land beyond the Hampton Plains, this time under the guidance of Alexander Forrest. This expedition discovered about of pastoral land, half of which was of fine quality, but also found water to be extremely scarce. In 1874, Windich was a member of John Forrest's third and most ambitious expedition. This expedition explored the watershed of the Murchison River, discovering much new pastoral land, then headed east through the uncharted centre of Western Australia, to the overland telegraph line from Darwin to Adelaide. Early in 1876, Windich was working as a guide with the party constructing the overland telegraph line from Perth to Adelaide, when he caught a chill that became a serious illness. On about 20 February, he died of pneumonia. He was buried at Dempster Head near Esperance. John Forrest said at the time "his name is almost a household word in this colony.... I feel that I have lost an old and well tried companion and friend." Cultural references In September 1988, a cultivar of barley, bred by the Western Australian Department of Agriculture for performance in medium to high rainfall areas, was released under the name "Hordeum vulgare (Barley) c.v. Windich". Commonly referred to simply as "Windich", the cultivar is named for Tommy Windich, continuing a tradition of naming Western Australian grain cultivars after historic people of Western Australia. Notes References 1840s births 1876 deaths Australian explorers Explorers of Australia Explorers of Western Australia Indigenous Australians from Western Australia People from the Wheatbelt (Western Australia) Deaths from pneumonia in Western Australia