The Water Ran In Two Distinct Beds Through The Fissures,
Hollows, And Caves Of The Rock.
As our horses could not travel over the
sharp edges of the rock without injuring their feet, we ascended
The
table land, and rode to the northward about four miles, and then came on
plains, in which we distinguished a meandering band of green verdure,
which proved to be the same brook we had left, or one of its head waters.
We followed it through a series of plains, from one of which a blue
mountain was visible to the north-west. I called it "Mount Lang," after
Dr. Lang, the distinguished historiographer of New South Wales. Smoke was
seen to the westward. At the right side of the brook, a stream of lava
bounded the plains, and was, as usual, covered with dense scrub. Box,
with occasional patches of narrow-leaved tea trees, grew along the
plains. The forest was very open, and principally consisted of
narrow-leaved Ironbark; the grass in the forest and on the plains, was of
the best description. Finer stations for the squatter cannot exist.
May 6. - Following the brook about four miles farther, I came to its
source at a gentle slope of basalt. Plains stretched along both sides of
its course, and even beyond it. Luxuriant reeds, Plothos, and several
deep green trees, crowded round its head. Kangaroos, which abounded
particularly along the scrub, had formed numerous paths through the high
grass to the water's edge. I now directed my course to the W.N.W., but
soon found myself checked by a dyke or wall of basaltic lava, composed of
boulders and tabular blocks heaped over each other in wild confusion, and
covered by scrub; it stretched from N.W. to S.E. I travelled round its
edge to the southward, after having made a vain attempt to cross it. The
outlines of the stream ran out in low heads into the flat table land, and
there we met occasionally with springs and chains of water-holes which
united lower down into a water-course, which, after following alternately
the outline of the scrub, and turning into the stream of lava, became
lost among its loose rocks. The lava was very cellular; the basalt of the
table land solid. The whole appearance of this interesting locality
showed that the stream of lava was of much more recent date than the rock
of the table land, and that the latter was probably formed under water,
whilst the cellular scorified lava was poured out into the open air. The
stream of lava enlarged so much, and descended into so broad a valley,
that I considered it to be the head of the Burdekin. I walked across it,
in order to ascertain the presence of water, but found nothing but deep
dry hollows surrounded with drooping tea trees, and the black basaltic
rocks covered with wild bottle-tree scrub. It joined the valley of
lagoons very much like the valley of the reedy brook, and seemed to unite
with the latter, and to expand all over the large basin.
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