We rode about five hours
over an undulating forest land, interrupted by one or two plains, and for
the greater part exceedingly stony. We came at last to fresh burnt grass,
and observed recent marks of the stone tomahawk of the natives; and,
having passed a stony slope, with irregular low stony ridges, we saw an
oak-tree creek before us, on the opposite side of which rose the granitic
range for which we had directed our course. This creek also ran on the
line of contact of primitive and basaltic rocks; the primitive side was
cut by gullies and ravines, whilst the basalt formed a steep
uninterrupted slope, though covered with boulders which had been carried
down even into the sandy bed of the creek, where they were intermingled
with those of granite and pegmatite. I called this creek "Separation
Creek," in allusion to its geological relations: at the point where we
met it, it turned to the north and north-west, which made me believe that
it was a westerly water; but in this I was mistaken.
We had some slight showers of drizzling rain during the afternoon. The
wind veered towards evening to the northward, and the night was clear.
We saw several kangaroos, and their tracks to the water showed that they
were numerous. One of them, which we saw in the creek, was of a light
grey colour, with rich fur and a white tail.
May 19. - We returned to the camp. A cold easterly wind continued during
the day; low rainy clouds in the morning formed into heavy cumuli during
the afternoon.
My geological observations lead me to the conclusion, that an immense
valley between granitic ranges has here been filled by a more modern
basaltic eruption, which (supposing that Mount Lang is basaltic in the
centre of elevation) rose in peaks and isolated hills, but formed in
general a level table land. The basalt has been again broken by still
more recent fissures, through which streams of lava have risen and
expanded over the neighbouring rock.
May 20. - We moved our camp about eighteen miles N.N.W., to Separation
Creek, the latitude of which was 18 degrees 2 minutes 22 seconds.
John Murphy found Grevillea chrysodendron in blossom, the rich orange
colour of which excited general admiration. The stringy-bark tree, and
Tristania, were growing on the sandy soil, and the latter near
watercourses. Several native bustards (Otis Novae Hollandiae, GOULD.)
were shot, and I found their stomachs full of the seeds of Grewia, which
abounded in the open patches of forest ground. In crossing a plain we
observed, under the shade of a patch of narrow-leaved tea trees, four
bowers of the bowerbird, close together, as if one habitation was not
sufficient for the wanton bird to sport in; and on the dry swamps I
mentioned above, small companies of native companions were walking around
us at some distance, but rose with their sonorous cu-r-r-r-ring cry,
whenever Brown tried to approach them.
