Jack Beejah Camel Driver. Robert Simpson Wireless Operator. Noorie Moosha Camel Driver. David Marshall Photographer. Andy Black Tracker.
This Later Cairn Was Erected By R.C. Sprigg And Fellow Members
Of A Party Completing A Routine Geological And Geophysical Survey
And Crossing Of The Central Simpson Desert From Andado H.S.
June 1962
Geosurveys of Australia Limited
And
Beach Petroleum N.L.
