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
We left Oxley's Table Land on the morning of the 31st of January,
pursuing a northern course through the brush and across a large plain,
moving parallel to the smaller hill, and keeping it upon our left. The
soil upon this plain differed in character from that on the plains to
the eastward, and was much freer from sand. We stopped to dine at a
spot, whence Oxley's Table Land bore by compass, S. by W., distant
about twelve miles. Continuing our journey, at 2 p.m. we cleared the
plain, and entered a tract covered with the polygonum junceum, on a
soil evidently the deposit of floods. Box-trees were thinly scattered
over it, and among the polygonum, the crested pigeons were numerous.
These general appearances, together with a dip of country to the
N.N.W., made us conclude that we were approaching the creek, and we
accordingly intersected it on a N.N.E. course, at about three miles'
distance from where we had dined. It had, however, undergone so
complete a change, and had increased so much in size and in the height
of its banks, that we were at a loss to recognize it. Still, with all
these favourable symptoms, there was not a drop of water in it. But
small shells lay in heaps in its bed, or were abundantly scattered over
it; and we remarked that they differed from those on the plains of the
Macquarie. A circumstance that surprised us much, was the re-appearance
of the flooded-gum upon its banks, and that too of a large size. We had
not seen any to the westward of the marshes, and we were, consequently,
led to indulge in more sanguine expectation as to our ultimate success
than we had ever ventured to do before.
The party crossed to the right bank of the creek, and then moved in a
westerly direction along it in search of water. A brush extended to our
right, and some broken stony ground, rather elevated, was visible, to
which Mr. Hume rode; nor did he join me again until after I had halted
the party for the night.
DISTRESSED FOR WATER.
My search for water had been unsuccessful, and the sun had set, when I
came upon a broad part of the creek that appeared very favourable for
an encampment, as it was encompassed by high banks, and would afford
the men a greater facility of watching the cattle, that I knew would
stray away if they could.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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