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
History
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, 1st July, Tomkinson Creek. Started at 8.10 a.m., course 54
degrees, with Thring, Woodforde, and Masters. At 11.20 (eleven miles),
top of a high hill, which I named Mount Hawker, after the Honourable
George C. Hawker, Speaker of the House of Assembly, S.A. At 12.45, four
miles, struck a large creek; its course a little east of north, which I
have named McKinlay Creek, after John McKinlay, Esquire. The first part
of the journey was over stony undulations, gradually rising until we
reached the top of Mount Hawker, the view from which was not very
extensive on our course, being intercepted by stony spurs of the range
nearly the same height, about eight hundred feet, and very rocky and
precipitous. They are composed of sandstone, quartz, iron, limestone, and
hard white flinty rocks. The sandstone predominates. We descended with
great difficulty, crossed McKinlay Creek, and at five miles ascended
another high hill, which I have named Mount Hall, after the Honourable
George Hall, M.L.C. From this our view is most extensive, over a complete
sea of white grassy plains. At about fifteen or twenty miles south-east
are the terminations of other spurs of this range; beyond them nothing is
visible on the horizon but white grassy plains. To the east and
north-east the same. To the north apparently a strip of dense scrub and
forest, which seems to end about north-east, beyond which, in the far
distance, we can see the large grassy plain I turned back from on the
21st of May and 15th of June. No rising ground visible except the hills
of Ashburton range to north-west and south-east. Descended towards the
plains over stony rises, with gum-tree, lancewood, and other scrub and
spinifex. At five miles reached the plain. It is of the same description
as the other parts I have been over. No appearance of water. It is
hopeless to proceed further; it will only be rendering my return more
difficult, by reducing the strength of my horses, without the slightest
hope of success. All hope of gaining the Gulf without wells is now gone.
I have therefore turned back to a small plain (four miles), searched
round it, and in one of the small creeks found a little rain water, at
which I have camped. Wind, south.
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