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
To the northward, eastward, and southward however it continued clear, and
the points visible in those directions fully occupied my attention until
the western horizon became distinct. I was at once enabled to identify
this hill with an angle observed when on the top of Yerrarar. Granard and
the principal summits of Peel's and Macquarie's ranges were visible and,
as the sky cleared I could see Warranary, that south-western extremity of
the Mount Granard range already mentioned, and which I was enabled by my
observations here to connect with the trigonometrical survey. But even
from this summit nothing could be observed beyond besides the
continuation of the range towards the north-west at an immense distance.
The object next in importance was the country between me and the
Murrumbidgee in a south-west direction. I expected that some kind of
ridge or hills above the common level would separate that river from the
Lachlan if the courses of both rivers continued to separate to any
considerable distance westward. But although I perceived a low ridge
extending towards the west from the most southern part of Peel's range I
also saw that it terminated in the low level of the plains at about 20
degrees West of South.
A RAINY NIGHT WITHOUT SHELTER.
Burradorgang, this last of hills, consisted of ferruginous sandstone like
all the others I saw further in the interior during the former journey. I
descended to its base just as darkness came on; and myself and the men
with me were forced to pass the night exposed to the wind and rain at a
place where nevertheless we could find no water for our horses.
April 28.
The rain ceased some time before daybreak, but the weather continued
cloudy and, fogs hanging on the distant horizon, I was not tempted again
to ascend the mountain as I certainly should have done had the morning
been clear. We mounted and retraced our steps to the camp. The country
between this hill and the river consisted chiefly of soft red soil in
which grew the cypress-like callitris, also acacia, and the bimbel or
spear-wood.* It seemed to consist of a very low undulation, extending
from the hill into the great angle formed by the Lachlan, whose general
course changes near that camp from west to south-west. There was however
a tract extending southward from the river for about three miles, on
which grew yarra trees bearing the marks of occasional floods to the
height of a foot above the common surface. This ground was probably in
part under water when Mr. Oxley passed it, as he represents a swamp or
morass in his map within this bend of the river. I found on the low
tract, between Burradorgang and our camp, a new curious species of
solanum, so completely covered with yellow prickles that its flowers and
leaves could scarcely be seen.**
(*Footnote. The wood named bimbel by the natives grows with a shining
green lance-shaped leaf, and is in much request with them for the purpose
of making their spears, boomerangs, waddies, etc.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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