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
Sept. 8.--We travelled about ten miles north-west by west, to latitude 16
degrees (Unclear:)81 minutes. The first and last parts of the stage were
scrubby, or covered with a dense underwood of several species of Acacia,
Grevillea chrysodendrum and a species of Pultenaea with leafless
compressed stem. The intervening part of our journey was through a
stringy-bark forest, with sandy, and frequently rotten soil, on sandstone
ridges or undulations. Some patches of stiffer soil were covered with box
or with straggling apple-gum and bloodwood. In the scrub, I again
observed Fusanus with pinnate leaves. Several good sized dry sandy creeks
were surrounded with Pandanus. We saw a low range in form of a
horse-shoe, to the westward; and a higher one beyond it in the distance.
We encamped at a small river, which had just ceased running, but
contained in its bed two chains of small deep ponds full of perches, and
shaded with Pandanus and drooping tea-trees, which grew to a large size
all over the bed between the two ponds. I named this river the "Calvert,"
in acknowledgment of the good services of Mr. Calvert during our
expedition, and which I feel much pleasure in recording. We saw two emus,
and Brown killed one of them, with the assistance of the dog, which
received a severe cut in the neck from the sharp claw of the bird.
The whole country round the gulf was well-grassed, particularly before we
crossed the Nicholson; and on the plains and approaches to the rivers and
creeks. The large water-holes were frequently surrounded with a dense
turf of Fimbristylis (a small sedge), which our horses liked to feed
upon. Some stiff grasses made their appearance when we approached the
sea-coast, as well on the plains as in the forest. The well-known
kangaroo grass (Anthisteria) forms still one of the principal components
of the pasture. The scrubby country had a good supply of a tufty
wind-grass; and, although the feed was dry during this part of the year,
our horses and cattle did exceedingly well, as I have already mentioned.
Both took an occasional bite of some Acacias, of Grevillea chrysodendrum,
and of several other shrubs. Cattle driven over the country we have
passed, by short stages, and during the proper season, would even fatten
on the road.
When we approached the water-hole on which we were going to encamp, John
observed a fine large Iguana in the water, which was so strikingly
coloured that he thought it different from those we had previously seen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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