Journals of Australian ExplorationsGregory, Augustus Charles
History
Journals of Australian Explorations
Gregory, Augustus Charles
Australia -- Discovery and exploration
At 8.0 a.m. steered south-east, soon entering a scrub of acacia,
melaleuca, and grevillia, with a few eucalypti; the soil sandy, with a
few blocks of gray sandstone; some small dry watercourses trended to the
north. At noon crossed a large creek trending to the south-south-east
through a very rocky valley, and the whole country was very barren and
rocky. At 2.35 p.m. recrossed the creek, which here turned to the east
and north-east. After following it down for an hour, found a small patch
of grass, and encamped. The bed of the creek was very rocky and well
supplied with water in shallow pools.
Latitude by a Coronae Borealis and a Trianguli Australis 15 degrees 50
minutes 2 seconds.
BARREN COUNTRY.
27th July (Sunday).
Resumed our route at 7.0 a.m., crossing a very rocky ridge of hills, in
descending which one of the horses wedged his foot into a cleft of the
rock, and falling down, was only released by beating the rock away with
an axe. Fortunately, though much cut and bruised, there was no serious
injury. With some difficulty we extricated ourselves from these rocky
ridges, and, crossing a large creek, entered a level plain covered with
melaleuca scrub. Crossing two sandy creeks fifteen and twenty yards wide
with shallow pools, at noon reached a barren range of white sandstone
hills, rising about 250 feet. Beyond this entered an open grassy plain,
with clumps of melaleuca-trees, indicating the existence of springs of
water, one of which we reached at 1.25 p.m., and encamped. The country
passed is of a worthless description, there being very little grass, and
the soil very poor and stony. The sandstones are of gray colour, and not
regularly stratified; but where it could be ascertained the bedding was
horizontal, and the lamina dipping 20 degrees to 30 degrees to the north,
but often in the opposite direction. These sandstones are at least 200
feet thick, and rest on soft shales of white-brown and green colour.
Latitude by a Trianguli Australis 15 degrees 55 minutes 20 seconds.
28th July.
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