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
Monday, 22nd April, Tennant Creek. Started at 7.30 a.m., course 21
degrees, for Bishop Creek, and at twelve miles made it. I find that two
of the horses are so weak that they are unable to go any further without
giving in, I have therefore camped, giving them the remainder of the day
to recruit. Native fires are smoking all around us, but at some distance
off. Wind, east.
Tuesday, 23rd April, Bishop Creek. It is late before we can get a start
to-day, in consequence of one of the horses concealing himself in the
creek. He is an unkind brute, we have much trouble with him in that
respect; he is constantly hiding himself somewhere or other. Started at
9.30 a.m., on a course of 17 degrees, to cross Short range. Found plenty
of water in Phillips Creek; the grass on its banks, and on the plains
where it empties itself, is splendid, two feet and a half long, fit for
the scythe to go into, and an abundant crop of hay could be obtained. We
then crossed the range a little north of where I passed before, and found
some slight difficulty. After descending, we struck a small creek which
supplies Kekwick Ponds, and is a tributary to Hayward Creek; found plenty
of water and camped at 3 p.m. Feed abundant. Wind, south-east.
Wednesday, 24th April, Hayward Creek. Started at 7.40 a.m.; course 17
degrees. At 9.30 changed to 14 degrees 30 minutes west of north, and at
12.30 arrived at Attack Creek; camped at the same place that I did on my
former journey. Tracks of natives about, but we have seen none of them. I
kept about a mile to the west of my former track, and found the country
much more open. The banks of both creeks for two or three miles are
splendidly covered with grass, in some places over the horses' heads.
Four of the horses are ill, and looking very bad indeed. Wind,
south-west.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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