- On Friday we returned to the entrance of the haven, and
immediately commenced our endeavours to construct a canoe:
Our first
essays were unsuccessful, but by Saturday night we had a bark one
completed, which we hoped would answer our purpose; though I think if the
natives saw it they would ridicule our rude attempts. This morning, the
ebb tide answering, we commenced transporting our luggage, and in three
hours every thing was safe over. A very serious misfortune however
occurred in swimming the horses across: two of them were seized with the
cramp near the middle of the channel, one with difficulty gained the
shore, the other sank instantly and was seen no more; he was one of our
best and strongest horses, and even now their weak state can ill afford a
diminution in their number. This haven appears to have a perfectly safe
entrance for boats and small craft at all times of tide, except at dead
low water with a strong surge from the eastward, when it slightly breaks,
but is still quite safe for boats if not for larger vessels. When we were
in it, there appeared a safe and deep channel through the sand shoals
which spread over it: the channel also appeared deep leading into the
inner haven. There is plenty of fresh water in swamps, on almost every
part of the shore on which we were. The higher lands abound with good
timber, the points nearest the sea being covered with Banksia
integrifolia, of large dimensions, fit for any kind of boat timber. It is
high water full and change at ten minutes after nine, and the tide
appears to rise between four and six feet. From a point near the
entrance, several bearings were taken; and we also saw another large
lake, or perhaps fresh water lagoon, Under the southernmost of the Three
Brothers. A sunken rock was also discovered off to sea, lying upwards of
two miles from the next point southerly of us, and bearing S. 5. W.:
a deep clear channel lies between it and the shore. At one o'clock we
departed, and by sunset had accomplished near fourteen miles of our
journey. We saw the large lake under the Brothers from a high point on
the coast very clearly, and found that on the north it was bounded by the
North Brother, and separated from the sea by a strip of low marshy land
about three quarters of a mile wide. This lake I think is a fresh water
one: it was named Watson Taylor's Lake. The country west and southerly of
the Brothers consisted of low forest hills; and a range of hills of
moderate height, the entrance of which bore west-south-west distant
twenty or twenty-five miles, ended near Cape Hawke, the country
being to that range very low with marshes. A strip of sandy land
half a mile wide bounds the shore, on which is good grass and water.
On the beach where we halted we found a small boat nearly buried in
the sand, but quite perfect. It had belonged to a Hawkesbury vessel,
belonging to one Mills, which had been lost some time ago, and the
crew of which perished. We halted on the beach, the South Brother
bearing W. 32. N., and the Reef N. 53 1/2. E., and which we now saw
extended near three quarters of a mile north and south, and lying two
marine miles from the shore. It appears dangerous, since in fine weather
(as to-day) the north part of the reef only breaks occasionally.
October 19. - Proceeded on our journey up the coast: on attempting to cut
off a point of land which would have saved us a distance of some miles,
we found that the low part of the country was an entire fresh water
swamp, interspersed with thick barren brushes, in all respects resembling
the country between Sydney and Botany Bay. We therefore returned again on
the beach, and crossing nearer to the point in question found the remains
of a hut, which had evidently been constructed by Europeans, the saw and
axe having been employed on it. About four miles farther on the beach,
towards Cape Hawke, our progress was stopped by a very extensive inlet,
the mouth of which was nearly a mile wide. It was near high water, and the
sea broke right across with tremendous violence, affording us little hope,
circumstanced as we were, of being able to effect a passage. As we had
always experienced the difficulty, not to say impracticability of
attempting to go round such inlets as these. we stopped about half
a mile inside the entrance, on a spot affording good grass and water
for the horses, the greater part of which were entirely knocked up;
insomuch that I began to fear we would take very few of them to
Newcastle. It being early in the day, a party proceeded to explore
the shores of the inlet, to ascertain if it was possible for us to
proceed round it. After several hours' examination, and walking from
six to eight miles, we were obliged to give up all intention of
proceeding circuitously; and found that our efforts must be directed
to effect a passage near the entrance, since numerous fresh water
runs having their source in deep and impassable swamps or lagoons,
presented an insurmountable barrier to the horses. The main inlet
extended in two wide and extensive branches to the south-west and west,
the termination of which could not be seen, the water being apparently
deep; and the country to the westward rising into forest hills. In this
perplexing situation, with no other prospect before us but that of
effecting our own passage in a bark canoe, and being obliged to leave the
horses behind us; since the width of the channel (which at low water we
had the satisfaction to perceive did not exceed a quarter of a mile)
and the extreme rapidity of the tide, which ran at the rate of at
least three miles per hour, precluded all reasonable hope that,
in their present weak state, they would have strength to swim over.
In this state, the boat which had been washed on the beach suddenly
occurred to us.
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