Our course for the first six or
seven miles being to the north-north-east, and afterwards north-east half
east, which latter course I intended to steer for some time. It was the
best day's travelling we had experienced since quitting the Macquarie
River, being generally over low strong ridges, the sides and summits of
some of which were very thick brush of cypress trees, and small shrubs,
particularly the last two miles. We stopped for the evening in an
extensive low valley north of Mount Exmouth, and running under its base,
bounded on the north-east by low forest hills. To the south the hills
were rocky, abrupt, and precipitous. On the whole we accomplished eleven
miles.
August 11. - Our route lay over low valleys of considerable extent of
open forest ground, but so soft and boggy, that it was with difficulty
we made any progress: it would seem that much rain had fallen here
lately, and completely saturated the soil, which is a light, sandy
mould. In these valleys there are small streams of water, having their
origin in the surrounding hills; they all terminate northerly. We could
accomplish but seven miles on a north-east by east course. In the
evening we had an awful storm of thunder and lightning, accompanied with
torrents of rain. The reverberation of sound among the hills was
astonishing. The natives continue in our vicinity unheeded, and
unheeding: even the noise of their mogo upon the trees is a relief from
the otherwise utter loneliness of feeling we cannot help experiencing in
these desolate wilds.
August 12. - We found that we could not maintain our direct course, as
the low ground was so boggy, that the horses were altogether unable to
move on it. Keeping therefore the banks of the little stream where the
ground was firmer, we reached the chain of hills bounding the valley to
the southward: we wound along the base of the hills on a variety of
courses, not being able to quit them twenty yards without being bogged.
Finding that the hills trended too much to the south-west, we kept down
the bed of a small stream for two or three miles, and halted on a fine
apple tree flat of rich land, watered by a very fine small stream, which
was joined by the one we came down. The main strewn ran to the
northward. The apple tree flats are uniformly of firm hard ground, while
the soil on which grow the iron-bark, pine, and box, is as invariably a
loose sand, rendered by the rain a perfect quicksand. These bogs are the
more provoking, as without such impediments the country is clear and
open, and as favourable for travelling over as could be wished: we have
had any thing but a dry season, and it is to the heavy rain which might
naturally be expected to fall near high mountains, that our present
difficulties must be ascribed. We travelled between nine and ten miles,
but our course made good was nearly south-east only five miles. A few
new plants were found: the hills were a mere bed of iron ore.
August 13. - We proceeded at our usual hour; and did not halt till near
sunset, but accomplished no more than six miles, in the course of which
the horses were obliged to be unladen, and the men carried the loads
upwards of half a mile before the horses could be got across the
quicksands. They are indeed properly so termed, consisting of two or
three inches of light mould, on about eighteen inches of loose sand, the
whole covering a rocky or stony bottom. On treading on them, water would
fly up several inches; and it was with difficulty men could pass over
them, much less horses. Quicksands of a similar nature prevented our
reaching a small creek running under a high craggy ridge of hills;
we therefore stopped at the edges of them, every body completely
worn out. The appearance of the country passed over was most desolate
and forbidding, but quite open, interspersed with miserable rocky crags,
on which grew the cypress and eucalyptus. On the more level portions
of the country, a new and large species of eucalyptus, and another of
its genus (the iron bark), were the principal if not the only trees.
Many of the rocks were pointed and basaltic, but the general species
was a coarse sandstone. Miserable as the country was in other respects,
it was fruitful in new plants.
August 14. - As it rained hard during the night, and the rain still
continued to fall in thick showers, I thought it advisable to rest.
August 15. - Cloudy, with strong winds from the south-east. We crossed
the creek about two miles from our resting-place, but soon found that
any attempt to advance in that quarter would be abortive, the morass and
quicksands extending into the very water, and denying all egress. We
therefore recrossed the rivulet about a mile more northerly with better
success, and succeeded in gaining some stony hills, which, with two or
three intervening marshy valleys, continued for the rest of the day's
route; the latter part being up very high, rocky, barren hills, with
narrow defiles. From these heights we descended into a pretty valley of
considerable extent, and, to our great joy, of sound, firm soil, with
plenty of good grass: the water however was strongly impregnated with
iron, so that we could hardly drink it. This valley, which we named
Wiltden Valley, was enclosed on all sides except the north, by lofty,
rocky hills of coarse sandstone, adorned with various species of acacia
in full bloom, with a vast variety of other flowering shrubs of the most
beautiful and delicate description, adding greatly to our botanical
collection. We accomplished in the whole twelve or thirteen miles, about
six of which were in the direction of our proper course.
August 16.
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