Narrative Of The Overland Expedition Of The Messrs. Jardine, From Rockhampton To Cape York, Northern Queensland By Frank Jardine And Alexander Jardine
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From This Gap A Point Of The Range
On The South Side Was Sighted, Running Into The River, And For This
They Steered.
At 4 miles a small lagoon was passed, 300 yards out
from the river, and a quarter-of-a-
Mile further on, a broad, shallow,
sandy creek(then dry), which was named "Pluto Creek." At 8 miles a
small rugged hill was passed on the left hand, and the point of the
range steered for reached at 9. At 12 a large well-watered creek was
crossed, and the party camped at the end of 18 miles on a similar
one. The general course N.N.W., and lay chiefly over very stony
ridges, close to the river banks. The timber was chiefly box,
iron-bark, and melaleuca, the latter growing in the shallow bed, in
which also large granite boulders frequently occurred. Though
shallow, it contained fine pools and reaches of water, in some of
which very fine fish were observed. Eighteen miles (Camp II.)
'September' 5. - After crossing the creek, on which they had camped,
at its junction, the party followed down a narrow river flat for four
miles, to where a large sandy creek joins it from the north. The
steepness of its banks and freedom from fallen timber, suggested the
name of "Canal Creek" - it is about 80 yards wide. Two miles
further down a small creek joins, and at 12 miles a high rocky hill
was reached. From this hill a bar of granite rock extends across the
river to a similar one on the south side. A fine view was obtained
from its summit showing them the course of the river. Up to this
point the course had been N.W. After passing through a gap,
immediately under and on the north of the rocky hill they were forced
by the river into a northerly course for two miles, at which they
crossed a spur of the range running into it, so rugged that they were
obliged to lead their horses. Beyond this they emerged on to a
basaltic plain, timbered with box and bloodwood, and so stony as to
render the walking very severe for the horses. The basalt continued
for the rest of the day. At about 18 miles a large creek was
crossed, running into an ana-branch. The banks of the river which
border the basaltic plain are very high and steep on both sides.
Running the ana-branch down for four miles, the camp was pitched,
after a tedious and fatiguing day's march. (Camp III.)
'September' 6. - The ana-branch camped on last night being found to
run parallel to the course of the river, received the name of
Parallel Creek. Its average width is about 150 yards, well watered,
and full of melaleucas and fallen timber. The country on its north
bank down to its junction with the river 20 miles from the junction
of Warroul Creek, is broken into ridges of quartz and sand-stone,
stony, and poorly grassed.
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