Wylie (person)
Encyclopedia
Wylie was an indigenous Australian
originally from the tribes around Albany
in Western Australia. He accompanied Edward John Eyre
to Adelaide
by sea in May 1840, and would have left with Eyre on his expedition to penetrate to the interior in June of the same year, but Wylie was ill. Later in the year, Eyre was at Fowlers Bay
in the west, having retreated from the north, and Wylie joined him by way of the ship supplying the expedition, the Hero.
Wylie was subsequently one of the three aboriginies to accompany Eyre and John Baxter
on their final attempt to cross the Nullarbor Plain
in 1841. He deserted for a brief time with the other older aboriginal boy, Joey, while the party rested at the sandhills of present-day Eucla
, but they returned when they failed to find any food. Several weeks later he proved loyal to Eyre when Joey and Yarry (the other aboriginal boy) murdered Baxter and deserted. Despite the two aborigines accosting them and calling for Wylie to join them the following day, Wylie stayed with Eyre for the rest of the journey, impressing the French whalers they met in Rossiter Bay
with his voracious appetite.
After the completion of the journey, Wylie remained at Albany. He spent a brief time as a native policeman, and also benefited from a government pension procured for him by Eyre, who remained in contact with him for some years afterward.
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
originally from the tribes around Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
in Western Australia. He accompanied Edward John Eyre
Edward John Eyre
Edward John Eyre was an English land explorer of the Australian continent, colonial administrator, and a controversial Governor of Jamaica....
to Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
by sea in May 1840, and would have left with Eyre on his expedition to penetrate to the interior in June of the same year, but Wylie was ill. Later in the year, Eyre was at Fowlers Bay
Fowlers Bay, South Australia
Fowlers Bay, formerly Yalata, is a small coastal town in South Australia, located approximately north west of the state capital, Adelaide. Situated on the Nullarbor Plain, it was once an active port and a gateway to the western reaches of the continent, but fell into decline in the 1960s...
in the west, having retreated from the north, and Wylie joined him by way of the ship supplying the expedition, the Hero.
Wylie was subsequently one of the three aboriginies to accompany Eyre and John Baxter
John Baxter (explorer)
John Baxter was a friend and companion of Edward John Eyre on his crossing of the Nullarbor Plain in 1840-1841. When the party was low on supplies and in desperate need of water, near the coast south of present-day Caiguna in Nuytsland National Park, Baxter was murdered by Yarry and Joey, two of...
on their final attempt to cross the Nullarbor Plain
Nullarbor Plain
The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about...
in 1841. He deserted for a brief time with the other older aboriginal boy, Joey, while the party rested at the sandhills of present-day Eucla
Eucla, Western Australia
Eucla is the easternmost locality in Western Australia, located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia along the Eyre Highway, approximately west of the South Australian border...
, but they returned when they failed to find any food. Several weeks later he proved loyal to Eyre when Joey and Yarry (the other aboriginal boy) murdered Baxter and deserted. Despite the two aborigines accosting them and calling for Wylie to join them the following day, Wylie stayed with Eyre for the rest of the journey, impressing the French whalers they met in Rossiter Bay
Rossiter Bay
Rossiter Bay is located on the southern coast of Western Australia, in the Cape Le Grand National Park east of Esperance. The bay is noted as the place where explorer Edward John Eyre and his Aboriginal companion Wylie met the crew of the French whaling ship Mississippi in June 1841, having...
with his voracious appetite.
After the completion of the journey, Wylie remained at Albany. He spent a brief time as a native policeman, and also benefited from a government pension procured for him by Eyre, who remained in contact with him for some years afterward.