Giles Expedition MemorialPrint Page

The cairn commemorates the Giles Expedition which set out from Beltana Station in 1875. It was unveiled by the Governor of South Australia (Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven) on the 11th July 1930 after the inscription was agreed upon in 1928. 

After several unsuccessful attempts to cross the continent from east to west, on 6 May 1875, Giles led a successful expedition from Beltana Station for their trip north and across the Great Victoria Desert. He reached Perth on 24 November 1875.

One of the greatest of the East West explorations across the arid interior of Australia was that of Ernest Giles in 1875-6. Mr. C. W. Reid and Mr. H. R. Adamson, of the Beltana Pastoral Company, have interested themselves in the matter of erecting a memorial on the Beltana station, to mark the point from which this great expedition set out, and to which it returned fifteen months later. These gentlemen appealed to Dr. C. Fenner, secretary of the Historical Memorials Committee, for a suitable inscription. After consulting officers of the State Archives Department and inspecting documents, including the station diary, the following inscription was agreed upon:—

'This cairn commemorates the setting out of the exploring expedition which left Beltana station on May 6, 1875, and, after enduring great hard ships, reached Perth, Western Australia, on November 18, 1875. The return journey was made from January to August, 1876. The expedition was financed by the Hon. (Sir) Thomas Elder, and consisted of Ernest Giles (leader), W. H. Tietkens, J. Young, Alex Ross, Peter Nicholls, Saleh, Jimmy, and Tommy.' It is suggested that the memorial be erected near the store facing the road at the Beltana station, and that it consist of a bronze tablet on a cemented stone cairn. Two members of this exploration party, Mr. W. H. Tietkens, of Sydney, and Mr. Alex Ross, of Adelaide, are still living.
Chronicle (Adelaide, SA), 22 September 1928.

 

Cairn Unveiling 1930

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