Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia, Volume 2: With Descriptions of the Recently Explored Region of Australia Felix, and of the Present Colony of New South WalesMitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone)
History
Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia, Volume 2: With Descriptions of the Recently Explored Region of Australia Felix, and of the Present Colony of New South Wales
Mitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone)
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Mitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone), 1792-1855
The range before us was certainly rather formidable for the passage of
carts, but home lay beyond it, while delay and famine were synonymous
terms with us at that time. By following up the valley in which we had
encamped I found early on this morning an easy way through which the
carts might gain the lowest part of the range. Having conducted them to
this point without any other inconvenience besides the overturning of one
cart (from bad driving) we descended along the hollow of a ravine after
making it passable by throwing some rocks into the narrow part near its
head. The ravine at length opened, as I had expected, into a grassy
valley with a fine rivulet flowing through it, and from this valley we
debouched into the still more open granitic country at the foot of Mount
Byng. The pass thus auspiciously discovered and opened, over a neck
apparently the very lowest of the whole range, I named Expedition-pass,
confident that such a line of communication between the southern coast
and Sydney must, in the course of time, become a very considerable
thoroughfare. The change of soil however introduced us to the old
difficulty from which we had been happily relieved for some time, for we
came once more upon rotten and boggy ground. We met with this unexpected
impediment in an open-looking flat near a rivulet I was about to cross,
when I found the surface so extremely soft and yielding that from the
extreme resistance a bolt of the boat-carriage gave way, a circumstance
which obliged us immediately to encamp although we had travelled only
four miles.
EXCURSION TOWARDS PORT PHILLIP.
September 30.
Compelled thus to await the repair of the boat-carriage I determined to
make an excursion to the lofty mountain mass which appeared about thirty
miles to the southward, in order that I might connect my survey with Port
Phillip, which I hoped to see thence. The horses were not found as soon
as they were required, but when we at last got upon their backs we were
therefore less disposed to spare them.
DISCOVER AND CROSS THE RIVER BARNARD.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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