Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 1: Performed between the years 1818 and 1822King, Philip Parker
History
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 1: Performed between the years 1818 and 1822
King, Philip Parker
Australia -- Description and travel; Natural history -- Australia
But at midnight the wind changed to the eastward, and at daylight (26th),
the land was visible from south to South-West. At ten o'clock we fetched
in close to a low sandy point, and then bore up to the westward along the
coast, which appeared, as it afterwards proved to be, a part of the main.
The low point which commenced our survey was called Point Braithwaite,
and one mile North-West from it is Point Hall: the shore then trends five
miles to the westward to Point Cuthbert, from which a shoal communication
extends towards a rock on which the sea broke: we passed within the rock,
carrying two and a quarter fathoms; and then hauled in for a point of
land, called after my friend Captain G.H. Guion, R.N.; but not succeeding
in finding anchorage under it, we bore away along the shore, and at night
anchored off Point Turner. Between Points Guion and Turner is a deep but
rocky bay, at the bottom of which is an appearance of an opening lined
with mangroves: to the westward of Point Turner is another bay, which
circumstances did not then allow of our examining. From our anchorage the
land was traced as far as North-West, and appeared to be an island
separated from the main by a strait.
March 27.
The next day we passed through it, and anchored in a bay on the
South-West side of the island, at about half a mile from the beach. The
Strait was named Macquarie Strait, after the late Major-General Lachlan
Macquarie, who administered the government of New South Wales for a
period of nearly twelve years.
As the shores of the bay, in which we had anchored, appeared likely to
afford both wood and water, of which articles we were much in want, I was
induced to take advantage of the opportunity, and immediately made
preparation to commence these occupations. In the evening a pit was dug
for water, which oozed so fast into it, that we did not anticipate any
difficulty on that head, and the wood was both plentiful and convenient
to the beach.
It was now about the termination of the rainy season, and everything bore
the most luxuriant appearance; the grass, which covered the face of the
island, was more than six feet high, and completely concealed us from
each other as we walked to the summit of the hill, the sides of which
were very thickly wooded. Upon the edge of the beach, the pandanus, the
hibiscus, and a variety of other tropical trees and shrubs were growing,
and the sand was variegated with the long-stemmed convolvulus in full
flower.
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account