Calvert Expedition, 1896 – 1897

The Calvert Expedition was funded by a successful mining investor, Samuel Calvert, with the intention of filling in the ‘last blank spaces’ on the map of Australian exploration. The expedition leader, L.A. Wells, was a veteran of the Elder Expedition. He chose two experienced cameleers, Said Ameer and Bejah Dervish. These men’s skills proved crucial as the expedition foundered in the heat of the Great Sandy Desert, losing two members.