Journals Of Expeditions Of Discovery Into Central Australia And Overland From Adelaide To King George's Sound In The Years 1840-1: Sent By The Colonists Of South Australia By Eyre, Edward John
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I Was Myself Of The Opinion That A
Hole Probably Existed To The North-East Similar To The One We Had Found
In The Plains Behind Point Brown, Where The Access Is Difficult, And The
Quantity Procurable At Any One Time Not Very Great.
The scrub we had
traversed to-day was principally of salt-water tea-tree, growing upon a
succession of
Steep sandy ridges, which presented a formidable barrier to
the progress of the drays; the distance to be accomplished was not above
fourteen miles; but so difficult was the nature of the country, and so
oppressive the heat, that, notwithstanding our very early start, it was
four o'clock in the afternoon before we arrived at the place of
destination, which was called by the natives, "Mobeela gaippe."
The horses and men were greatly fatigued, but for the latter,
the labours of the day were far from being over, for, upon arriving
at the place where the water was to be procured, I found that
the holes, sunk by the natives, were through ridges of a loose sand to a
depth of fourteen or fifteen feet, at the bottom of which, water was
obtained in very small quantities. There were several of these holes
still open, and the traces of many others in every direction around,
which had either fallen in or been filled up by the drifting of the sand.
These singular wells, although sunk through a loose sand to a depth of
fourteen or fifteen feet, were only about two feet in diameter at the
bore, quite circular, carried straight down, and the work beautifully
executed.
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