Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 2: Performed between the years 1818 and 1822 — John Shaqi
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
We then bent our steps to the water-gully, but, to our mortification, it
was quite dried up, and exhibited no vestige of its having contained any
for some time. From the more luxuriant and verdant appearance of the
trees and grass than the country hereabout assumed last year, when the
water was abundant, we had felt assured of finding it and therefore our
disappointment was the greater.
July 24.
After another unsuccessful search in the bight, to the eastward of
Careening Bay, in which we fruitlessly examined a gully that Mr.
Cunningham informed me had last year produced a considerable stream, we
gave up all hopes of success here, and directed our attention to the
cascade of Prince Regent's River; which we entered the next afternoon,
with the wind and tide in our favour, and at sunset reached an anchorage
at the bottom of St. George's Basin, a mile and a half to the northward
of the islet that lies off the inner entrance of the river, in seven
fathoms muddy sand.
July 26.
The following morning at half-past four o'clock Mr. Montgomery
accompanied me in the whale-boat to visit the cascade; we reached it at
nine o'clock and found the water, to our inexpressible satisfaction,
falling abundantly.
While the boat's crew rested and filled their baricas, I ascended the
rocks over which the water was falling and was surprised to find its
height had been so underrated when we passed by it last year: it was then
thought to be about forty feet, but I now found it could not be less than
one hundred and fifty. The rock, a fine-grained siliceous sandstone, is
disposed in horizontal strata, from six to twelve feet thick, each of
which projects about three feet from that above it, and forms a
continuity of steps to the summit, which we found some difficulty in
climbing; but where the distance between the ledges was great we assisted
our ascent by tufts of grass firmly rooted in the luxuriant moss that
grew abundantly about the water-courses. On reaching the summit, I found
that the fall was supplied from a stream winding through rugged chasms
and thickly-matted clusters of plants and trees, among which the pandanus
bore a conspicuous appearance and gave a picturesque richness to the
place. While admiring the wildness of the scene, Mr. Montgomery joined
me; we did not however succeed in following the stream for more than a
hundred yards, for at that distance its windings were so confused among
rocks and spinifex that we could not trace its source. After collecting
for Mr. Cunningham, who was confined on board by sickness, a few
specimens of those plants which, to me, appeared the most novel, we
commenced our descent, and reached the bottom in safety; by which time
the tide was ebbing so rapidly that we set off immediately on our return
with a view of arriving on board by low-water, in order that no time
might be lost in sending the boats up with our empty water-casks.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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