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
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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
We accomplished about eight miles in a straight line to the westward, but
went over a much greater extent of ground; as I mistook a large though
dry creek from the northward for the river, and followed it about four
miles; when, finding my mistake, I crossed about four or five miles of
rich treeless plains, and reached the river again at the foot of a long
high range to the westward. Other ranges appeared to the eastward and
northward. As we approached the river, we passed some sandstone hills
covered with a dense scrub exactly like that of the sea coast south of
Limmen Bight. It was principally composed of several species of Acacia of
Grevillea chrysodendron (R. Br.), and of the Bossiaea with broad stem.
All along the outside of the scrub, we observed old camps of the natives;
several of whom were seen crossing the plains.
The bed of the river became excessively wild: the Pandanus channel was
still full of water, and running; but the dry bed was full of rocky
water-holes or chains of them, composed of, and scattered over with
blocks of sandstone; and overgrown with most magnificent Casuarinas, with
tea-trees and flooded-gum (or its representative).
Large camps of the natives were full of the shells of lately roasted
mussels (Unios), the posterior part of which appeared to be much broader,
and more sinuated, than those we had hitherto seen. John and Charley
found the head of an alligator; and the former caught the broad-scaled
fish of the Mackenzie (Osteoglossum), which weighed four pounds. The
mosquitoes, and a little black ant, were very annoying during the warm
but slightly dewy night.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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