2. When he got to Australia Ernest Giles (1835 – 1897) helped to find out what lay in the vast areas of the west. He was born on July 20, 1835 in England and first arrived in Adelaide from England in 1850 at the age of 15 where he first began digging for gold without success. He worked at various cattle and sheep stations where he developed his bush skills and ended up in 1861 in the area around Menindee in western New South Wales. In 1865 he explored the west of the Darling River in search of land that was suitable for pastoral use.
3. Exploring In 1875 Giles most important expedition began from Beltana, north of Port Augusta. Giles took with him camels instead of horses along with an Afghan camel driver who had experience in desert expeditions. They trekked over the Great Victorian Desert, which Giles named after the British queen. The camels proved to be vital as they would travel 350 kilometres without needing to drink. Their water levels dried up and they backtracked in search of water. They were saved only by the skill of their Aboriginal guide who managed to follow emu tracks to a spring. When they reached the present day town of Kalgoorlie, they were attacked by a large band of Aborigines who dispersed only after the explorers fired at them. They eventually reached some West Australian sheep stations and then headed into Perth.
4. Central Austraila Ernest Giles was an explorer who travelled through western New South Wales from 1861 to 1865 (to assess its pastoral uses) and across large tracts of central Australia from 1872 to 1876. His first trip to central Australia (1872) was as part of Dr Mueller's exploration team. Much to Giles' dismay the party turned back once they reached the inaccessible Missionaries' Plain. During his third attempt to go deeper into the desert, one of his co-explorers died and the Gibson's Desert was named in his memory. Finally in 1875, with camels for transport, Giles achieved his long-term goal of crossing from South Australia (Beltana) to Western Australia (Perth). He took a different route on the return trip and passed through Murchison, the Gibson's Desert and Rawlinson Ranges. Giles eventually returned to Victoria where he worked as a land classifier then moved to Coolgardie in Western Australia where he was a clerk in the warden's office. Ernest Giles published several works detailing his travels across Australia and was made a knight of the crown of Italy and an honorary member of many Continental societies. His biggest award was receiving a fellowship and gold medal from the Royal Geographical Society in London.
