Meeting at Bark Hut - Background

Background to Meeting at Bark Hut (Expedition 1)

George Augustus Robinson's party reached the northeast coast in mid October 1830 and set up basecamp on the coast opposite Swan Island near Little Musselroe Bay (Western Inlet). From Mt Deception (Mt William) Robinson's party sighted smoke from the clanspeople burning off their country. Those smokes tell us that the clanspeople who were still free in the northeast bush continued traditional mosaic firing practises even-though there were armed roving parties searching for them. It should also be emphasised that Martial Law had been declared in 1828 and for some, this sanctioned unprovoked attacks on Aborigines in the settled districts.

On 23 October Robinson requested his boatman McKay to sail south from basecamp and follow the coast in search of the origin of the smoke. Two days later Robinson rendezvoused with McKay south of Big Mussleroe. McKay reported that he had travelled as far as Georges Rocks but had seen no sign of any clanspeople on the coast. Nor had he sighted their smokes inland. Robinson returned to basecamp where he spent the following two days writing despatches and filling in his diary. He spent some of the time seeking information from his guides while sheltering from persistent rains and westerly gales that battered basecamp until 28 October.

28 October 1830

On 28 October 1830, boatman McKay sailed southward to the nearest colonial outpost (possibly Port Arthur) to deliver Robinson's government despatches and private letters. Robinson instructed McKay to leave stores at 'Barren Island' (now named St Helens Island) to resupply the expedition when they reached that point on foot. He planned to leave this same day carrying enough supplies to last the nine members of the walking party three to four days. Robinson anticipated from his maps that it would take about three days to reach the Georges River where they would be resupplied from Barren Island. It would soon become obvious to Robinson that the map he carried did not accurately record the remote northeast coastline between Eddystone Point and St Helens Island. The distance the large group would walk was much further than the map indicated.

Departing basecamp soon after McKay set off in the boat Robinson's party travelled on foot from Little Musselroe Bay. After crossing four small rivers, which Robinson did not identify by name, they camped for the night on a headland opposite Georges Rocks. During that day the guides reported no signs that clanspeople had been recently been in the area.

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