61. Favenc, Ernest, 1846-1908.
The secret of the Australian desert / by Ernest Favenc ; with four illustrations by Percy F.S. Spence and a map. (London : Blackie, 1896)
Ernest Favenc was an explorer who led an expedition in 1877 to investigate the feasibility of a railway between Queensland and Darwin. He wrote several books of non-fiction, most notably, The history of Australian exploration from 1788 to 1888 (1888) but is best-remembered for his novels and short stories, most of which are set in the tropical north. The secret of the Australian desert is based on the fate of the explorer, Ludwig Leichhardt, and also includes details of a lost civilization, “the bloodthirsty Warlattas”.
