I Rode With Brown To The Westward, Over A
Succession Of Ironstone Ridges Covered With Stringy-Bark Scrub.
These
ridges formed steep headlands into the broad flat valley of the river.
Along the valley, bare sandy and boggy plains alternated with tea-tree
thickets and mangrove swamps, in one of which our horses got deeply
bogged.
After five miles we came on a large piece of salt water, which,
according to Brown, was a tributary creek of the river. It flowed between
low banks fringed with tea-trees. We followed a foot-path of the natives,
who seemed very numerous, which led towards another range west by south;
and crossed several tea-tree creeks, Pandanus groves, and swamps full of
a high blady grass. We observed some springs, with but little water
however, though densely surrounded with ferns (Osmunda). After about
seven miles, we were stopped by a fern swamp full of fine box-trees, with
a thick jungle of high stiff grasses and ferns (Blechnum). A small
running creek formed its outlet, and contained a chain of deep ponds
covered with Nymphaeas, and surrounded with Typha (bull-rush), the
youngest part of the leaves of which is very tolerable eating. Large
swarms of ducks (Leptotarsis Eytoni, GOULD), rose with their peculiar
whistling noise, at our approach.
Oct. 10. - I moved my camp to the chain of lagoons, which we found
yesterday; and our horses and cattle enjoyed the fine feed. The largest
hill of the range to the westward, bore south-west from our camp.
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