I Ascended A
Lofty Hill, Situated About A Mile And A Half To The West Of Our
Encampment, And Found
It composed of felspathic porphyry, with a greyish
paste containing small crystals of felspar; but, in the bed of the
River,
the same rock was of a greenish colour, and contained a great number of
pebbles of various rocks, giving it the aspect of a conglomerate; but
recognisable by its crystals of felspar, and from its being connected
with the rock of the hill. From the top of the hill, which is wooded with
a silver-leaved Ironbark, I saw a very mountainous country to the N.N.W.
and northward, formed into detached ranges and isolated peaks, some of
which were apparently very high; but to the north-west and west no ranges
were visible.
A thunder-storm threatened on the 4th, but we had only some light
showers: the morning of the 5th was very hot, and the afternoon rainy.
Wind from north and north-east. Nights clear.
April 6. - We travelled about ten miles N. 35 degrees W. over a ridgy,
openly timbered, stony and sandy country, and crossed several sandy
creeks, in which a species of Melaleuca, and another of Tristania were
growing. No part of the country that we had yet seen, resembled the
northern parts of New England so much as this. The rock was almost
exclusively granitic isolated blocks; detached heaps, and low ridges
composed of it were frequently met with in the open forest. We passed two
small hillocks of milkwhite quartz; fragments of this rock, as well as of
calcareous spar, were often observed scattered over the ground. The river
here made a large bend to the northward, still keeping parallel to
Robey's Range, or a spur of it; and, when it again turned to the
westward, another fine high range was visible to the north by east and
north-east of it; which I named "Porter's Range," in acknowledgment of
the kindness of another of the contributors to my expedition. Its
latitude is about 20 degrees 14 minutes.
April 7. - Travelled about ten miles N. 70 degrees W. The country became
more level, more open, and better grassed; the gullies were farther
apart, and headed generally in fine hollows. Two large creeks joined the
river from the westward; and a still larger one came from the northward,
and which probably carries off the water from the country round a fine
peak, and a long razorback mountain which we saw in that direction.
North-west of Porter's Range, and between it and the razorback, were two
small peaks. The timber is of the same kind, but larger. The poplar-gum
was more frequent, and we always found patches of fine grass near it;
even when all the surrounding Ironbark bark forest was burnt. The large
clustered fig-trees were not numerous along the river; we perhaps passed
from three to five in the course of a day's journey; though young ones,
without fruit, were often seen.
Heavy clouds gathered during the afternoon of the 6th, and it rained
throughout the night; the wind was from N. and N.E. In the morning of the
7th some drops of rain fell, but the weather cleared up during the day;
wind easterly. The moon changed this day, and we experienced a heavy
thunder-storm during the afternoon.
April 8. - We travelled about nine miles N. 70 degrees W., to latitude 20
degrees 9 minutes 11 seconds. The river made a bend to the southward, and
then, at a sharp angle, turned again to the north-west. At this angle a
large creek joined it from the south; another instance of creeks joining
larger channels, coming in a direction almost opposite to their course.
Two other creeks joined the Burdekin during this stage; one from the
south-west, and another from the north. The grass was particularly rich
at these junctions. The river became considerably narrower, but still had
a fine stream. Thunder-storms had probably fallen higher up its course,
causing a fresh; for its waters, hitherto clear, had become turbid.
Narrow patches of brush were occasionally met with along its banks, and I
noticed several brush trees, common in other parts of the country.
Besides the clustered fig, and another species with rough leaves and
small downy purple fruit, there were a species of Celtis; the Melia
Azederach (White Cedar); a species of Phyllanthus, (a shrub from six to
ten feet high); an Asclepiadaceous climber, with long terete twin
capsules; and several Cucurbitaceae, one with oblong fruit about an inch
long, another with a round fruit half an inch in diameter, red and white,
resembling a gooseberry; a third was of an oblong form, two inches and a
half long and one broad; and a fourth was of the size and form of an
orange, and of a beautiful scarlet colour: the two last had an
excessively bitter taste. The night and morning were cloudy, with a
southerly wind, but it cleared up at eleven o'clock. Cumuli in the
afternoon, with wind from the south-east.
From our camp we saw a range of hills, bearing between N. 5 degrees W.
and N. 10 degrees W.; they were about three miles distant. I called them
"Thacker's Range," in acknowledgment of the support I received
from - Thacker, Esq., of Sidney.
April 9. - We travelled about nine miles W. by N., and made our latitude
20 degrees 8 minutes 26 seconds. The western end of Thacker's Range bore
N.E. Two large creeks joined the river from the south and south-west. The
country was openly timbered; the Moreton Bay ash grew along the bergue of
the river, where a species of Grewia seemed its inseparable companion.
The flooded-gum occupied the hollows and slopes of the river banks, which
were covered with a high stiff grass to the water's edge, and the stream
was fringed with a thicket of drooping tea trees, which were
comparatively small, and much bent by the force of floods, the probable
frequency of which may account for the reduced size of the tree.
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