Jim Keen – one who blazed the track

Jim Keen, who arrived in Kalgoorlie from out from the East this week with three camels, has prospected in several other countries besides Australia, and has had some narrow shaves in the last 40 years. But he reckons the narrowest he has had was just recently, when he nearly perished of thirst while trying to make from Ooldea to Laverton.

Jim Keen and Rider his dog.

A New Zealander born, Jim Keen prospected in his native country before gold took him wandering over a great part of the globe. He was in the rush to the Klondike in 98, he prospected in Africa and the United States, He was one of the early adventurers in Papua, he knows most of the Northern Territory, the Kimberleys and Northern Queensland. Between times he has seen other parts of the world while working his way as a sailor.

Naturally a man does not lead this sort of life for 40 years or so without having some narrow escapes, but Keen considers he has never been nearer death than he was last April, when he started from Ooldea mission station in South Australia with three camels, intending to make up north and west to Laverton and prospect the country on the way. Starting with only a limited quantity of water in expectation of finding more at known rockholes, he had the bad fortune to strike a very dry season. When the first hole was dry he pushed on hoping to find water at the next one. The result was that he found himself far into waterless country and had a fearful struggle to get back to the mission station.

From Spinifex and Sand, by David W Carnegie

This is his story in his own words — First day out from Ooldea, on April 17, we did 22 miles and camped on a sandy oak flat. Next day I expected to find a good rock hole, but after doing 25 miles could not locate it. The native boy with me said it might be closed up. Next morning I woke with sandy blight. We had only a gallon of water left but decided to push on. The eyes were so bad that the boy had to lead me. We did 25 miles without finding any water. Next day the boy got about a pint of water from mallee roots, and we did another 25 miles. I could not see to unload the camels that night. Next day we found a rock hole, but it was stone dry. The boy said ‘I thinks this one wrong fellow track’.
He didn’t know where the next water was, and my eyes were still bad, but I thought it was as easy to go on now as to go back. On April 22 we did 30 miles, and the boy was able to get about two quarts of mallee root water. Next day the boy got his bearings again, and said we were on Larry Wells track with ‘big fella soak’ close up.

We got to the soak at sundown, but it was stone dry.

I decided to turn back. Things looked so bad that I didn’t think there was any chance of making the mission station again. I was unable to eat anything but a few dried apricots, as there was no water for cooking. On April 24 we travelled all day from sunrise to sundown without water. Next day the camels were showing signs of cracking up. We found another dry rock hole. The only water we had was a little more from mallee roots.

We travelled all day and night on April 26. I could just see well enough to find my way. We tied up the camels for about three hours and dumped some of the load. The boy got another two pints of water from the mallee. Then we made a last effort by travelling all night and reached the mission all in at about 5 o’clock in the morning. It was a hard trip all right, and if the camels hadn’t been real good ones, and the boy hadn’t been able to get the mallee water, we’d have provided some very tough pickings for the crows.

However, Jim Keen is not cured of prospecting. He is off again next week to try some country out Kurnalpi way!

Jim Keen – Daily News – 3 November 1934, page 17