Journals of Two Expeditions into the Interior of New South WalesOxley, John
History
Journals of Two Expeditions into the Interior of New South Wales
Oxley, John
New South Wales -- Discovery and exploration; Oxley, John, 1783-1828
sufficiently powerful to induce them to attempt their rescue from the
hands of such unfabulous centaurs, as we doubtless appeared to them. The
boats met with no interruption, the river continuing a fine and even
stream, running at the rate of a mile and a half per hour: it was in
places very narrow, and our astonishment would have been excited that
such a channel should contain the powerful body of water falling into
it, if we had not found its medium depth to be from twenty to thirty
feet. The height of the banks is not more than seven feet above the
water, and they appeared to have been flooded to that height. It did not
seem that back from the river, beyond three or four miles, the country
was ever flooded, except by the waters which would fall on its surface
in rainy seasons; it was, however, now quite dry, and the hollows of the
surface bore evidence of a long continued drought. The course of the
river still continued to the north-north-west. The rocks composing Mount
Harris are apparently basaltic, the whole seeming to have been shot up
in points. the angles of which are complete. The stones are very heavy
and compact, and when dashed against each other were extremely sonorous.
June 28.--Remained here this day for the purpose of rest and
refreshment: the grass and country poor, and covered with acacia trees
and small eucalypti in our immediate vicinity. Despatched two men to
view the country to the north-east. The botanical collector crossed the
river and ascended Mount Forster, on which he was fortunate enough to
procure many plants seemingly new: he thought he saw a branch of the
river separating from it and running to the north-west, whilst the river
itself continued to go northerly. The account brought by the men in the
evening was far from flattering; they had been out ten or twelve miles
to the north and east, and found the country as bad as can be imagined;
in fact, a dry morass, with higher land, free from floods, but overrun
with brushes, among which a few pines were scattered: they saw no water,
and but little game of any kind.
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