The Mountains Were So Rocky, Where They
Entered The Bed Of The River, That We Were Obliged To Leave Its Banks,
And Travel Over A Very Difficult Country.
On the small flats, the apple-gum grew with a few scattered Moreton Bay
ash trees; on the bergues of the river we found the white cedar (Melia
azedarach), Clerodendron; an asclepiadaceous shrub with large triangular
seed-vessels; and, on the hills, the blood-wood and stringy-bark.
The
rock, as far as I examined it, was of porphyry of great hardness, and
composing hills of an almost conical form.
June 7. - The same difficult country not only continued, but rather
increased. Charley told me last night, on his return from a walk, that he
had found sandstone. To-day we travelled over porphyries like those of
the last stage: but, about four miles from the last camp, steep sandstone
rocks with excavations appeared on our left, at some distance from the
river, from which they were separated by porphyry; but, farther on, they
approached the river on both sides, and formed steep slopes, which
compelled us to travel along the bed of the river itself. Two large
creeks joined the river from the southward, one of which was running, and
also made the river run until the stream lost itself in the sandy bed. At
the end of the stage, however, the stream re-appeared, and we were fairly
on the fourth flowing river of the expedition: for the Condamine,
although not constantly, was raised by rains, and showed the origin of
its supply, by the muddy nature of its waters; the Dawson commenced
running where we left it; and the Burdekin, with several of its
tributaries, was running as far as we followed it.
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