Indigenous Australia

Tommy Windich (1840-1876), tracker and explorer, was born near Mount Stirling, south of Kellerberrin, Western Australia. He was a member of the Nyaki Nyaki/Njaki Njaki language group and would have been fluent in the inland lingua franca, Goreng/Koreng. His early life was probably disrupted through introduced diseases. Brought up in the Bunbury district, recently colonised by Europeans, he was well trained by Elders in bushcraft and by white settlers in horsemanship. As a police tracker and native constable, he assisted in the arrest of the murderers of Edward Clarkson in 1865–66. In 1866 he accompanied Charles Hunt on an expedition into the country east of York, and was a great help to other early land seekers and government surveyors.

Windich was on good terms with the Forrest family, who had settled at Picton in 1851, and especially with John and Alexander, sons of William. Both led expeditions into the interior of Western Australia and both owed much of their success to the assistance of Aboriginal trackers. Windich accompanied John on three expeditions: first into the north-eastern districts in April–August 1869, next around the Great Australian Bright to Adelaide in March–August 1870, and finally from Champion Bay to the Peake Station on the overland telegraph line and thence to Adelaide in March–November 1874. He went with Alexander on an expedition to the Hampton Plains in August–November 1871. The Forrest brothers were accustomed to navigating by astronomical observation; hence, they were not in danger of being lost in the inland deserts. Yet they relied heavily on Aboriginal trackers in the daily search for drinking-water and horse feed. Windich usually acted as the scout and was adept at finding wells or waterholes in the rocky outcrops. He was an expert rifleman and hunter. His reserved manner in public ceremonies celebrating the end of expeditions put him in marked contrast to the expansive garrulity of his compatriot Tommy Pierre.

Windich died of pneumonia while working with a construction party on the overland telegraph at Esperance Bay in February 1876. He had received several small gifts from the government for his services and frequent expressions of gratitude from the Forrest brothers. Following his death, they erected a tombstone over his grave, which read: ‘He was an aboriginal native of Western Australia, of great intelligence and fidelity, who accompanied them on exploring expeditions into the interior of Australia, two of which were from Perth to Adelaide. Be Ye Also Ready.’ His name is perpetuated by Windich Springs, north-west of the Frere Range.

♦♦  This article was revised on 11 July 2025