Two Expeditions into the Interior of Southern Australia — Volume ISturt, Charles
History
Two Expeditions into the Interior of Southern Australia — Volume I
Sturt, Charles
New South Wales -- Discovery and exploration; Sturt, Charles, 1795-1869
From the Cataract of the Macquarie, a flat extends to the marshes in
which that river exhausts itself. From the midst of this flat Mount
Foster and Mount Harris rise, both of which are porphyritic: but as I
have been particular in describing these heights in their proper place,
any minute notice of them here may be considered unnecessary. We will
rather extend our enquiries to those parts of the colony upon which we
shall not be called upon to remark in the succeeding pages.
Returning to the coast, we may mark the geological changes in a line to
the S.W. of Sydney; and as my object is to extend the information of my
readers, I shall notice any particular district on either side of the
line I propose to touch upon, which may be worthy of notice. It would
appear that the first decided break in the sandstone formation which
penetrates into the county of Camden, is at Mittagong Range. It is
there traversed by a dike of whinstone, of which that range is wholly
composed. The change of soil and of vegetation are equally remarkable
at this place; the one being a rich, greasy, chocolate-coloured earth,
the other partaking greatly of the intertropical character. In
wandering over them, I noticed the wild fig and the cherry-tree,
growing to a much larger size than I had seen them in any other part of
the colony. Upon their branches, the satin bird, the gangan, and
various kinds of pigeons were feeding. Birds unknown to the eastward of
the Blue Mountains, were numerous in the valleys; and there was an
unusual appearance of freshness and moisture in the vegetation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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