As We Should Not Have Been Able To
Cross It Before Nightfall, I Thought It Better To Remain Where There Was
Plenty Of Grass And Water.
From our tent we had a singularly picturesque
and pleasing prospect.
To the north, Hardwicke's Range, distant between
forty and fifty miles: the country broken into low forest hills and
plains to its base. To the north-east, east, and south-east, our view was
bounded by beautiful forest hills seldom rising to any great elevation,
thinly wooded, and covered with grass. These hills bounded the plains,
and varied in distance from ten to thirty miles. To the north-east the
country was lowest, but appeared good and open: that part of the plain
near which we encamped was wet and marshy; and the horizontal level of
the whole appeared to warrant the supposition that at some (perhaps not
distant) period, these vast plains formed chains of inland lakes, which
the washings from the hills have now nearly filled up; as the water at
present does not exceed a few inches in depth, and is only partially
spread on the surface, forming but a moderate proportion of the whole. In
dry seasons there is evidently none: the hills passed over this day were
of a curious species of pudding-stone and freestone. The hills on the
opposite side of the plains were named Melville Hills, in honour of the
first Lord of the Admiralty; and the valley at the extremity of it
leading to Hardwicke's Range, Barrow's Valley, after one of the
secretaries of that board.
August 30. - A day of rest and refreshment to ourselves and horses. Game
abounds, and our dogs abundantly supply us. The observations made here,
place our situation in lat. 31. 7., long. 150. 10. E.
August 31. - We were agreeably disappointed, in finding that the wet
marshy ground did not extend above three quarters of a mile, the
remainder being dry firm land of the richest description: at six miles we
crossed a considerable stream, running to the north through Barrow's
Valley: this stream, divided the plain into nearly two equal parts, it
being ten miles and a half across. This stream had been very recently
flooded, and the water, yet muddy, had not subsided within its proper
level; the height of the banks from fifteen to twenty feet. On the east
side of the plain, we found the marsh extend about one mile and a quarter
from the forest ground which borders it; though wet, it was now strong
ground, and might easily be laid dry. On quitting the plains we entered a
very fine open forest flat, through which we proceeded a mile and a half,
and encamped for the evening under a lofty hill named Mount Dundas, by a
small spring of excellent water. Ascending this mountain, we found that
the country in the line of our course was high, broken forest land, the
easternmost ranges of which (distant from thirty-five to forty miles)
appeared to have a stream running under them, by reason of the thick
haze which rose from the valley beneath.
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