Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia, in Search of a Route from Sydney to the Gulf of Carpentaria (1848)Mitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone)
History
Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia, in Search of a Route from Sydney to the Gulf of Carpentaria (1848)
Mitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone)
New South Wales -- Discovery and exploration; Queensland -- Discovery and exploration
11TH MAY.--I ascended the mountain accompanied by two men with axes, and
one carrying my theodolite. The summit was covered with thick scrub
interlaced with vines, but my horse could push his way almost any where.
I fortunately found a rock near the summit, and, on throwing down a few
of the trees about it, obtained an extensive view over the country to the
northward. Open downs surrounded the mountain. Beyond these, valleys,
also clear of trees, or thinly wooded, fell on one side to the S. E., on
another side, other valleys fell to the N. W., leaving a rather elevated
tract between; which appeared to connect this mountain with a range just
dimly visible, bearing nearly north. The valley descending towards the N.
W., seemed to me to be the head of a river likely to pass through a
remarkable gap in a flat range, beyond which the view did not extend. To
the westward a woody, and rather level country appeared, from which I
thought I saw ridges, with plains or downs between them, descending
towards the N. W. river.
Anxious to discover the division of the waters, I carefully levelled my
theodolite and swept the northern horizon, but found, to my surprise,
that the country to the westward was lower than the hill on which I
stood, and that the ridge northward with the gap in it, was lower still,
the only greater elevation visible being the lofty mass bearing about due
north. Could this be all the obstruction I was prepared to open a pass
through? Could the hidden mystery of the division between the northern
and southern waters be here? Far in the east, a river line was evident
from columns of smoke, as well as from the termination of various lateral
ranges, between my position and the great mountain to the northward. That
was, probably, still the Balonne falling southward. Here I had found an
interior river that would, at all events, lead north-west, and this I
resolved to follow. On this mountain there grew, in several spots, the
remarkable trees I had first seen on Mount Abundance; some of them much
resembling bottles, but tapering near the root. On descending and
returning to the camp, which was about five miles from the hill, I found
eight natives, who had come frankly forward to the party during my
absence. I was very glad to see them, and gave to an old man, a tomahawk
to express my sentiments, and welcome the strangers, for little could be
understood by our native, of their speech, or by them, of his. We did,
however, make out from them, that the hill I had just returned from, was
"Bindango;" its lesser brother to the westward of it, Bindyego; and the
ponds or creek beside which we were then encamped, "Tagando;" all very
good sonorous names, which I was glad to adopt at once in my notes and
map. These natives were coloured with iron-ochre, and had a few feathers
of the white cockatoo, in the black hair of their foreheads and beards.
These simple decorations gave them a splendid holiday appearance, as
savages.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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