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
22D JUNE.--Our provisions being out, I hastened back to the camp,
determined to explore in a more northerly direction, according to my
original intention. Water was only to be found in so dry a season, in the
neighbourhood of mountains, or in rocky gullies likely to retain a
passing shower. In our way back, I ascended the north-western shoulder of
Mount Owen, and was much more inclined to take a northerly route, from
the appearance of the mountains on that side. The view from that summit
to the northward, was very grand; I saw more plainly the line of the
Maranfrom its upper sources. Two mighty masses of table-land seemed the
highest of all. One I had already seen and named Buckland's Table Land. I
could here distinguish the apex of Mount Aquarius, and fix it in my map.
I perceived a hollow part of the range immediately to the northward, and
a sort of hiatus amongst the peaks in the broken country beyond, through
which I hoped to find a way. I hastened to the camp to prepare for a
"raid" of a whole week, if necessary, in that direction. Thermometer, at
sunrise, 27 deg.; at noon, 52 deg.; at 4 P. M., 55 deg.; at 9, 59 deg..
23D JUNE.--Returning early by the foot of Mount Owen, I travelled nearly
northward through a fine open forest, in which we saw a large kangaroo
entirely black. Rocky gullies next came in my way, and, in avoiding those
on the left, others falling to the right, or to the Maran, showed me that
this was a dividing feature. I knew it was continuous to Mount Clift from
my former observations, and therefore followed it by keeping between the
heads of gullies breaking to each side, until I found one favourable for
a descent to the left. Below, we found a broad, grassy, valley, extending
about W.N.W., and in it, deep ponds, which sometimes evidently held much
water, although they were then dry. This soon, however, turned to the
south-west, evidently to join the channel I had before explored. Quitting
it, therefore, much disappointed, I ascended sandstone cliffs and pushed
through scrubs, determined to proceed directly north-ward, until I met
with valleys falling north-west. We thus passed just under the most
easterly part of Hope's Table Land, and came, about sunset, to a hollow
containing ponds, in two of which we found water. Here we gladly
bivouacked for the night. ZAMIAS grew here, and were numerous higher up
the valley. Thermometer, at sunrise, 26 deg.; at noon, 54 deg.; at 4 P. M., 50 deg.;
at 9, 40 deg..
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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