In 1886, assisted by Aborigines familiar with the country, Croker tracked ninety head of strayed Wave Hill cattle southeast across the desert to Tennant Creek. After locating these and gathering together other Wave Hill cattle from various Barkly tableland stations, he started back for Wave Hill by the conventional route along the overland telegraph line. (Lewis 2018:19)1891 Hemphill letter, describing Greenhide Sam's traverse from Wave Hill to Powell Creek and return.
Sam Croker followed strayed cattle from Wave Hill Station through to Newcastle Waters, aided by showers on the way.
A few months earlier G.R. Hedley passed through from Newcastle Waters to the Victoria, safely negotiating a dry stage of eighty miles. Owing to the obstructive hedgewood, he was much delayed and only reached water in time to save himself and his party from perishing. He was the first to conquer this difficult region. Croker, crossing farther to the south, had not so much trouble with hedgewood. (Buchanan 1933:120)
He had to track cattle as far east as Anthony’s Lagoon and Corella Lake, and he was at Powell’s Creek, returning to Wave Hill, when Buchanan, with a hundred horses, reached there from Queensland. It was July 1886; some rain had fallen a few days earlier and there was a white frost on several successive mornings. … (Buchanan 1933:121)Darrell Lewis’ (2008) biography and Pike (1972:209-10) describe 'Greenhide' Sam Croker, and his death by shooting in a card-game when acting manager of Auvergne in 1892.
© 2009
David
Nash
Created 12 December 2009
Modified 17 January 2021
URL http://www.anu.edu.au/linguistics/nash/kt/1886-Greenhide-Sam.html