The Narrow-Leaved
Ironbark Had Disappeared With The Primitive Rocks; The Moment Sandstone
Commenced, Stringy-Bark Took Its Place.
We passed some lagoons, crossed a
good sized creek from the south-west, and saw a small lake in the
distance.
At the latter part of the stage the country became more
undulating. The edges of the stiff shallows were densely covered with the
sharp pointed structures of the white ants, about two or three feet high.
They were quite as frequent at the upper part of the river, where I
omitted to mention them. We saw a very interesting camping place of the
natives, containing several two-storied gunyas, which were constructed in
the following manner: four large forked sticks were rammed into the
ground, supporting cross poles placed in their forks, over which bark was
spread sufficiently strong and spacious for a man to lie upon; other
sheets of stringy-bark were bent over the platform, and formed an arched
roof, which would keep out any wet. At one side of these constructions,
the remains of a large fire were observed, with many mussel-shells
scattered about. All along the Lynd we had found the gunyas of the
natives made of large sheets of stringy-bark, not however supported by
forked poles, but bent, and both ends of the sheet stuck into the ground;
Mr. Gilbert thought the two-storied gunyas were burial places; but we met
with them so frequently afterwards, during our journey round the gulf,
and it was frequently so evident that they had been recently inhabited,
that no doubt remained of their being habitations of the living, and
constructed to avoid sleeping on the ground during the wet season.
June 15. - We travelled about nine miles and a half down the river, over a
country like that of yesterday, the tree vegetation was, however, more
scanty, the forest still more open, the groves of Acacia larger. Brown
returned with two sheldrakes (Tadorna Raja), four black ducks (Anas Novae
Hollandiae), four teals (Querquedula castanea); and brought the good news
that the Lynd joined a river coming from the south-east, with a rapid
stream to the westward.
June 16. - We left the Lynd, along which we had journeyed from lat. 17
degrees 58 minutes to lat. 16 degrees 30 minutes, and travelled about
twelve miles W.N.W., when we encamped at the west side of a very long
lagoon Though I did not see the junction of the two rivers myself, Mr.
Roper, Brown, and Charley, informed me, that the Lynd became very narrow,
and its banks well confined, before joining the new river; which I took
the liberty of naming after Sir Thomas Mitchell, the talented
Surveyor-General of New South Wales; they also stated that the Lynd was
well filled by a fine sheet of water. The bed of the Mitchell was very
broad, sandy, and quite bare of vegetation; showing the more frequent
recurrence of floods. A small stream meandered through the sheet of sand,
and from time to time expanded into large water-holes:
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