(cheerful music)
- What do you think of all this, Captain Cook?
- Quite a good botanical collection.
We will call this cove Botany Bay,
and I take possession of these lands
in the name of the crown.
- At last they've left.
- There were too many of them.
All our plants and animals couldn't feed that bunch.
- Now things will quiet down.
- They might come back, and in even greater numbers!
- But Australia had been discovered
long before Captain Cook,
long before the arrival of the French and Dutch navigators.
Did you know, the first men came there on foot?
- You mean it?
- But that's impossible! Australia's surrounded by water!
- It is today, but it wasn't always.
Round 50,000 years ago, there was a period
when the Earth was very, very cold
and much of the Earth's water was trapped in glaciers.
The sea level dropped, and as a result
Tasmania was joined to Australia
and here in the north, Australia was joined
to New Guinea and Indonesia.
As we know, human beings are always curious.
- Where are we going, Pop?
- I'm not sure, son.
To locate fresh game, it's scarce.
Here we're just too many mouths to feed.
- It often happened back then that people had to migrate,
leave their traditional home and set out
in search of food, not knowing where they'd end up,
but back to our story.
After Captain Cook left Australia--
- I sure do hope they don't come back here.
There wouldn't be enough to eat.
- [Maestro] But Europeans would come back, in droves.
In England, decisions were being made about the new lands.
- These new lands, Lord Sydney,
might replace our prisons, which are over-crowded.
- Ha ha, you're absolutely right, Mr. Pitt.
We shall deport our criminals.
(stirring nautical music)
(laughs)
(growls)
- It's them! They're coming back!
No-o-o.
(music drowns out other sounds)
Oh, so many, why have they come?
(music drowns out other sounds)
- And the bay we found when approaching
will now be called Sydney.
May it one day grow into a prosperous city
and be a beacon of culture and pride
and true reflection of our civilization.
(guffaws)
(whip cracks) (cries out in pain)
- My children, pray for our salvation.
- Ah.
(door knocks)
Who's there?
Well, who are you?
- I'm Matthew Flinders, naval officer and--
(music drowns out other sounds)
- You all are?
- There's no one else.
- Really? Well.
(burps)
Ha, gets them every time.
What do you want, you two?
- Governor, I have just sailed around the island,
and, sir, the island is not,
almost a continent.
- (Mumbles) nonsense.
- But, you see, sir.
- Yes, I see well.
- What exactly (music drowns out other sounds)
- Don't you see, it is more than just an island,
it's the southern continent.
Since Australia means southern--
(music drowns out other sounds)
(laughs)
- What a name, Australia!
(music drowns out other sounds)
- In the beginning of the 19th century,
only a few ports and small towns would appear
along the coast of this Australia.
Bathhurst, Albany, Perth,
Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide,
Melbourne, Darwin.
But what was the interior of this great landmass?
- What?
- [Maestro] The outback.
- Look at this map of Australia.
It was me who discovered all the rivers,
the Darling River and the Murray.
But the interior, you see on this map?
There's nothing drawn, nothing is known.
I wanna be the first to explore it.
- And I will help organizing your expedition, Mr. Stuart.
(shouts)
(laughs)
(comic music)
- Oh.
We aren't going to make it.
We've got to turn back now.
- [Maestro] In 1848, the explorer
Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt
set out to cross all of Australia.
He disappeared, probably engulfed by a swollen river.
Another explorer, John Septimus Roe,
also tried to cross it.
He didn't succeed, but he did get married
and had 13 children,
and I suppose he lived happily ever after.
Yet another explorer, Edmund Besley Court Kennedy,
set out and was killed by the aborigines,
and nobody knows why.
- Oh!
- Many others attempted the crossing
the century following Captain Cook's arrival,
but nobody ever succeeded until one day...
- Ya don't say, mate, I've heard all that,
now I'm gonna tell you this.
- Gentlemen, Australia's English.
We know that it is a continent,
but no one has ever succeeded in crossing it.
Neither in a north-south direction, nor east-west.
This is an appalling state of affairs!
It's shocking.
- What can we do?
- If we offered a prize, only a sufficiently large one--
- Yes, I'd take some... hmmm.
