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GOSSE, WILLIAM CHRISTIE (1842–1881), explorer and surveyor, was born on 11 December 1842 in
Hoddesdon, England, the second son of William Gosse and his wife Agnes, nee Grant. His father, a medical
practitioner, migrated to Adelaide in 1850 with his wife, four sons and two daughters. It was hoped the change of
Climate would cure the doctor’s bronchitis. Dr Gosse became a prominent citizen of Adelaide and was responsible
for founding the Home for Incurables, the second Branch of the British Medical Association outside England, and
was appointed the first warden of the Senate of the University of Adelaide. He sent his son William to be educated
at J L Young’s Educational Institution.
After leaving school, William joined the Surveyor-General’s Department in 1859, and was sent on a
trigonometrical survey of the far north of South Australia. By 1868 he was surveying in the southeastern district,
when he married Gertrude Richie of Melbourne. Unfortunately she died a year later.
In 1872 the Government of South Australia completed the Overland Telegraph Line from Adelaide to Darwin.
Most of Australia had been partially explored but, apart from Ernest Giles’s expedition, western Central Australia
was still unknown. The government decided to mount an expedition to find a route from the telegraph line to Perth.
William Gosse was invited to lead the expedition. Egerton Warburton, the retired Police Commissioner, had
hoped to be appointed but was regarded as being too old at 58. This angered Thomas Elder who promptly fitted out
another expedition with Warburton as leader. This created many problems for Gosse as he was ordered to avoid
the other party at all costs.
In September 1872 Gosse started his journey with Edwin Berry as second-in-command, Henry Gosse as
collector, Henry Winner and Patrick Nile, three Afghans, Kaman, Jemmy Kahn, and Allan, and also an Aboriginal
boy, Moses. In December 1872 Gosse was at the Overland Telegraph station in Alice Springs trying to get his party
ready to march westward. He was instructed to explore the country around Alice Springs and in February 1873
despatched his report to Adelaide.
Having been instructed not to traverse the tracks of Giles or Warburton, he suggested to Goyder,
the Surveyor-General, that the starting point should be south of Lilly Creek or north of the MacDonnell Ranges.
He was finally instructed to take a route north of the MacDonnell Ranges. On 23 April the party set out for the
Reynolds Range, which was reached on 3 May. Keeping north of the range they travelled slowly westward,
crossed the Lander, and Gosse named a high point in the ranges Mt Gardiner. Further on a range was named after
Giles and a large creek after Warburton. Whilst scouting for water, which was very difficult to find, Cockatoo
Creek was named, as was Rock Hill further to the west and adjacent to where Yuendumu now stands.
Having found very little water to the west of Warburton Creek, Gosse and his men turned south-westward to
the Stuart Bluff Range and crossed Warburton’s track near Central Mount Wedge. They continued to the foot of
Giles’ Mt Liebig and, finding no water beyond Mt Udor, turned south to Glen Edith and finally to King’s Creek,
determined to cross Lake Amadeus and head west from there. A depot was established at King’s Creek and on
Wednesday 16 July Gosse took Kamran and two camels and headed south. The eastern end of Lake Amadeus was
crossed and the two men set off with all speed for Mt Olga. Mt Connor was sighted and named for M L Connor.
Sighting a hill to the west Gosse rose early on 19 July and set his course for it. In his report he wrote, ‘The hill, as
I approached, presented a most peculiar appearance, the upper portion being covered with holes or caves. When I
got clear of the sandhills, and was only two miles distant, and the hill, for the first time, coming fairly into view,
what was my astonishment to find it was one immense rock rising abruptly from the plain... I have named this
Ayers Rock, after Sir Henry Ayers [Premier of South Australia].’ Maggie’s Spring was found and named and the
two men climbed the Rock. From the top they could see high ranges to the south, which were named the Musgrave
Ranges for Governor Musgrave, and Mt Woodruffe for the surveyor-general.
Returning to the King’s Creek Depot they cleared out a native well, which was named Kamran’s Well. This well
ensured the horses could be watered on the journey to the Rock. A depot was established there and Gosse, taking
Allanah, went south to a hill he named Allanah’s Hill, looking for water. None was found so upon his return the
party started for Mt Olga as soon as five days of rain had cleared. On the south side of the mount a spring was
discovered and named Felix Springs. The party left the Olgas on 12 August, heading for a peak Gosse had named
Stevenson’s Peak after the Honourable George Stevenson. The next camp was at the foot of the Mann Range,
named after Mr Charles Mann. Five days later the party had made ‘Boundary Camp’ on the border between South
and Western Australia. Here, on Moses Creek, the Aborigines attacked and the adjacent hill was named Skirmish
Hill. Quandong trees were in abundance and the fruit was boiled for jam. From this camp, on 4 September,
Gosse sighted and named the Cavenagh Range; and on 7 September he named Mt Squires. On 12 September he
established Depot 14 at Mt Cooper. From Mt Cavenagh he gazed eagerly to the west trying to determine what sort
of country lay ahead. As early as 4 September he had noted in his journal, at the camp at Moses Creek, that he did
‘not like the look of the country to the west’.
Leaving Depot 14 at Mt Cooper on 15 September, taking with him his brother Henry and Moses, he struck
out to the west. The next day they were at Mt Squires, looking unsuccessfully for water. From Mt Squires he saw,
to the southwest, a range that he named the Townsend Range. It was very hot and the horses, being two days
without water, looked wretched when on 17 September the Townsend Range was reached. Beyond this there was
no change in the sand hills and spinifex. They looked for water at Mt Whitby but found only sufficient to give the
horses a token drink. Gosse was still 450 kilometres from John Forrest’s 1871 track and he had neither journal
nor map of that expedition. He reluctantly wrote in his journal, ‘I’m afraid it is useless to get out further into this
dry country so late in the season. My furthest point west, latitude 26° 21’ south, longitude 126° 59’ east... I have
pushed out as far as it is safe in the hope of finding some permanent water without success... The safety of my
party obliges me to give up all hope of advancing further.’