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
October 29.--The coast projecting into bold and perpendicular headlands
obliged us to keep at a distance from it, and travel over an elevated
range, from whence we saw that an extensive series of lakes, probably
forming one large one, continued at the back of the coast line nearly
as far as Blackhead. At five miles we descended from the range on a
small beach which terminated our day's journey; the nature of the
coast line preventing us from travelling along it. I therefore went
with two men to mark out a road for the horses to the beach on the
south-west side of Sugarloaf Point. The line we were obliged to pursue,
led us through a most miserable scrubby country, formed into irregular
steep hills of white sand, without a blade of grass, or herbage of any
kind; but with abundance of small black butted gums, red gums, etc. We
found the road across, to be too far for us to attempt this evening.
Indeed it was near sunset when I returned to the tent. The natives
are extremely numerous along this part of the coast; these extensive
lakes, which abound with fish, being extremely favourable to their
easy subsistence: large troops of them appear on the beaches, whilst
their canoes on the lakes are equally numerous. In the morning their
fires are to be observed in every direction: they evidently appear
to shun us, and we have no wish for a farther acquaintance. When we
stopped for the night, the lake was only separated from the sea by
a narrow neck of sand, and at spring tides, with an easterly wind,
it must be forced over it. This neck of sand appears likely to be
occasionally washed away, and to form a shallow opening into this
portion of the lake. Its principal entrance I expect to find southerly;
we however observed no tides in it, which makes us conclude it will
have but a shoal entrance. From this point, the Sugarloaf Point,
and island of it in one, bore N. 14 1/2, and the direction of the
lake was N. 275.
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