A Good Sized Creek Joined The River At
Their Southern Slopes, Which, Though Salt Below, Contained Some Good
Pools Of Fresh Water Higher Up.
To the southward of this creek, there
were four very remarkable flat-topped cones of sandstone, which appeared
like a plateau cut into four detached masses.
These I called the "Four
Archers," in honour of my excellent hosts Messrs. David, Charles, John,
and Thomas Archer of Moreton Bay. From the eastern one, I enjoyed a fine
view, and distinguished distant ranges broken by a gap to the southward,
and detached long-stretched ridges to the westward.
I went with Charley to examine the river, in order to find a fording
place, in which we succeeded at about four miles south-west from our
camp, in lat. 15 degrees 30 minutes 31 seconds; where a stony bar crossed
the salt water, leaving a small channel in which the tide formed a
shallow stream. The bed of the river became very broad and sandy, covered
with shrubs like those of the Lynd and most of the other rivers we had
passed.
Oct. 14. - We crossed the river, and travelled about ten miles north-west,
over a succession of stony ridges, separated by fine open tea-tree and
box flats. Some fine shallow sandy watercourses, quite dry, went down to
the north by east. At the end of the stage, the uniform colour of the
country was interrupted by the green line of a river-bed, so pleasing and
so refreshing to the eye, with the rich verdure of its drooping tea-trees
and myrtles, interspersed with the silver leaves of Acacia neurocarpa and
Grevillea chrysodendron. The river was formed by two broad sandy beds,
separated by a high bergue, and was full 700 yards from bank to bank. It
contained large detached water-pools fringed with Pandanus, which were
very probably connected by a stream filtering through the sands, I called
it the "Wickham," in honour of Captain Wickham, R.N. of Moreton Bay, who
had recently commanded a survey of the north-west coast of New Holland,
in H.M.S. Beagle.
The red wallabi (Halmaturus agilis, GOULD) was very numerous along the
gullies of the river: and we started a flock of red foresters (Osphranter
Antilopinus, GOULD) out of a patch of scrub on the brow of a stony hill.
Charley and Brown, accompanied by Spring, pursued them, and killed a fine
young male. I had promised my companions that, whenever a kangaroo was
caught again, it should be roasted whole, whatever its size might be. We
had consequently a roasted Red Forester for supper, and we never rolled
ourselves up in our blankets more satisfied with a repast.
Brown found a Eugenia, with large white blossoms and large coriaceous
oblong lanceolate shining leaves; it was a tree of thirty or forty feet
high, with a grey bark, and a good hard wood. It was growing at the upper
part of the creek on which we were encamped last night.
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