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Barnes was an enthusiastic photographer and many examples of his work still survive in archival collections in
the Territory and interstate. He was also a musician ‘of no mean ability’ who would play for dances for the whole
evening.
He was always active in community affairs and served on the Palmerston District Council for a total of 13 years
and was Mayor on three occasions. He occupied that position when Lord Kitchener visited in 1908 and when
S J Mitchell took up his position as government resident in 1910. He was a life member of the Masonic lodge;
a life member of the Northern Territory Race Club, a life member of the Church Tennis Association, President of
the Overseas Club, Warden of Christ Church, Vice President of the Music and Dramatic society, President of the
Rifle Club and Bandmaster of the Darwin Brass Band. He also found time to be an active member of the Literary
and Debating Society, the Pickwick Club, and the Pigeon Shooting Club. He also judged at the Agriculture and
Horticultural Shows as well as swimming carnivals and gymkhanas.
Barnes was described as having, even in the last stages of a long and painful illness, a ‘cheery optimistic
personality who has won the reward of a host of friends during his long and active career in the Territory. Cheerfulness,
integrity and industry may be said to have been the keynotes of his character’. He died on 23 November 1925 at the
comparatively young age of 56, survived by his wife, who had nursed him ‘with loving care and loyal devotion’,
and sons Keith and Aubrey, both of whom were employees of the Cable Company. He was buried according to the
rites of the Anglican Church in the Gardens Road Cemetery.
Northern Territory Times and Gazette, 11 February 1910, 1 November 1917, 4 November 1925, 1 December 1925.
HELEN J WILSON, Vol 3.
BARNETT, EMILY CAROLINE, formerly CREAGHE, nee ROBINSON (1860–1944), explorer, was born on
1 November 1860 on board ship in the Bay of Bengal. She was the sixth child of Major George Cayley Robinson,
a civil engineer who, in 1845, joined the British army in India where he served in the Royal Artillery. Her mother,
Mary Harriet, was the daughter of Major Woodward who also served with the British army in India.
Not long after Caroline’s birth, Major Robinson returned to England and Caroline attended school in
Weston-Super-Mare near Bristol.
In 1876 Major Robinson retired from the army and immigrated to Australia with his wife and family of eight
children. Caroline was then 16 years old. On arrival in Sydney they boarded at Wynyard Square and then took up
residence in Lavender Bay. Some years later, on a visit to her uncle in Brisbane, Caroline met Harry Allington
Creaghe, a grandson of the Marquis of Ormonde. Harry had been in Australia also from the age of sixteen years,
having migrated from Ireland on the sailing ship Young Australia in 1865. Caroline and Harry were married in
December 1881. Their first child Cayley, born a year later, died before he was one year old.
In 1882 Ernest Favenc and Harry Creaghe agreed to explore land west of the Queensland border from the head
waters of the Nicholson River to Powell Creek on the overland telegraph line and the McArthur River area, for the
South Australian government. Both Mrs Favenc and Caroline were to accompany their husbands.
The Creaghes left Sydney on board Corea on 23 December 1882 bound for Thursday Island. On arrival they
awaited Truganini, which took them on to Normanton. Caroline kept a day-to-day diary and reported that ‘on the
way we had a heavy thunderstorm and all got drenched as we were sleeping’. In Normanton Mrs Favenc announced
that she was not strong enough to undertake the journey and the men decided not to take Caroline either. She was
bitterly disappointed.
Favenc escorted his wife back to Brisbane while Harry and Caroline set out on horseback for Shadforth’s
Carl Creek station 320 kilometres inland, where Caroline would wait for the men to return from their expedition.
They left Normanton on 20 January 1883 at 3.30 pm accompanied by Shadforth and five other men. Caroline suffered
heat, flies and fatigue from long hours in the saddle to which she was unaccustomed, and was often drenched
with torrential rain. She found it hard to eat any of the food, which she described as ‘dirty hairy dried salt beef,
brown sugar half dust and dried hard damper’. They completed the journey in nine days.
Caroline stayed with the Shadforths for two months. She interested herself with the comings and goings of the
station and helped about the house. Harry left for Normanton on 8 March to await the return of Favenc. One month
later he rode back with the good news that Caroline was to accompany them after all. The expedition left from
Gregory Downs station on 14 April 1883 with four horses under saddle, nine packed on the lead and four loose.
Favenc had brought along Lindsay Crawford, an ex-telegraphist from Powell Creek. They rode seven to eight
hours each day, but sometimes spent 12 to 15 hours in the saddle, often without food and little water. They lived on
salt beef and damper and soon longed for fresh meat. One day Crawford shot two black ducks, which he plucked
and cleaned. In the half twilight Caroline made a curry to cook in time for breakfast. As they ate in the shadowy
dawn Caroline complained that Lindsay had left the quills on the ducks. Later, in broad daylight, she went to empty
the billy and discovered that what she had supposed were quills, were thousands of flies which had blown off the
long grass in the semi-darkness. She remarked that ‘all the men were ill’ when told of her discovery. Caroline
took her turn with all the camp chores throughout the journey, including the unsaddling of horses. She made no
complaints but often longed for enough water to wash her face and hands. She was delighted when Favenc named
a lagoon after her, scratching the words ‘The Caroline’ into the trunk of a gum tree.
The exploration of creeks and the inspection of land often took them away off course. Each day brought a
search for water and it had to be found in quantities enough for themselves and their horses. They were not always
successful. During the day they sucked pebbles to try and allay their thirst. Many times they were forced to camp
dry. On one occasion the horses were taken back thirty-eight kilometres to their last water hole as they were
perishing. Within 128 kilometres of Powell Creek no water could be found. All were weak from exhaustion and