Explorations in Australia: The Journals of John McDouall Stuart During the Years 1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, and 1862, When He Fixed the Centre of the Continent and Successfully Crossed It from Sea to SeaStuart, John McDouall
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Explorations in Australia: The Journals of John McDouall Stuart During the Years 1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, and 1862, When He Fixed the Centre of the Continent and Successfully Crossed It from Sea to Sea
Stuart, John McDouall
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Stuart, John McDouall, 1815-1866
Wednesday, 18th April, Under the High Peak, Mount Freeling. At daybreak
sent Kekwick in search of water, while I ascended the high mount to see
if any could be seen from that place. To my great delight I beheld a
little in a creek on the other side of the range, bearing 113 degrees,
about a mile and a half. I find this is not quite the highest point of
the range; there is another hill, still higher, about fifteen miles
further to the north-north-west. About two miles off I can see a gum
creek looking very green, coming from the range in the direction in which
I have sent Kekwick, where I hope he will find water. The country from
west to north-east is a mass of hills and broken ranges; to the
south-west high broken ranges. To the north-north-east is another hill,
with a plain of scrub between. To the south-east scrub, with tops of
hills in the far distance. Brinkley Bluff bears 166 degrees and Mount Hay
186 degrees. Returned to the camp, and find to my great satisfaction that
Kekwick has discovered some water in the creek about two miles off. I am
very glad of it, for I am sure that some of my horses would not have
stood the journey back without it. I must not leave this range without
endeavouring to find a permanent water, as no rain seems to have fallen
to the north of us; everything is so dry, one would think it was the
middle of summer. The sun is also very hot, but the nights and mornings
are cool. Wind east. Old tracks and native camps about. The range is
composed of the same description of rocks as the McDonnell ranges, with
rather more quartz than mica. We here found new shrubs and flowers, also
a small brown pigeon with a crest. I have built a small cone of stones on
the peak, and named it Mount Freeling, after the Honourable Colonel
Freeling, Surveyor-General. The range I have called the Reynolds, after
the Honourable Thomas Reynolds, the Treasurer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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