McKinlay's Journal of Exploration in the Interior of AustraliaMcKinlay, John
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McKinlay's Journal of Exploration in the Interior of Australia
McKinlay, John
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; McKinlay, John, 1819-1872
Camp 29. Beautiful cold morning; what little wind there is is from the
south-west. Started away on bearing of 40 degrees for thirteen and a half
miles; first part over stony myall undulations (open) the latter part
free from stones and much less wooded except in the creeks that
constantly come in from the ranges from the eastward. As I am now passing
a couple of circular table-topped hills pretty close on the right I will
change my course for a thicket of myall and camp that I may be enabled to
ride to the height and have a view of the general course of the creek, as
what I am on is too flat to get a view at all. Changed course and camped;
distance travelled fourteen and five-eighth miles; day beautifully cool.
A tier of ranges continues on my right all along, varying from five to
eight miles distant, timbered with mulga, same as one I went on the day I
camped at Jeannie Lagoon; a mass of detached pyramids, cut and conical
coronet-topped hills are between my course and the main range and I have
the creek to the right. Not far off passed abundance of water on course
over top of Euro Hill; creek bears suddenly off westward--a likely way to
get over the range and meet it again by a gap in range bearing 349
degrees. It appears to pass through and receive large tributaries from
the west and northward, between large leading ranges on the west and
through range with gap on the east side, that I talk of passing through
to meet it again on bearing 318 degrees, or of bearing 340
degrees--nearer considerably than the former. This hill is a conical
coronet-topped hill of burned sandstone mixed with some quartz and is
four miles from camp, on a bearing of 157 1/2 degrees. Belts of mulga
between camp and this; the country to north-east and round by east to
south for some miles is not all good; a little spinifex and the ground
perfectly strewed with bronzed stones of various sizes; no ranges visible
from north round to north-east, but plains and mulga scrub; one larger
hill similar, but coated with spinifex and bush of various sizes, is
close by bearing 300 degrees; another about the same size as this,
thickly coated with spinifex, and a couple of bushes about 300 yards off
bears 225 degrees. Between me and main range to the east are numerous red
pyramid hills of various sizes, and southward a number of detached
table-topped hills, peaks, and mounds, all more or less timbered. Just as
I was getting up this hill a fine euro hopped off down the side some
distance off, and when I got on the top another sprang up and as I had my
pistol with me I fired and luckily killed him, so I call the hill Euro
Hill. After I had finished on the hill I disembowelled the euro and
carried it to the camp to have it used and help the meat to last; I hope
we may get plenty more.
Monday, April 7.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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