Kidson's expeditions in the following years took him all over Australia; among them were several overland journeys, the first from Adelaide to Darwin, using camel transport north of Oodnadatta; the second from Perth to Wynsham via Kalgoorlie, from which point he again made use of camels.

Towards the end of 1914, his field work completed, Kidson was back in Melbourne in order to wind up matters associated with his Australian magnetic surveys.

Of Melbourne he says: 'We are especially indebted to the kindness of Mr P. Baracchi, the Government Astronomer of Victoria, and of his Chief Assistant, Dr J. M. Baldwin. Mr Baracchi's interest enabled me to use the Melbourne Observatory as a base station, and at which, with his assistance, inter-comparisons of instruments could be made'.

After the 1914–18 war, Kidson was appointed by the Carnegie Institute of Washington to take charge of a Magnetic Observatory then being built at Watheroo, Western Australia. There he continued his work until 1921 when he accepted an appointment in the Commonwealth Weather Service. By this appointment he definitely embraced meteorology as his life's work, and won a place in the foremost rank of meteorologists.

Bureau of Meteorology