I Turned To The Northward, And Found A
Practicable Path Between The Hills, And Came, After Crossing A Small
Sandy Creek To A Fine Salt-Water River, As Broad As Any We Had Seen.
High
hills were at its left bank; and, as we followed it up in a direction S.
60 degrees W., the right became more broken, and the vegetation richer.
A
very conspicuous foot-path led us through heaps of cockle shells to a
fishing station of the natives, where they seemed to have a permanent
camp; the huts being erected in a substantial manner with poles, and
thatched with grass and the leaves of Pandanus; there were extensive fire
places containing heaps of pebbles; and an abundance of fish bones. The
weir was, as usual, formed with dry sticks, across a shallow part of the
river. A spring of fresh water was below the camp at the edge of high
water. As the tide was high, and an abundant supply of fresh water was
found in a creek which joined the river a few hundred yards from the
fishery, we encamped on the creek, in lat. 16 degrees 28 minutes 57
seconds, lon. 137 degrees 23 minutes. I consider this river to be the
"Abel Tasman" of the Dutch navigators: and that it is probably joined by
the Calvert. Its flats were well-grassed, and very openly timbered with
bloodwood, stringy-bark, leguminous Ironbark, then in blossom, and a
large tree with white smooth bark, spreading branches, and pinnate
leaves.
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