Government of Southern Australia,
it will reward by the sum of 2,000 pounds
to the first expedition to cross south to north.
- 2,000?
- It's a fortune!
- Nobody's done it yet, matey.
- It's cause it's dangerous to cross Australia.
(deliberate music)
2,000 (music drowns out other sounds)
(telegraph beeps)
- I've got news! 2,000!
Ow!
- What is this?
What! 2,000?
2,000 pounds?
We must act quickly!
That Adelaide bunch, we won't permit them to win this race.
- You're right, Judge!
- We'll offer 2,005.
- It's settled, Mr. Stuart.
You will lead the expedition and leave as soon as you can.
- Straight away, Governor.
William Kekwick will come along.
You ready, Kekwick?
- Ready, Mr. Stuart.
(stirring music)
- See here, Mr. Burke,
you were chosen six months ago for the expedition.
What are you waiting for?
- What I'm waiting for is coming on that ship.
Camels, camels from Afghanistan, the ship of the desert,
they can go for days and days without drinking,
perfect for a desert.
Now I'm ready to leave.
(frontier dance music)
(farewell shouts)
(sprightly music)
- Supply carts is falling behind again.
- Waiting for them, we could build a barricade.
- Yep, that'll protect this against them savages.
- Who are they?
- The ones who came from the sea
in wooden houses walking on the water.
- That is ridiculous.
(chatter drowns out other sounds)
- The first job will be an inspection tour in here.
All you, come with me.
Be on guard, anything can happen.
Wait. Listen.
Hear that? (mumbles) quite strange.
(chants)
- Oh!
(chants)
- No matter what, no noise, understand?
No!
(chants)
(gun fires)
Don't!
(confused shouts)
Those savages would have attacked us.
- Their intentions could be peaceful.
- They're savages!
Wouldn't even join in on our celebration.
- Well, could be they didn't understand
we were inviting them.
- This place! I never saw anything--
Ow!
- Ah, we've waited long enough.
Where's the rest of our expedition?
- Well, a bit of patience, chief.
Supply wagons are big,
and they always take twice as much time.
- Well, I'm not waiting.
We leave now.
We're going the north, all the way to the sea.
King, Gray, Wills, come on.
- Yes, but is that the sensible idea?
With no provisions, better for us to wait for the wagons.
- All right, you stay here and wait.
We're going north.
- Bye!
Lots of luck!
(cheerful music)
- There they are again.
You savages, get out the way!
- You see, they were giving us a gift.
They didn't want to cause us any harm.
They were just trying to help us.
- Well, maybe, but I don't trust them.
- It's flowing toward the north.
- Oh (music drowns out other sounds)
- Hey, careful there! Watch out!
- What the--
I've had enough of this place!
I wanna go home!
- Then stay! You and King will wait for us here.
Come on, Wills, we're going to the sea.
This way!
To the north!
- Bye!
- Where are they from?
- No matter, if they're hungry.
(music drowns out other sounds)
- Oh!
- Mmmm. Not bad.
The natives left us seed cakes, try one.
- You know, Wills, they might have guided us,
helped us, but they won't.
They won't even come around.
- Well, you scared them, always firing your rifle.
They'd never--
- Mmmm. - Such a loud sound.
- Nah, you're right, Wills, they're savages.
Come on, let's go.
(swelling music)
- Oh!
(spits) Salt water.
The ocean's not far now.
We'll leave the camels here and walk.
- Yes, you're right.
- Oh!
- Hang on, I've got ya.
Near the ocean (mumbles)
- Salt water? - I can't see a thing.
- Anyway, we can't go any farther.
- My, yes, it's salty.
Burke, we reached the ocean, we made it!
- Only one thing to do.
Go back again.
(applause)
- Good job!
- All the way across Australia?
- Uh-huh!
- So it's said, we can't be sure
because the expedition ended in tragedy.
Look, you'll see.
- You see, chief, we waiting for ya.
- Roast meat, ah!
- It's the other camel, he was all worn out, so...
(appreciative murmurs)
- He's dead.
- We have to make it to Cooper's Creek.
