He chose two settlement sites; Escape Cliffs on the east coast of the bay, and The Narrows, a short distance up the Adelaide River, where there was a good landing for boats, and planned a connecting road of 6 miles (10 km).
Jealousies developed between various sections of the workforce as to who was getting preferential treatment or having the more odious duties to perform, the Government Resident and Surgeon (Sweet) were seen going off on "jaunts" with "favorites".
[6] Surveyor Manton, left in charge of the depleted party, reported that it was certain there was no land within a hundred miles worth surveying, and they could do nothing more than protect themselves and their stores from the natives.
In October 1866 Government ordered a recall of Manton and his men, along with those remaining of McKinlay's party (another debacle, see below), on the steamer Eagle, Captain Hill, which left 11 January 1867, transhipped to the Rangatira at Sydney, and arrived at Port Adelaide 2 February 1867.
(for Legend see below following sub-section) The Finniss expedition, which left Adelaide with high expectations had, with each depressing report from the Territory, become a drag on Government, who decided what was needed was a small exploration party, unencumbered by such mundane tasks as erecting buildings and maintaining and protecting stores, to make a clear decision as to where the fertile land was, and where the capital should be.
Their lowest point came in June 1866 (not the Wet Season as sometimes reported)[34] when McKinlay, Edmunds and party, having one by one slaughtered their horses for food, were trapped in boggy land by the East Alligator River.
[8] He returned to Adelaide to a hero's welcome, despite having achieved nothing, though he did report having seen some good land near Anson Bay,[36] and thought Port Darwin had many advantages, but lacked fresh water.
There he also hired a crew (preferring not to employ South Australians)[54] which would have included a number of woodcutters to feed the steamer's voracious boilers once the coal had been consumed.
[56] He took only 20 horses, so was unable to investigate far inland, and made no strong recommendation for the site of the capital, though his choice ultimately fell on the Liverpool River, in Arnhem Land.
After four years of hearing nothing but reports of lack of progress in surveying land they had paid for, land-order-holders in England and Australia (mostly speculators with no intention of ever settling in the Territory) began agitating for a refund of their money, with interest, and would not be mollified by explanations of the difficulties involved, and the expense to which the Colonial Government had been put.
[63] Public tenders were called for the surveying of 420,000 acres, which The Advertiser cynically reckoned would result in no, or exceedingly inflated, bids and would therefore be undertaken by the Surveyor-General's department.
The fact that the South Australian Government was losing no time and grudging no expenditure on a successful outcome, and putting their best man in charge of the venture, restored much confidence in the investors in Northern Territory property.
[66] He insisted on all provisions being supplied in Adelaide to his specifications (10,000 lbs beef and mutton prepared by the Melbourne Meat Preservation Company (S. S. Ritchie's process), rather than relying on store cattle and sheep.
Goyder's scheme of six parties effectively operated as twelve, each consisting of a first- or second-class surveyor, cadet, chainmen, headsmen, trenchers, axemen and a shared cook.
[68][69] This table includes some information on those of Goyder's parties who remained or returned to the NT to participate in Charles Todd's Overland Telegraph (OT) line construction.
The Waterhouse Ministry, before they retired from office in July, 1863, had the satisfaction of hearing from the Duke of Newcastle that their resolutions passed in Executive Council on the undesirability of annexing the whole of Northern Australia to Queensland had carried conviction to his mind.
Among the founders of the Adam Bay settlement were a Chief Secretary (Mr. Ayers), a Treasurer (Captain Hart), and a Commissioner of Crown Lands (Mr. Glyde), who on the shady side of the House had spoken against annexation as a very equivocal benefit.
Disgusted with two years' experience of it, we tried a little exploring again, and Mr. McKinlay spent a pleasant winter on the East Alligator River at the expense of the Northern Territory Fund.
Had the Duke of Newcastle been alive, with what gusto might the land-order-holders have poured their grievances into his sympathetic ear ; what invidious comparisons might they not have drawn between the Queensland style of settlement and our own !