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
Heavy clouds gathered during the afternoon of the 6th, and it rained
throughout the night; the wind was from N. and N.E. In the morning of the
7th some drops of rain fell, but the weather cleared up during the day;
wind easterly. The moon changed this day, and we experienced a heavy
thunder-storm during the afternoon.
April 8.--We travelled about nine miles N. 70 degrees W., to latitude 20
degrees 9 minutes 11 seconds. The river made a bend to the southward, and
then, at a sharp angle, turned again to the north-west. At this angle a
large creek joined it from the south; another instance of creeks joining
larger channels, coming in a direction almost opposite to their course.
Two other creeks joined the Burdekin during this stage; one from the
south-west, and another from the north. The grass was particularly rich
at these junctions. The river became considerably narrower, but still had
a fine stream. Thunder-storms had probably fallen higher up its course,
causing a fresh; for its waters, hitherto clear, had become turbid.
Narrow patches of brush were occasionally met with along its banks, and I
noticed several brush trees, common in other parts of the country.
Besides the clustered fig, and another species with rough leaves and
small downy purple fruit, there were a species of Celtis; the Melia
Azederach (White Cedar); a species of Phyllanthus, (a shrub from six to
ten feet high); an Asclepiadaceous climber, with long terete twin
capsules; and several Cucurbitaceae, one with oblong fruit about an inch
long, another with a round fruit half an inch in diameter, red and white,
resembling a gooseberry; a third was of an oblong form, two inches and a
half long and one broad; and a fourth was of the size and form of an
orange, and of a beautiful scarlet colour: the two last had an
excessively bitter taste. The night and morning were cloudy, with a
southerly wind, but it cleared up at eleven o'clock. Cumuli in the
afternoon, with wind from the south-east.
From our camp we saw a range of hills, bearing between N. 5 degrees W.
and N. 10 degrees W.; they were about three miles distant. I called them
"Thacker's Range," in acknowledgment of the support I received
from--Thacker, Esq., of Sidney.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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