We Halted In A Fine And Spacious
Valley, Where Art, So Far As It Is An Auxiliary Of Beauty, Would Have
Been Detrimental To The Fresher And Simpler Garb Of Nature.
This valley
was watered by a fine brook, and at a a distance of a mile we saw several
fires, at which appeared many natives:
Upon discovering us, however, they
immediately departed. I think that the most fastidious sportsman would
have derived ample amusement during our days journey. He might without
moving have seen the finest coursing, from the commencement of the chase
to the death of the game: and when tired of killing kangaroos, he might
have seen emus hunted with equal success. We numbered swans and ducks
among our acquisitions, which in truth were caught without much exertion
on our part, or deviating, in the least from our course. Granite and a
hard whinstone were the most predominant among the stones; small pieces
of quartz, and loose rotten slates covered the tracks, on which grew
some of the finest stringy bark trees I ever saw. Indeed the other timber,
which consisted chiefly of common blue gum, was far larger than usually
seen on forest lands. That species of casuarina called the beef wood
(or she oak), was also seen to-day for the first time: it is in part
a coast tree, and sufficiently denoted that we were approaching the sea.
Observed the variation of the compass to be 8. 51. E.
September 9. - In the night we had a severe frost, which in the morning
was succeeded by a dense fog.
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