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
I, therefore, returned to the camp, and on the 10th February, I travelled
about six miles N. N. E., over several ranges and creeks, and came to a
creek well supplied with water. On the following day, the 11th February,
I travelled down this creek, and reached a flat country of great extent,
lightly timbered with Ironbark, Bastard-box, and Poplar-gum; but the
water disappeared in the sandy bed of the creek, which had assumed a very
winding course, and we had to encamp on a shallow pool left on the rocks,
which, for a short distance, formed again the bed of the creek. Our
latitude was 22 degrees 23 minutes, about thirteen miles E. N. E. from
our camp of the 8th February.
Feb. 12.--We continued travelling along the creek, and halted at very
fine water-holes, within some Bricklow scrub, which here made its
appearance again. The stage did not exceed six miles east; but I did not
venture to proceed farther until I had examined the country in advance,
which did not look very promising. I named this creek "Hughs's Creek,"
after--Hughs, Esq., of Darling Downs.
The grass-tree grew very abundantly on the rocky sandstone ranges; and
the Grevillea (G. ceratophylla, R. Br.?) with pinnatifid leaves, was not
less common: on the upper part of Hughs's Creek, we first met with the
drooping tea-tree (Melaleuca Leucodendron?), which we found afterwards at
every creek and river; it was generally the companion of water, and its
drooping foliage afforded an agreeable shade, and was also very
ornamental. The slopes towards the flat country were sandy and rotten;
but there were some fine hollows, with rich green grass, which very
probably formed lagoons during the wet season. The whole country was very
similar to that of Zamia Creek: it had the same extensive flats, the same
geological features, the same vegetation, the same direction of the creek
to the east and north-east. Just before the creek left the hills, it was
joined by another; and, at their junction, sandstone cropped out, which
was divided by regular fissures into very large rectangular blocks. These
fissures had been widened by the action of water, which made them
resemble a range of large tombstones, the singular appearance of which
induced me to call this, which joins Hughs's Creek, "Tombstone Creek."
This formation was very remarkable, and occupied a very considerable
space. The strata of the sandstone dip towards the east and north-east
off Peak Range; but, in other localities, I observed a dip towards the
range.
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