The Part Borne by the Dutch in the Discovery of Australia 1606-1765Heeres, J. E. (Jan Ernst)
History
The Part Borne by the Dutch in the Discovery of Australia 1606-1765
Heeres, J. E. (Jan Ernst)
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Dutch -- Australia
At 4 glasses after breakfast we came near a stony, rocky reef, which we
kept outside or to seaward of in 8 and 9 fathom. The eastern extremity of
it is less than a mile to the S.W., slightly more southerly, of the Witte
Hoeck, and the western extremity upwards of mile to the S.W. by S.,
slightly more southerly, of the same; the reef extends S.E. by S. and
N.W. by N.; it is not very long or broad, and there were violent breakers
upon it.
When we had weathered the reef, we again ran W.S.W. at less than a mile's
distance from the land, in 8, 9, 7 and 5 fathom good anchoring-ground.
From the Witte Hoeck the land trends nearly to W.S.W. with a slight
curve, as far as one can see; close to the sea the beach is chiefly
sandy, with small, low sand-hills here and there.
The whole day we saw a good deal of smoke landinward; at noon we were in
exactly 11° S.L. From this Witte Hoeck the land trends to W.S.W.,
slightly westerly, with a slight curve for the space of upwards of 3
miles; from there to W.N.W. with a strong curve the space of upwards of
two miles, as far as a point, off which point, at less than half a mile's
distance to N.E. by E., there is a small island on all sides surrounded
by shoals and reefs; beyond this island the land falls off to the S.W.,
making a curve of 2 miles at least but afterwards it trends to the N.W.
again. This island bears from the land about N.W. and S.E.; the beach is
sandy with reefs here, and there.
At sunset it fell a calm, and we came to anchor in 8 fathom good
anchoring-ground at about a mile's distance from the land, having the
island S.S.E. of us at upwards of a mile's distance. Shortly after we saw
two fires on the beach beyond the island. We estimated ourselves to have
sailed about 8 miles this day; during the night the wind blew from the S.
and S.S.W. with lovely weather. We found little or no current running
here.
{Page 71}
On Friday the 20th do. we set sail at daybreak with a weak breeze from
the S.; we kept mainly at a mile's distance from the land in 7 and 7Ω
fathom good anchoring-ground. In the course of the day the wind went over
to N.E., after which we ran N.W.; at noon we got near the Roode Hoeck
[red point], situated N.W. of the island aforesaid at about 5 miles'
distance; upwards of half a mile's distance from here the land falls off
to W. by W.; from this point a large reef was seen running out to sea the
length of upwards of 1Ω mile, which reef being unable to weather because
we sailed so close to the wind, we came to anchor in 7Ω fathom good
anchoring-ground, at half a mile's distance from the land; the Roode
Hoeck was S.W. and S.W. by S. of us at upwards of half a mile's distance;
we saw smoke rising in various places.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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