This item is a shorthand notebook containing personal notes recorded while Johnson was conducting field work for the South Australian Department of Mines between 1953 and 1955. A handwritten title on the front cover reads ‘Personal field book, ethnological and geological’. Handwriting on the inside front cover reads ‘Notebook, JE Johnson, NW Geological Survey, August 21st 1953’. The contents of the notebook consist of entries under separate headings. Almost all of the entries are dated and initialled by Johnson. Most of the entries consist of geological and archaeological notes and illustrations recorded by Johnson at various sites, and they often feature highly detailed illustrations of artefacts found and statistical tables of the number of artefacts found at particular sites and their constituent materials. A number of the artefacts described have been annotated with South Australian Museum (SAM) specimen numbers. Some of the entries also describe and depict rock paintings and carvings encountered by Johnson during his field work. The entries and their page numbers are listed as follows:

• Page 1 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts from rockhole 3 miles SE of Mt Howe, on Mt Cavanagh Station, NW of SA’. 21 August 1953.
  
  
• Page 4 - ‘Artefacts of translucent white chalcedony from Aboriginal quarry site in duri-crust 2 miles SW of Frog [Bank] in Marryat Creek, Sundown Station, Mt Cavanagh, NW of SA’. 22 August 1953.
  
  
• Page 6 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts from Henbury meteorite craters’. 22 August 1953.
  
  
• Page 8 - ‘Rough chopping tool of white translucent chalcedony, from quarry in that stone, 12 miles East of Sentinel Hill, Kenmore Park Station, NW of SA’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 9 - ‘Artefacts from Wardulka Rockhole, a dune midden site about 12 miles NNW of Ernabella Mission Station, NW of SA’. 7 September 1953.
  
  
• Page 17 - ‘Aboriginal painting from cave at Erlywanjawanja [Aliwanyiwanyinya] Rockhole, West of Ernabella Mission Station, NW of SA’. 26 September 1953.
  
  
• Page 22 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts from dune midden 1 mile North of Razor Hill and 12 miles North of Ernabella Mission, Musgrave Range, NSW of SA’. 2 October 1953.
  
  
• Page 28 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts from quarry site, on translucent white chalcedony at rock soakage 6 miles East of Lake Wilson, Mann Range, NW of SA’. 5 October 1953.
  
  
• Page 32 - ‘Aboriginal paintings in cave, Cathedral Rock, 2 miles ENE of Old Boolcoomata Station, via Olary, NE of SA’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 34 - Notes on visit to Mount Victoria Mine, Olary, SA. 10 October 1953.
  
  
• Page 36 - ‘Notes on [illegible] davidite find, 2 miles NW of Crocker Well Uranium Mine, NE of SA’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 39 - ‘Notes on Ethiudna Mine, 3 miles West of Plumbago Station, via Olary, SA’. 16 October 1953.
  
  
• Page 42 - ‘Aboriginal paintings in rock shelter 5 miles NNW of Plumbago Station, via Olary, NE of SA’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 43 - ‘Notes on ‘basaltic horneblende’ from Crocker Well area’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 44 - ‘Occurrence of radioactive ores in pegmatite, 1 mile North of Mount Victoria outstation, Plumbago, via Olary, SA’. 23 October 1953.
  
  
• Page 46 - ‘Structures and mineralogy of the calc-silicate ‘skarn’ rocks of the Plumbago-Ethiudna Mine area’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 52 - ‘Notes on davidite occurrences found by HE Campano’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 56 - ‘Aboriginal stone axe (specimen no 1811) found at Granite Hill , 3 miles NE of Tombstone Dam, Plumbago Station, via Olary, NE of SA’. 28 November 1953.
  
  
• Page 60 - ‘Notes on a pegmatite 1 mile SW of dam on road from Billeroo Hut to Mt Victoria Hut. Undated.
  
  
• Page 62 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts (planes or high backed adzes) of massive buff quartzite from campsite at Tombstone Dam, Plumbago Station, via Olary, NE of SA’. 12 December 1953.
  
  
• Page 64 - ‘Aboriginal artefact from near Ethiudna Hill, Plumbago Station, via Olary, NE of SA’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 66 - ‘Aboriginal paintings from cave 1 mile East of Mt Victoria, Plumbago Station, via Olary, SA’. 14 December 1953.
  
  
• Page 66B - ‘Aboriginal paintings from rock shelter 1 ½ miles North of mine camp, Crocker Well, via Olary, SA’. 10 February 1954.
  
