Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 2: Performed between the years 1818 and 1822King, Philip Parker
History
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 2: Performed between the years 1818 and 1822
King, Philip Parker
Australia -- Description and travel; Natural history -- Australia
Six miles south of Caffarelli Island, is a rocky island, surrounded by a
reef; and eight miles farther are several small rocky islands, forming
the north extremity of a range, which, extending to the South by East for
ten miles, form the eastern side of Sunday Strait, which is the best, and
in fact the only safe communication with the deep opening between Point
Cunningham and the islands to the eastward. Between this strait and Point
Swan, a distance of eleven miles, the space is occupied by a multitude of
islands and islets, separated from each other by narrow and, probably, by
deep channels, through which the tide rushes with frightful rapidity.
Sunday Strait is more than four miles wide, and appears to be free from
danger. The tide sets through it at the rate of four or five miles an
hour, and forms strong ripplings, which would be, perhaps, dangerous for
a boat to encounter. The vessel was whirled round several times in
passing through it; but a boat, by being able to pull, might in a great
measure avoid passing through them.
CYGNET BAY is formed between the islands and Point Cunningham; it is
fronted by a bank, over which the least water that we found was two
fathoms; within this bank there is good anchorage, and near the inlets at
the bottom of the bay, there is a muddy bottom, with eight and nine
fathoms mud.
POINT CUNNINGHAM projects slightly to the eastward; its easternmost
extremity is in latitude 16 degrees 39 minutes 20 seconds and longitude
123 degrees 10 minutes; from the northward it has the appearance of being
an island, as the land to the westward is rather lower: two miles and a
half south of it is Carlisle Head, the north extremity of GOODENOUGH BAY.
The shore thence extends in a South-South-East direction for seventeen
miles, in which space there is a shoal bay, beyond which we did not
penetrate. Off the point is an islet, in latitude about 16 degrees 58
minutes, and to the south of it the land was seen trending to the South
by East for four or five miles, when it was lost in distance. From this
anchorage no land was distinctly seen to the eastward; between the
bearings of East-North-East and South-South-East, a slight glimmering of
land was raised above the horizon, by the effect of refraction; but this,
as in a case that occurred before in a neighbouring part off Point
Gantheaume, might be at least fifty miles off.
From all that is at present known of this remarkable opening, there is
enough to excite the greatest interest; since, from the extent of the
opening, the rapidity of the stream, and the great rise and fall of the
tides, there must be a very extensive gulf or opening, totally different
from everything that has been before seen.
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