This unvisited spot was situated north of latitude 26, and bounded on the west by the Finke River, on the north by the Plenty and Marshall Rivers and part of the MacDonnell Ranges, and on the west by the Hay River and the Queensland border.

An expedition to exploit it was equipped by Ronald MacPherson, and assisted by the South Australian Government with the loan of camels.

The leader was Captain V.Barclay, an old South Australian surveyor, whose name has already been mentioned in these pages.
Barclay had been born in Lancashire, at Bury, on the 6th of January, 1845.

He had entered the Royal Navy in 1860, and had been severely wounded on board H.M.S.Illustrious by a gun breaking loose when at target practice.

He had emigrated to Tasmania in the seventies, and in 1877 had been appointed by the South Australian Government to explore the country lying between the line and the Queensland border, a notice of which occurs in the preceding pages.
The party, lightly equipped to be more effective, was absent from Oodnadatta from July 24th until December 5th 1904, and in that time accomplished much useful work in the face of great difficulties.