  
• Page 70 - ‘The Mount Howden cobalt mine’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 73 - ‘Geologic observations on uranium occurrences on Talbots Gum Creek, 2 mile ENE of Windamerta Hill, Plumbago Station, Olary, SA’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 75 - ‘Mineralogy of Plumbago’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 78 - ‘Notes on an Aboriginal campsite at Spring Hill, 12 miles NW of Glenarchy Station, NE of SA’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 96 - ‘Aboriginal paintings in rock shelter on West foot of Mount Victoria, Plumbago Station, via Olary, SA’. 22 May 1954.
  
  
• Page 98 - ‘Aboriginal implements from vicinity of Bimbowrie Station, via Olary, SA’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 102 - ‘Aboriginal paintings in rock shelter half a mile West of Ameroo Hill, Outalpa Station’. 4 June 1954.
  
  
• Page 106 - ‘Aboriginal paintings in rock shelter in granite ½ mile SE of Antro Woolshed, Bimbowrie Station, via Olary’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 110 - ‘New artefacts from Plumbago Station’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 112 - ‘Notes on some ordovician graptalites from near Bendigo, Victoria, presented by Mr John Allen of the Bendigo City Council Engineering Department’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 136 - ‘Aboriginal artefacts from alongside mail road, 22 miles South of Mooloowurtina Station, north Flinders Range’. 28 August 1955.
  
  
• Page 140 - ‘Aboriginal pebble choppers from site at Terrapinna Springs, Mooloowurtina Station’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 140B - ‘Aboriginal carvings from East side of North end of McTaggart Range, Balcanoona Station, Flinders Range’. Undated.
  
  
• Page 144 - ‘Artefacts from Bolla Bollana Waterhole, Arkaroola Creek, Arkaroola Station, Flinders Range, South Australia’. 26 September 1955.
  
  
• Page 146 - ‘Artefacts from campsite at Bararrana Gorge, Arkaroola Creek, Arkaroola Station, Flinders Range’. 9 October 1955.
  
  
• Page 150 - ‘Artefacts from Terrapinna Rockhole, Mooloowurtina Station, Flinders Range, SA’. 15 October 1955.
  
  
• Page 152 - ‘Aboriginal camp site near mine and ½ mile SE of Parabarana Hill, Mooloowurtina Station’. 21 October 1955.
  
  

The inside rear cover of the notebook also contains an index of locations visited by Johnson during his field work between August, 1953, and October, 1955. The sites described in the notebook occur mostly within South Australia (SA) but also include some locations within the Nothern Territory (NT) and Victoria. Localities listed on the page of contents include Mount Cavanagh Station (SA), Henbury (NT), Wardulka Rockhole (SA), Erlywanjawanja [Aliwanyiwanyinya] Rockhole (SA), Razor Hill (SA), Lake Wilson (SA), Cathedral Rock (SA), Plumbago Station (SA), Tombstone Dam (SA), Mount Victoria (SA), Crocker Well (SA), Spring Hill (SA), Ameroo Hill (SA), Antro Woolshed (SA), Moolawatana Station (SA), Terrapinna Rockhole (SA), McTaggart Range (SA), Arkaroola Creek (SA) and Parabarana Hill (SA).

Locations discussed in the notebook but not included in the index include Arkaroola (SA), Balcanoona (SA), Barrarrana Gorge (SA), Barrier Ranges (NSW), Bendigo (Vic), Billeroo Hut (SA), Bimba Copper Mine (SA), Bimbowrie (SA), Bolla Bollana Spring (SA), Cockburn (SA), Ernabella (SA), Ethiudna Mine (SA), Everard Ranges (SA), Granite Downs (SA), Kalabity (SA), Kenmore Park (SA), Lake Frome (SA), Lookout Hill (SA), Mann Ranges (SA), Marryat Creek (SA), Mount Howe (SA), Mount Victor (SA), Musgrave Ranges (SA), Musgrave Ranges (SA), Olary (SA), Old Boolcoomata (SA), Outalpa (SA), Pine Creek (SA), Sentinel Hill (NT), Sundown Outstation (SA), Talbot Creek (SA), Tieyon (SA), Windamerta Hill (SA).

Individuals mentioned in this notebook include HE Campano, AR Campbell, and John Allen.

Some of the artefacts Johnson found during his field work were donated to the SAM. SAM specimen numbers recorded in this notebook include A45592, A45606, A45607, A45608, A45032, and A43951.

Tindale Tribes: Antakirinja.