- Time after time, you insisted that
we stay here and wait for them.
They've been gone five whole months,
we're still waiting, that's enough.
- No, your duty as a member of the expedition
is to wait here until they do return!
They might have been lost.
- Five months?
Surely they're all dead.
- Guys, suppose you're right.
No point in waiting.
All the same, we'll leave provisions here.
(melancholy music)
- They've left!
- It's code!
It must mean three feet northeast of this tree.
Let's dig!
- Great.
They left this morning.
- We'll never catch up with them.
We're much too weak.
Besides, the camels can barely walk.
Neither can we.
- We'll make it with these provisions, we have a chance.
- Oh!
Hey, help me!
Come on!
- Well, what is it?
- I don't believe it.
Water!
- Huh?
We'd better go that way.
- Nu-huh.
- See here, my compass says there!
- But he knows the desert!
- I know the progress of our civilization.
We're going this way, come on!
- Hey.
- Here, try some of these seeds.
They're--
- I just can't go on.
(coughs)
- What are they doing?
A man on that stretcher!
- It's John King!
He was part of Burke's expedition.
- I figured they were dead.
- Burke and most of his party never returned.
That's a mystery,
and we suppose they probably reached the sea.
Stuart, you remember him,
he hasn't made it, not yet.
- Oh, look at that!
- Ooh.
- Stuart!
Well, did you get there?
- No, but the two of us almost did.
The natives turned against us.
They set fire to the bush.
We weren't able to get through, so here we are.
- Ah.
- But after something to eat, and rest, we'll be off again!
- Yeah, I'm starved.
I could eat a kangaroo.
(laughs)
- All ready, let's go.
- 10,100 and 200...
Have a good trip!
- [Maestro] More strangers coming in.
It never ends, it's not good.
- Their big sheep eat everything.
There'll be nothing for us.
- We'll make them stop.
- Their weapons are strong.
- And so is our courage.
We will defend our land.
Get ready. Here they come!
- We'll make it.
Now there's nothing to stop--
Ow!
- What? Wow!
What was that?
- Ah!
(war cries)
- Fire over their heads.
Don't kill them!
(suspenseful music)
- We don't want to harm you.
We're just going to the sea, that direction.
(speaks in foreign language)
- What are we gonna do with him?
Teach him the Lord's Prayer? (chuckles)
- No, this man is defending his rights.
We let him leave.
- This vermin? Why?
He's waiting for us to turn our heads, and then he'll--
(boomerang whirrs)
Ow!
- Look there!
That's a deadly snake.
Just one little bite, this man saved your life.
- My goodness, he killed him.
I might, I might have died here.
- Thank you, friend.
You may go now.
- It's my home.
You may go now.
- Now there's something (music drowns out other sounds)
Hey, you forgot this!
(laughs)
- I'm out of water, too.
- Water! I'm about to croak.
- Eh. Ah-ha!
- We need water.
Otherwise, we'll all going to die.
(speaks in foreign language)
- Why, it's water!
- How did he ever know that?
- Water!
- We're in your debt.
- I still can't figure it out.
How did he know precisely where it was?
Water, right here in the desert, it's magic.
- The desert is their domain and they know all its secrets.
(quiet music)
(growls)
(hisses)
(growls)
- Ah!
Help, help!
- Dingoes, those are dogs.
- That horse...
- What's this?
- That fish...
- Does it give you an idea?
- Sure does, but I've already had mine.
- And where do fish come from?
- Well, I guess from the ocean, or river--
- The ocean can't be far away then!
Let's get on our way!
- Here, here, eat this one.
(swallows appreciatively)
- Hey, ho!
(gulps loudly)
- This has to be the Adelaide River.
It goes to Fort Darwin, where we're headed.
(music swells)
What ever you do, don't miss!
(guns fire)
- Did you really have to risk your life
to get your hat back?
- Well, sure (music drowns out other sounds)
(laughs)
- [Maestro] So it was on the 25th of July, 1862,
after going 3,000 kilometers,
explorers succeeded in crossing Australia
from south to north.
Today, the route taken by John McDouall Stuart
is a main thoroughfare.
They call it Stuart Highway.