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
19TH JUNE.--Another dewy night had providentially refreshed the grass for
our thirsty animals. We ascended, at a very favourable point, the
sandstone table-land, and travelled for some miles along my horse's track
towards Mount Owen, turning round the heads of gullies which broke
abruptly in steep rocks both to our right and left. Then, turning to the
right, where a branch of the high land projected eastward towards the
river, we encamped on its extreme eastern point, overlooking a grassy
valley, hemmed in by precipitous cliffs, yet easily accessible to our
horses and cattle, from the point on which we had encamped. I had already
found a deep hole in a rock on the right, containing water sufficient for
the men and horses for several days, and, on riding down the valley while
they pitched the tents, I found a large pond only a mile from the camp.
The valley contained many still larger, but all, save this one, were dry.
Grass grew there in great abundance, and of excellent quality. Pigeons
were numerous of that species (GEOPHAPS SCRIPTA) which is so great a
luxury; the most delicate food, perhaps, of all the feathered race. The
highest of the sandy tableland crossed this day appeared (by Captain
King's subsequent calculations) to be 1863 feet. That of the camp over
the cliffs, 1840 feet above the sea, the height of these cliffs above the
bed of the river being thus about 300 feet. Thermometer, at sunrise, 50 deg.;
at 4 P.M., 65 deg.; at 9, 61 deg..
20TH JUNE.--I set out (with two men and Yuranigh) to explore the country
beyond Mount Owen. From its base I observed some open forest land, and a
less broken country, in a direction much further to the westward than the
course I had previously selected, which was N.N.W. I now proceeded W.N.W.
towards that open forest land. We found the country open for some miles,
then, entering a flat or valley, I descended gradually between sandstone
rocks, to a valley in which a chain of deep ponds led to the north-west.
On following this down, I found it turned more and more to the westward,
and at length to the south-west, whereupon I quitted its bed and cliffy
banks, and, following up a ravine from the other side, again endeavoured
to pursue my intended course. We crossed, at the head of the ravine, a
sandstone range, and descended by another valley which led first
northward, but terminated in joining a spacious grassy flat with dry
ponds in it. I endeavoured to trace this downwards for several miles in a
rainy evening, and found at last, to my disappointment, that this also
turned to the S.W. This flat was broad and hemmed in by low rocky points
of ground, of very uniform shape. Many marks of natives appeared on the
trees, and, in good seasons, it must be one of their favourite spots. I
left it, however, when darkness and heavy rain obliged me to look for
shelter in a gloomy forest to the westward. By the time we arrived at
this, we could see no grassy spot for our horses, nor any sort of cover
for ourselves.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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