In 1896 a little-known Scot, David Carnegie, set out from Coolgardie to cross some of the most inhospitable country in the world - Western Australia's forbidding Gibson and Great Sandy deserts.

Armed with an abundance of youthful energy and faith, and a modicum of navigational skills, he succeeded not only in conquering those tractless wastes but, after a short lay-up in Halls Creek, in repeating the journey from north to south.

While the Royal Geographic Society in London hailed the feat as 'remarkable and important', the young explorer felt short-changed by an officialdom that largely ignored his efforts.

This fresh examination of David Carnegie's life and achievements seeks to put the record straight and place him firmly among that select band of truly great Australian explorers.  Working with new material from the Carnegie family archives at Kinnaird Castle, Montrose, the author offers a fascinating profile of ambition and courage, and a rewarding glimpse into the rambunctious eastern goldfields and the compelling solitude of the desert.

Peasley highlights Carnegie's great respect for the Aboriginal nomads he encountered, the desperate race to survive as water ran out, and the enormous camaraderie of the expedition, even in the face of personal tragedy.

THE AUTHOR

A fascination with history and early exploration, and an abiding love of the desert country and Aboriginal culture, has been with William Peasley for much of his life.  His first book, The Last of the Nomads, was a moving account of a vanishing way of life in the Gibson Desert.  His long time interest in David Carnegie prompted him to take part in two expeditions to the interior of Western Australia - in 1976 and 1982 - to retrace the explorer's route.

For twelve years Peasley was a Flying Doctor in the North West and Kimberley.  Married with four grown sons, he lives in the Perth suburb of City Beach where he can frequently be found tinkering with veteran cars.

ISBN 0 86778 056 8