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 wind for the last few days has been westerly; cumuli forming during
the day, dissolved towards sunset; the days were very hot, the nights
mild and dry. It was evident that we had descended considerably into the
basin of the gulf.
June 9.--We travelled about ten miles north-west. Box-tree flats, of more
or less extent, were intercepted by abrupt barren craggy hills composed
of sandstone, which seemed to rest on layers of argillaceous rock. The
latter was generally observed at the foot of the hills and in the bed of
the river; it had in most places been worn by the action of water. The
stringy-bark became even numerous on the flats, in consequence of the
more sandy nature of the soil: but the hills were scrubby, and Mr.
Gilbert reported that he had even seen the Bricklow. The grass of the
Isaacs grew from twelve to fifteen feet high, in the hollows near the
river, which was, as usual, fringed with Sarcocephalus; a species of
Terminalia; the drooping tea-tree; and with an Acacia which perfumed the
air with the fragrant odours of its flowers. We gathered some blossoms of
the drooping tea-tree, which were full of honey, and, when soaked,
imparted a very agreeable sweetness to the water. We frequently observed
great quantities of washed blossoms of this tree in the deserted camps of
the natives; showing that they were as fond of the honey in the blossoms
of the tea-tree, as the natives of the east coast are of that of the
several species of Banksia.
June 10.--We travelled about five miles north-north-west to latitude 17
degrees 9 minutes 17 seconds. The flats, the rugged hills, and the river,
maintained the same character. Creeks, probably of no great extent,
joined the Lynd from the south side of all the hills we passed both
yesterday and to-day.
The weather was very fine, although exceedingly hot during the day; but
the nights were mild, and without dew. An easterly and south-easterly
wind blew during the whole day, moderated a little at sunset, and again
freshened up after it; but the latter part of the night, and for an hour
and a half after sunrise, was calm. I was induced to think that this wind
originated from the current of cold air flowing from the table-land of
the Burdekin down to the gulf, as the easterly winds west of New England
do, and as the westerly winds of Sydney during July and August, which are
supposed to be equally connected with the table-land of New England and
of Bathurst. The westerly winds occurring at the upper Lynd, do not
militate against such a supposition, as they might well belong to an
upper current coming from the sea.
Two new fishes were caught; both were very small; the one
malacopterygious, and resembling the pike, would remain at times
motionless at the bottom, or dart at its prey; the other belonged to the
perches, and had an oblong compressed body, and three dark stripes
perpendicular to its length; this would hover through the water, and
nibble at the bait. Silurus and Gristes were also caught.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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