This item is a ‘Phonic’ shorthand notebook containing notes and illustrations made by Johnson while conducting field work for the South Australian Department of Mines in 1953.

The contents of the notebook mostly consist of separate entries under various headings. Almost all the entries are dated and initialled by Johnson. Most of the entries in this notebook are tallies and descriptions of stone artefacts found at archaelogical sites. Such entries usually feature highly detailed illustrations of the stone artefacts Johnson found, and often also contain statistical tables showing the number of each type of artefact found at a site and their constituent materials. The entries and their page numbers are listed as follows:

• Page 1 - ‘Considerations regarding the complex phosphates and their decomposition products from the pegmatites of the Egeliek and Old Boolcoomatta’.
  
  
• Page 11 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts from Section 18, Hd of Kelly, Co. of Buxton, EP, SA’. 23 January 1953.
  
  
• Page 12 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts from Sec. 3, Hd of Wilcherrie, Co. of Buxton, EP, SA’. 13 February 1953.
  
  
• Page 13 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts from rocks 4 miles ENE of Uno Station Homestead, via Iron Knob, SA’. 17 February 1953.
  
  
• Page 18 - ‘Fabricating tools from Aboriginal jasper quarry and workshop, NE end of Lake Gilles, 4 miles ENE of Gandhi’s Dam, Uno Station, via Iron Knob EP, SA’. 23 February 1953.
  
  
• Page 21 - ‘Implements from NE end of Lake Gilles on Uno Station, via Iron Knob, EP, SA’. 24 February 1953.
  
  
• Page 22 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts from large campsite on creek ½ mile SE from top of Harris Bluff, Uno Station via Iron Knob, EP, SA’. 26 February 1953.
  
  
• Page 29 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts from Cortlinye Rockhole, on Bascombe Rocks, Sec. 27, Hd of Cortlinye, Co. of Buxton EP, SA’. 4 March 1953.
  
  
• Page 31 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts from waterhole 8 miles in a straight line due East of Corunna Homestead, via Iron Knob, SA’. 6 April 1953.
  
  
• Page 45 - ‘Sketch of Aboriginal paintings in rock shelters in gorge at Wa Wee Rockholes, near Mt John, NW South Australia, of the Pitchantjara [Pitjantjatjara] tribal area’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 51 - ‘Specimens collected by self and geological staff of SA Dept of Mines, NW Geological Survey Expedition’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 59 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts from Policemans Well, about 3 miles WSW of Mt John, West of Oodnadatta, NW of South Australia. Pitchantjara [Pitjantjatjara] tribe’. 10 June 1953.
  
  
• Page 63 - ‘Aboriginal artefact from porcellanite capped mesa, South of Chambers Bluff, NW of South Australia’. 11 June 1953.
  
  
• Page 64 - ‘Aboriginal artefact from rock hole 2 miles West of Mt Carmeena, Everard Range, NW of South Australia’. 11 June 1953.
  
  
• Page 65 - Notes discussing site of lightning strike in Everard Range, South Australia. 9 June 1953.
  
  
• Page 67 - ‘Aboriginal implements from Lockhart-Jack’s Rockhole, 2 miles West of Mt Carmeena, Everard Range, NW of SA. Pitchantjara [Pitjantjatjara] tribal area’. 13 June 1953.
  
  
• Page 69 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts from Windmill Well, Granite Downs Station, 150 miles West of Oodnadatta, NW of SA. Pitchantjara [Pitjantjatjara] tribe’. 14 June 1953.
  
  
• Page 72 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts from 3 miles SE of Tieyon homestead on Mt Erwin track via Oodnadatta. NW of South Australia’. 16 June 1953.
  
  
• Page 74 - ‘Aboriginal carvings and artefacts from soak 6 miles SW of Tieyon homestead via Oodnadatta. NW of South Australia’. 17 June 1953 – 22 June 1953.
  
  
• Page 79 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts from soak about 14 miles North of Tieyon homestead via Oodnadatta, NW of South Australia’. 22 June 1953.
  
  
• Page 81 - ‘Aboriginal rock carvings and artefacts from rock holes and soaks about Hells Gates, Granite Downs, NW of SA’. 27 June 1953.
  
  
• Page 117 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts from headwaters of Ammaroodinna Creek, about 4 miles WNW of Chambers Bluff, NW of South Australia’. 5 August 1953.
  
  
• Page 122 - ‘Aboriginal paintings on water stained overhanging granite rock face, 12 miles South of Victory Downs Station via Finke, SW of NT’. 6 August 1953.
  
  
• Page 123 - ‘Aboriginal carvings on face of granite boulder, 5 feet long, at soak 15 miles NW of Moorilyanna, NW of SA’. 6 August 1953. This section also contains a description and a sketch of a circle of standing stones erected near Moorilyanna on page 124.
  
  
• Page 125 - ‘Rough axe blanks from Aboriginal quarry in mid-Sturtian basalts, 3 miles South of Wantapella Well, Granite Downs Station, NW of SA’. 8 August 1953.
  
  
• Page 127 - ‘Flaked nodules of mauve chalcedony from Warrataddy Hill, 12 miles East of Mt Erwin, NW of SA’. 8 August 1953.
  
  
• Page 129 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts from dune middens at Andagurdda Soak, 24 miles ESE of Kenmore Park homestead, and halfway between that place and Echo Hill, NW of SA’. 15 August 1953.
  
  

This notebook also contains a contents page on the inside rear cover of locations. The places described in the notebook appear to be entirely within South Australia (SA) and Nothern Territory (NT). Localities listed include Andagurra Soak (SA), Aroona Water (SA), Bascombe Rocks (SA), Carmeena Rockhole (SA), Cathedral Rock (SA), Chambers Bluff (SA), Copley (SA), Cortlinye Rockholes (SA), Corunna Homestead (SA), Everard Range (SA), Gandhi’s Dam (SA), Granite Downs (SA), Harris Bluff (SA), Hells Gate (SA), Lake Gilles (SA), Moorilyanna (SA), Mount Carmeena (SA), Mount Chandler (SA), Mount Irwin (SA), Mount John (SA), Policeman Well (SA), Tieyon (SA), Uno (SA), Uno Station (SA), Victory Downs (NT), Wa Wee (SA), Wantapella (SA), Warrataddy Hill (SA), and Windmill Well (SA). Most of these sites are in the Iron Knob, Oodnadatta or Finke regions.

Pages 151-155 contain various names and addresses, and a handwritten table of the Murundian, Mudukian, Pirrian, and Tartangan chronological periods first described by Norman Tindale (see AA 338).

Names mentioned in this item include Charles Fenner (see SAMA 917), R Coats, Ralf Kraus, George Cook, AG Campbell, and D Moore.

Some of the artefacts Johnson found during his field work were donated to the South Australian Museum (SAM). SAM specimen numbers recorded in this notebook include A44947, A45593, A45602, A45605, A45600, A45596, A45590, and A45610.

Tindale Tribes: Pitjandjara.