Reduced As Our Provisions Were, We Could Not Resist The Temptation Of
Halting In This Beautiful Country For A Couple
Of days, to allow us time
to ascertain its precise situation, and to ride down the banks of the
river
Northerly as far as we could go and return in one day. The banks
of the river in our neighbourhood were low and grassy, with a margin of
gravel and pebble stones; there were marks of flood to the height of
about twelve feet, when the river would still be confined within its
secondary banks, and not overflow the rich lands that border it. Its
proper width in times of flood would be from six to eight hundred feet,
its present and usual width is about two hundred feet. The blue gum
trees in the neighbourhood were extremely fine, whilst that species of
eucalyptus, which is vulgarly called the apple tree, and which we had
not seen since we quitted the eastern coast, again made its appearance
on the flats, and of large size; as was the casuarina filifolia, growing
here and there on its immediate banks.
The day throughout was as fine as could be imagined, and it was spent
with a more cheerful feeling than we had experienced since we quitted
the depot on the Lachlan. The river running through the valley was named
Bell's River, in compliment to Brevet Major Bell, of the 48th Regiment;
the valley Wellington Valley; and the stream on which we halted on
Sunday, Molle's Rivulet.
August 20. - The day proved as favourable as could be wished, and the
observations placed our situation in lat. 32. 32. 45. S., and our
compared long. 148. 51. 30. E., the variation of the needle being
8. 38. 38. E. A valuable discovery was made in the course of the day by
the men who were out with the dogs, the hills bounding the east side of
Wellington Vale being found of the purest limestone, of precisely
similar quality with that found at Limestone Creek. We were never due
north of that place, and it is more than probable that the same stratum
extends on the same meridian through the country.
August 21 - At eight o'clock, accompanied by Mr. Evans and
Mr. Cunningham, set out on our intended excursion down the Macquarie
River. Crossing Bell's River in the valley, we came in a mile to where
the steep rocky hills forming the west side of the vale advance their
perpendicular cliffs directly over the river. These hills we soon
rounded, and entered the vale north of them: I shall not in this place
attempt to describe the rich and beautiful country that opened to our
view in every direction. Alternate fine grazing hills, fertile flats and
valleys, formed its general outline; whilst the river, an object to us
of peculiar interest, was sometimes contracted to a width of from sixty
to eighty feet between rocky cliffs of vast perpendicular height, and
again expanded into noble and magnificent reaches of the width of at
least two hundred feet, washing some of the richest tracts of land that
can be found in any country; the banks were in those reaches low and
shelving, and covered with pebbles, whilst even at the highest floods
secondary banks restrained the river from doing the smallest damage:
these secondary banks might be from six to eight hundred feet in width,
and I think the highest marks of flood did not exceed twenty feet
perpendicular.
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