Journals of Expeditions of Discovery into Central Australia and Overland from Adelaide to King George's Sound in the Years 1840-1: Sent By the Colonists of South Australia, with the Sanction and Support of the Government: Including an Account of the Manners and Customs of the Aborigines and the State of Their Relations with Europeans — Volume 01Eyre, Edward John
History
Journals of Expeditions of Discovery into Central Australia and Overland from Adelaide to King George's Sound in the Years 1840-1: Sent By the Colonists of South Australia, with the Sanction and Support of the Government: Including an Account of the Manners and Customs of the Aborigines and the State of Their Relations with Europeans — Volume 01
Eyre, Edward John
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Ethnology -- Australia
"Upon leaving our depot, near Mount Arden, the low, arid, and sandy
nature of the country between the hills and Lake Torrens, compelled us to
follow close under the continuation of Flinders range. Here our progress
was necessarily very slow, from the rugged nature of the country, the
scarcity of water, and the great difficulty both of finding and obtaining
access to it. As we advanced, the hills inclined considerably to the
eastward, gradually becoming less elevated, until, in latitude 29 degrees
20 minutes S., they ceased altogether, and we found ourselves in a very
low and level country, consisting of large stony plains, varied
occasionally by sand; and the whole having evidently been subject to
recent and extensive inundation. These plains are destitute of water,
grass, and timber, and have only a few salsolaceous plants growing upon
them; whilst their surface, whether stony or sandy, is quite smooth and
even, as if washed so by the action of the water. Throughout this level
tract of country were interspersed, in various directions, many small
flat-topped elevations, varying in height from 50 to 300 feet, and almost
invariably exhibiting precipitous banks. These elevations are composed
almost wholly of a chalky substance, coated over on the upper surface by
stones, or a sandy soil, and present the appearance of having formed a
table land that has been washed to pieces by the violent action of water,
and of which these fragments now only remain. Upon forcing a way through
this dreary region, in three different directions, I found that the whole
of the low country round the termination of Flinders range, was
completely surrounded by Lake Torrens, which, commencing not far from the
head of Spencer's Gulf, takes a circuitous course of fully 400 miles, of
an apparent breadth of from twenty to thirty miles, following the sweep
of Flinders range, and almost encircling it in the form of a horse shoe.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account