Journals of Australian ExplorationsGregory, Augustus Charles
History
Journals of Australian Explorations
Gregory, Augustus Charles
Australia -- Discovery and exploration
Latitude by Procyon 23 degrees 28 minutes 19 seconds.
16th November (Sunday).
Remained at the camp. The morning was cool and cloudy, but cleared
towards noon, and at night got sights for latitude.
LEICHHARDT'S CAMP.
17th November.
Resumed our journey at 6.40 a.m. Followed the Mackenzie south-east
through level country with much scrub till 9.25 a.m., when we crossed a
large creek from the south, which proved to be the Comet River of Dr.
Leichhardt. The whole bed of the Comet did not exceed seventy yards, and
the smaller channel only five to six yards wide, and even below its
junction the Mackenzie only had a channel ten to thirty yards wide in the
bottom of a bed 150 yards wide from bank to bank. Just below the junction
of the Comet we found the remains of a camp of Dr. Leichhardt's party on
its second journey. The ashes of the fire were still visible, and a
quantity of bones of goats were scattered around. A large tree was marked
thus:
DIG arrow pointing down L
but a hollow in the ground at the foot of the tree showed that whatever
had been deposited had long since been removed. We, however, cleared out
the loose earth, but found nothing. The river now turned east-north-east,
and our course being east, we receded from it, and at noon we ascended a
rocky hill of sandstone covered with scrub; we therefore steered north
for an hour and came to the Mackenzie, and encamped in a fine grassy
flat, but beyond the immediate flats of the river the country was covered
with scrub. Near the camp a large flooded-gum tree had been marked:
Solid square [symbol ??]
some years before. The day was cloudy with easterly breeze. Marked a
tree:
120 solid Delta
this being the 120th camp since starting from the Victoria River.
18th November.
Rain commenced at 7.0 a.m. and continued till noon; at 6.25 steered east
and soon entered a dense scrub of acacia, box, sterculia, and Moreton-Bay
ash. Ascending to the level tableland by a steep sandstone slope, at
11.25 passed a gully with deep waterholes which appeared permanent, and
at 1.40 p.m. encamped at a deep creek with a small pool of water. To the
south-east of the camp about five miles distant a range of hills rose
abruptly from the level country to a height of 800 to 1000 feet. The
summits were flat and surrounded by high cliffs of red sandstone
(Expedition Range).
Latitude by Procyon 23 degrees 33 minutes 40 seconds; variation of
compass 7 degrees 50 minutes east.
19th November.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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