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
The next day we pulled through the strait that insulates Greville Island,
and found that it communicated with Munster Water at a part where we had
yesterday concluded it likely to exist, and had in consequence steered
towards it; but as we proceeded the probability became less and less, and
we gave up the search when we were within three hundred yards of being
actually in it.
We then pulled up Munster Water and afterwards through the strait to sea;
and, landing on some dry rocks on a reef which projects off the west head
of the strait, found that we were at the entrance of the bight, which was
last year named Hanover Bay: after taking a set of bearings, we
re-embarked and proceeded to the bottom of the bay which terminated in a
shoal basin.
On our return we entered an opening in the rocky cliff which bore the
appearance of being the outlet of a torrent stream; being low-water,
there was not in many parts sufficient depth to float the boat; but after
pulling up for half a mile, a muddy channel was found, which, at the end
of another half mile, was terminated by a bed of rocks over which the
tide flows at high-water. The ravine is formed by steep precipitous rocks
which are at least two hundred and fifty feet high; it appeared to extend
to a considerable distance, and as the farther progress of the boat was
prevented by the stones and want of water, Bundell and two of the boat's
crew were despatched to examine a place farther on, where, from the green
appearance of the trees, it was thought not unlikely that there might be
a fresh stream. In this they were not disappointed, for after much delay
and trouble, from the difficulty of passing over the rocks, they returned
with two baricas full of fresh water, which they found in holes of
considerable size.
In pulling up the river, an alligator was seen crawling slowly over the
mud banks, but took to the water before we came near it and did not
afterwards reappear. Many kangaroo-rats and small kangaroos were seen
skipping about the rocks, but they were very shy, and fled the moment
they saw us.
Hanover Bay thus proving to afford good anchorage and an opportunity of
increasing our stock of water, as well as presenting a sandy beach on
which we could haul the seine, it was determined that we should visit it
as soon as the brig could be moved out of Prince Regent's River.
On our return, which was over the same ground as we had passed in the
morning, we landed near two or three gullies on the inner side of the
island, which forms the eastern boundary of Munster Water, but were
unsuccessful in all our searches after fresh water.
August 6.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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