Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia: From Moreton Bay to Port Essington, a distance of upwards of 3000 miles, during the years 1844-1845Leichhardt, Ludwig
History
Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia: From Moreton Bay to Port Essington, a distance of upwards of 3000 miles, during the years 1844-1845
Leichhardt, Ludwig
Australia -- Description and travel; Australia -- Discovery and exploration
The elevation of Darling Downs--about 1800 to 2000 feet, according to the
barometrical observations of Mr. Cunningham--renders the climate much
cooler than its latitude would lead one to suppose; indeed, ice has
frequently been found, during the calm clear nights of winter. During
September and October, we observed at sunrise an almost perfect calm.
About nine o'clock, light westerly winds set in, which increased towards
noon, died away towards evening, and after sunset, were succeeded by
light easterly breezes; thunder-storms rose from south and south-west,
and passed over with a violent gust of wind and heavy showers of rain;
frequently, in half an hour's time, the sky was entirely clear again;
sometimes, however, the night and following day were cloudy.
The plains, as we passed, were covered with the most luxuriant grass and
herbage. Plants of the leguminosae and compositae, were by far the most
prevalent; the colour of the former, generally a showy red, that of the
latter, a bright yellow. Belts of open forest land, principally composed
of the Box-tree of the Colonists (a species of Eucalyptus), separate the
different plains; and patches of scrub, consisting of several species of
Acacias, and of a variety of small trees, appear to be the outposts of
the extensive scrubs of the interior. There are particularly three
species of Acacias, which bestow a peculiar character on these scrubs:
the one is the Myal (A. pendula)--first seen by Oxley on Liverpool
Plains, and afterwards at the Barwan, and which exists in all the western
plains between the Barwan and Darling Downs--whose drooping foliage and
rich yellow blossoms render it extremely elegant and ornamental. The
second, the Acacia of Coxen, resembles the Myal (without its drooping
character), its narrow lanceolate phyllodia rather stiff, its yellowish
branches erect. The third, is the Bricklow Acacia, which seems to be
identical with the Rose-wood Acacia of Moreton Bay; the latter, however,
is a fine tree, 50 to 60 feet high, whereas the former is either a small
tree or a shrub. I could not satisfactorily ascertain the origin of the
word Bricklow [Brigaloe, GOULD.], but, as it is well understood and
generally adopted by all the squatters between the Severn River and
the Boyne, I shall make use of the name. Its long, slightly falcate
leaves, being of a silvery green colour, give a peculiar character to
the forest, where the tree abounds.
Oct. 1.--After having repaired some harness, which had been broken by our
refractory bullocks upsetting their loads, and after my companions had
completed their arrangements, in which Mr. Bell kindly assisted, we left
Jimba, and launched, buoyant with hope, into the wilderness of Australia.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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