Keeping To The Westward Of The Scrub, I Followed
A Creek Which Farther On Divided In A Chain Of Ponds, Into Which The
Waters Of The Field Of Basalt, As Well As Of The Basaltic Ridges To The
Westward Of It, Collected.
These ridges were perfectly level at their
summits, and were connected with a table land which extended far to the
west.
At their foot sienite, quartz rock, and leptinite, were observed.
After turning round the field of lava to the eastward, we entered into a
large flat, with patches of narrow-leaved tea tree, with reedy swamps and
fine flooded-gum trees, and made our camp at a strong running brook,
without trees, but densely surrounded with reeds, ferns, and pothos. This
stream formed the outlet of some fine lagoons, which extended along the
steep slopes of the basaltic table land. I crossed the creek and its flat
to the opposite hills. The flat was one level sheet or floor of basalt,
here and there covered with a very shallow soil, but sometimes bare,
though clothed with a fair supply of grass and with scattered flooded-gum
trees. At the foot of the eastern hills, however, deep holes existed in a
water-course, with black blocks of basalt heaped over each other, on
which the fig tree with its dark green foliage formed a shady bower, most
delightful during the heat of the day. The hills were composed of a
lamellar granite, approaching the stratified appearance of gneiss, but
the leaflets of mica, instead of forming continuous layers, were
scattered. The east side of the narrow watercourse was of primitive rock,
the west side basaltic. Having passed over the hills, I made the river at
their east side. Its banks were open for access as far as the primitive
rock extended, but another field of lava commenced higher up, and
rendered any progress with our cattle impossible.
A native low shrubby Mulberry was found in this scrub, the fruit of which
was good to eat, but of very small size.
From the top of the hills I enjoyed a most beautiful view of the valley
of the river, with its large lagoons covered with Nymphaeas and
Damasoniums. On one of the lagoons, Charley shot a Parra gallinacea, a
bird which Mr. Gilbert had observed only at Port Essington. A well beaten
path of the natives showed that they were numerous in this part of the
country: we saw many of their camping places during the stage; and the
fires of their camps were numerous; we saw a party of them, but they were
too frightened to allow us to approach. Our latitude was 18 degrees 44
minutes 48 seconds. Our course was about N.N.W.
May 4. - We ascended the basaltic ridges, and reaching the table land,
found it perfectly level, openly timbered, well grassed, but occasionally
stony, by which our poor foot-sore bullocks suffered severely. About five
miles north-west by west from our camp, we discovered an extensive valley
with large lagoons and lakes, and a most luxuriant vegetation, bounded by
blue distant ranges, and forming the most picturesque landscape we had
yet met with. A chain of lagoons connected by a reedy brook followed the
outlines of the table land, along the foot of its steep slopes. We
descended by a tolerably gentle slope into the valley, and encamped near
the reedy brook, which must be the same as that on which, lower down, our
last camp was formed. Water, grass, hills, mountains, plains, forest
land; all the elements of a fine pasturing country, were here united.
During one of the last stages, we discovered a leguminous tree, with the
dark fissured bark of the Ironbark, but with large bipinnate leaves, the
leaflets oblong, an inch in length; the pods broad and thin, and two or
three inches long: this tree is common all over the northern part of the
continent, and was found growing abundantly around Victoria, the
principal settlement of Port Essington.
Mr. Roper and Brown, upon an excursion after ducks, which were very
numerous on the lagoons, met with Blackfellows, who were willing to
accost Brown, but could not bear the sudden sight of a white face. In
trying to cross the valley, my course was intercepted every way by deep
reedy and sedgy lagoons, which rendered my progress impossible. I saw,
however, that this valley was also floored with a sheet of lava hollowed
out into numerous deep basins, in which the water collected and formed
the lagoons.
May 5. - I went with Charley to reconnoitre the upper part of the reedy
brook, with a view to find a passage over the table land to the westward;
at the same time I sent Mr. Roper and Brown to trace the river through
the lagoons, and to examine whether there was any connection between
them. I followed the base of the basaltic table land, along which the
brook came down, and, after a two miles' ride on its banks, through oak
trees, low fern trees, and several bush trees, found that it came down a
valley deeply cut into the table land. The floor of the valley was of
basaltic rock, and its steep slopes were covered with boulders of the
same formation. The water ran in two distinct beds through the fissures,
hollows, and caves of the rock. As our horses could not travel over the
sharp edges of the rock without injuring their feet, we ascended the
table land, and rode to the northward about four miles, and then came on
plains, in which we distinguished a meandering band of green verdure,
which proved to be the same brook we had left, or one of its head waters.
We followed it through a series of plains, from one of which a blue
mountain was visible to the north-west. I called it "Mount Lang," after
Dr. Lang, the distinguished historiographer of New South Wales. Smoke was
seen to the westward.
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