Shoe from John McDouall Stuart’s Grey Mare
Shoe from John McDouall Stuart’s horse.
Well, G’day. You wouldn’t read about it!
On returning to camp after the sunrise, wilderness photography session, my gaze lighted on another “stone,” fair in the middle between the bike and the tent. With a bit of a kick, a horseshoe emerged, worn and rusted.
Given that I reckon this was the very camping spot of John McDouall Stuart, could it possibly be that I’d just unearthed one of his horseshoes?
Stuart and his two companions were away for four months and covered 2400km over some rocky ground. They failed to take spare horseshoes and were in trouble within about three weeks.
In his journal entry of the 27th June, 1858, John McDouall Stuart records:
Sunday, 27th June, Large Water Creek.
Cloudy morning, with prospect of rain.
A swan visited the water hole last night, and to-day we have seen both the mountain duck and the large black duck.
Having a shoe to fix upon Jersey, and my courses to map down, we did not get a start until 10 o’clock, and we were obliged to stop early in consequence of the grey mare getting so lame that we were unable to proceed. We had an old shoe or two, and Mr. Forster managed to get one on the mare.
We started to-day on a bearing of 270 degrees for eight miles to a low flat-topped hill, when we changed to 220 degrees for five miles to a gum creek with rain water.
About five miles to the north of our line there are flat-topped ranges, running north-east. The main creek runs on the south side of this course, and nearly parallel to it. Further to the south, at a distance of about ten miles, is still the stony table land with the sand hills. The country is fearfully stony, but improves a little in grass as we get west. It seems to be well watered.
Distance to-day, about twelve miles.
Shoe from John McDouall Stuart’s Grey Mare on Wilderness Travel
