Two Expeditions into the Interior of Southern Australia — Volume 2Sturt, Charles
History
Two Expeditions into the Interior of Southern Australia — Volume 2
Sturt, Charles
New South Wales -- Discovery and exploration; Sturt, Charles, 1795-1869
Preserving a due east course, Captain Barker passed over the opposite
range of hills, and descended almost immediately into a second valley
that continued to the southwards. Its soil was poor and stony, and it
was covered with low scrub. Crossing it, they ascended the opposite
range, from the summit of which they had a view of Encounter Bay. An
extensive flat stretched from beneath them to the eastward, and was
backed, in the distance, by sand hummocks, and low wooded hills. The
extreme right of the flat rested upon the coast, at a rocky point near
which there were two or three islands. From the left a beautiful valley
opened upon it. A strong and clear rivulet from this valley traversed
the flat obliquely, and fell into the sea at the rocky point, or a
little to the southward of it. The hills forming the opposite side of
the valley had already terminated. Captain Barker, therefore, ascended
to higher ground, and, at length, obtained a view of the Lake
Alexandrina, and the channel of its communication with the sea to the
N.E. He now descended to the flat, and frequently expressed his anxious
wish to Mr. Kent that I had been one of their number to enjoy the
beauty of the scenery around them, and to participate in their labours.
Had fate so ordained it, it is possible the melancholy tragedy that
soon after occurred might have been averted.
OUTLET OF LAKE TO THE SEA.
At the termination of the flat they found themselves upon the banks of
the channel, and close to the sand hillock under which my tents had
been pitched. From this point they proceeded along the line of
sand-hills to the outlet; from which it would appear that Kangaroo
Island is not visible, but that the distant point which I mistook for
it was the S.E. angle of Cape Jervis. I have remarked, in describing
that part of the coast, that there is a sand-hill to the eastward of
the inlet, under which the tide runs strong, and the water is deep.
Captain Barker judged the breadth of the channel to be a quarter of a
mile, and he expressed a desire to swim across it to the sand-hill to
take bearings, and to ascertain the nature of the strand beyond it to
the eastward.
It unfortunately happened, that he was the only one of the party who
could swim well, in consequence of which his people remonstrated with
him on the danger of making the attempt unattended. Notwithstanding,
however, that he was seriously indisposed, he stripped, and after Mr.
Kent had fastened his compass on his head for him, he plunged into the
water, and with difficulty gained the opposite side; to effect which
took him nine minutes and fifty-eight seconds. His anxious comrades saw
him ascend the hillock, and take several bearings; he then descended
the farther side, and was never seen by them again.
CIRCUMSTANCES ATTENDING THE LOSS OF CAPTAIN BARKER.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account