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
Camped on the side of the marsh, to give
the horses the benefit of the green grass, for some of them are still
troubled with worms, and are very poor and miserable, and I have no
medicine to give them, and there is not a blade of grass on the banks of
the river--all has been burnt within the last four days. Native smoke in
every direction. Wind south-east, with a few clouds. Latitude, 12 degrees
49 minutes 30 seconds.
Saturday, 19th July, Lily Marsh, Adelaide River. Started at 9.10, course
20 degrees east of north. At three miles crossed some stony rises and
broad alluvial grassy valleys; at four miles met the river, had to go
half a mile to the south-east to round it. Again changed to my first
course; at seven miles and a half crossed a creek with water. The country
to this is good, with occasionally a little ironstone and gravel, timber
of stringy-bark, and a little low gum scrub. Having crossed this creek,
we ascended a sandy table land with an open forest of stringy bark (good
timber), palms, gums, other trees and bushes; it has been lately burnt,
but the roots of the grass abound. This continued for about three miles.
There is a small stony range of hills to the west, which at the end of
the three miles dropped into a grassy plain of a beautiful black alluvial
soil, covered with lines and groves of the cabbage palm trees, which give
it a very picturesque appearance; its dip is towards the river; in two
miles crossed it, and again ascended low table land of the very same
description as the other. At fourteen miles struck another creek with
water, and camped. The country gone over to-day, though not all of the
very best description, has plains in it of the very finest kind--even the
sandy table-land bears an abundant crop of grass. The trees are so thick
that I can get no view of the surrounding country; the tall beautiful
palm grows in this creek. Native smoke about, but we have not seen any
natives. There are large masses of volcanic rock on the sides of this
creek. At about a mile to the eastward is a large body of springs that
supply water to this creek, which I have named Anna Creek. Camped at ten
minutes to three o'clock. Wind variable. Latitude, 12 degrees 39 minutes
7 seconds.
Sunday, 20th July, Anna Creek. The mosquitoes at this camp have been most
annoying; scarcely one of us has been able to close his eyes in sleep
during the whole night: I never found them so bad anywhere--night and day
they are at us. The grass in, and on the banks of, this creek is six feet
high; to the westward there are long reaches of water, and the creek very
thickly timbered with melaleuca, gum, stringy-bark, and palms. Wind,
south-east.
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