The West Side Of Mount
Flinders Was Covered With Quartz, Whilst The Larger Pieces Of Rock, On
Being Broken, Appeared To Be An Indurated Sandstone.
June 23.
- The watering our horses took us up so much time, that it was
ten o'clock before we set forward to the northward. After proceeding
about four miles, the country became much more open, extending east and
west over a flat level plain, the botany of which, in every respect,
resembled Field's Plains; except that a new species of eucalyptus took
place of the acacia pendula. A flock of large kangaroos was seen for the
first time since we quitted the Lachlan; also many emus and bustards.
Our dogs killed three kangaroos and two emus. The soil of these plains
was a stiff tenacious clay, and had every appearance of being frequently
under water: as we were now in the parallel of the spot where the river
divided into branches, the altered appearance of the country induced us
to hope that we should shortly fall in with some permanent water, and be
relieved from the constant anxiety attendant on the precarious supply to
which we had lately been enured.
After going eight miles and a quarter, we suddenly came upon the banks
of the river; I call it the river, for it could certainly be no other
than the Lachlan, which we had quitted nearly five weeks before. Our
astonishment was extreme, since it was an incident little expected by
any one. It was here extremely diminished in size, but was still nearly
equal in magnitude to the south-west branch which we last quitted.
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