His party was so small that the loss or even disablement of one man would have crippled the expedition; and they had already lost a good many horses.

He therefore wisely decided to fall back, as they had penetrated far enough to prove that the passage of the continent could be effected with a few more men.

It was on the 27th of June that he began his homeward march, and on the 26th of August he reached Brodie's camp at Hamilton Springs, with the strength of all much reduced, and Stuart himself suffering from scurvy.
After the result of Stuart's journey had been reported in Adelaide, and it was seen how inadequate means only had led to his defeat, the Government voted 2,500 pounds to equip a better-organized party; of this he was to take command.
Stuart judged it best to keep his old track by way of the Finke and the Hugh.

On the 12th of April they arrived at the Bonney, and finding it running strong, with abundance of good feed on the banks, they were betrayed into following it down; but it soon spread abroad and was lost in a large plain.

Leaving the Bonney, they adhered to the old route, and reached Tennant's Creek on the 21st of April, and four days afterwards they were on the scene of the attack that had been made on them at Attack Creek.