From One Of The Hills Which Bounded Its
Narrow Valley, I Had A Most Disheartening, Sickening View Over A
Tremendously Rocky Country.
A high land, composed of horizontal strata of
sandstone, seemed to be literally hashed, leaving the remaining blocks in
Fantastic figures of every shape; and a green vegetation, crowding
deceitfully within their fissures and gullies, and covering half of the
difficulties which awaited us on our attempt to travel over it. The
creek, in and along the bed of which we wound slowly down, was frequently
covered with large loose boulders, between which our horses and cattle
often slipped. A precipice, and perpendicular rocks on both sides,
compelled us to leave it; and following one of its tributary creeks to
its head, to the northward, we came to another, which led us down to a
river running to the west by south. With the greatest difficulty we went
down its steep slopes, and established our camp at a large water-hole in
its bed. The longitude of the river was, according to my reckoning, 133
degrees 6 minutes.
A new species of rock pigeon (Petrophassa, GOULD.) with a dark brown
body, primaries light brown without any white, and with the tail feathers
rather worn, lived in pairs and small flocks like Geophaps, and flew out
of the shade of overhanging rocks, or from the moist wells which the
natives had dug in the bed of the creek, around which they clustered like
flies round a drop of syrup. A fine shady Eucalyptus, with a short
barrel, but large spreading branches, and with the grey bark of the box,
grew between the rocks along the creek.
Nov. 12. - We had been compelled to leave the injured horse behind, and
upon going this morning with Charley to fetch it to the camp, we found
the poor brute dead. On our return to the camp, we followed another creek
to the northward, which also joined the river, about eight miles to the
eastward of our camp. The river was densely covered with scrub, and
almost perpendicular cliffs bounded its valley on both sides. Myriads of
flying-foxes were here suspended in thick clusters on the highest trees
in the most shady and rather moist parts of the valley. They started as
we passed, and the flapping of their large membranous wings produced a
sound like that of a hail-storm.
Nov. 13. - The two horses ridden by Charley and myself yesterday, had
suffered so severely, that I had to allow them a day of rest to recover.
In the mean time, I went with Charley and Brown to the spot where we had
seen the greatest number of flying-foxes, and, whilst I was examining the
neighbouring trees, my companions shot sixty-seven, of which fifty-five
were brought to our camp; which served for dinner, breakfast, and
luncheon, each individual receiving eight. The flying-fox lived here on a
small, blue, oval stone-fruit, of an acid taste, with a bitter kernel; it
grew on a tree of moderate size. Very small specimens of the Seaforthia
palm were here observed for the first time; and the large scarlet fruit
of Eugenia was found.
During the night, we heard the first grumbling of thunder since many
months.
Nov. 14. - We travelled about twelve miles north by west. After crossing
the river, we followed a rocky creek to its head, and passed over ten
miles of level sandy country of stringy-bark forest, with Melalcuca gum
and Banksia, interrupted only by a small Pandanus creek. At the end of
the stage, we came to rocky creeks, one of which headed in a drooping
tea-tree swamp, with rich vegetation, but without water. The creek, which
we followed down for two miles, there changed its character, and
meandered through sandy, well-grassed flats, and contained some good
water-holes, on which we encamped. John told me that he had found the
ripe fruit of Exocarpus cupressiformis; which I doubted very much, as I
had not seen the slightest trace of it since we left the Dawson, although
Exocarpus latifolia was very frequent all over the sandy table-land. But
we gathered and ate a great quantity of gibong (the ripe fruit of
Persoonia falcata), and some small yellow figs of the glossy-leaved
fig-tree. I observed a Eucalyptus of rather stunted growth, with broad,
almost oval leaves, and long, narrow seed-vessels.
During the night, thunder clouds and lightning were seen in every
direction; and the whole atmosphere appeared to be in a state of
fermentation. Heavy showers poured down upon us; and our tarpaulings,
which had been torn to pieces in travelling through the scrub, were
scarcely sufficient to keep ourselves and our things dry. But in the
morning of the 15th, all nature seemed refreshed; and my depressed
spirits rose quickly, under the influence of that sweet breath of
vegetation, which is so remarkably experienced in Australia, where the
numerous Myrtle family, and even their dead leaves, contribute so largely
to the general fragrance. This day we travelled about six miles to the W.
N. W.
Our course, however, was for three miles to the northward, over a sandy
level forest, intercepted by several rocky creeks. The third which we
came to, I followed down to the westward, and came to a large creek,
which soon joined a still larger one from the eastward. Both were well
provided with water; and we encamped at a very large hole under a ledge
of rock across the bed of the creek; and which probably formed a fine
waterfall during the rainy season.
Thunder-storms formed to the southward and northward; but we had only a
few drops of rain. It was remarkable to observe that those to the
southward vered round to the south-west by west, whereas those to the
northward veered round to the north-east and east.
Nov. 16. - We travelled nine miles north-west by north; crossed numerous
rocky creeks, and some undulating country; and had a most distressing
passage over exceedingly rocky ranges.
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