17th April to the 25th April.
Was occupied in ascending the Murchison River by easy stages to the
junction of the Impey, the highest point attained by me last year. The
only observations worthy of remark were that the inundation had not been
so great as that which occurred the previous summer, the grass up to this
point not being by any means so abundant as I had found it on my former
visit; the volume of water now running in the bed of the river being,
however, at this time about the same, although none of the tributaries,
including the Roderick and Impey, had been in flood, little or no rain
having fallen to the west of the 117th degree of longitude, except to the
north of latitude 26 degrees.
I availed myself of the opportunity afforded to make several additions
and corrections to the map of this part of the country, verifying the
correction made by me last year in the latitude of Mount Murchison and
adjacent hills. By an improved series of triangulation and a carefully
observed set of lunar distances, I am inclined to place Mount Murchison
in about longitude 116 degrees 30 minutes east, which makes it more
nearly approximate to the longitude formerly given by Mr. Austin.
The variation of the compass I found by several amplitudes to be 2
degrees 30 minutes west. The bed of the Murchison River is here about
1,077 feet above the sea. In addition to the fish and game formerly
observed on this part of the river, we met with large flocks of the
gallinule, which have for so many years excited the curiosity of the
colonists as to their habitat; from subsequent observations it is evident
they come from much further to the north-eastward. But one party of
natives had as yet been seen, consisting of eight or ten, who chased our
native Dugel to the camp while out shooting, but it was difficult to
ascertain whether with hostile intentions. From this time to our return
we regularly mounted sentry during the night, and no one was allowed to
quit the party any distance alone--a precautionary measure the necessity
of which was fully borne out by the sequel.
26th April.
From our camp, which was situated about eight miles west of Mount
Murchison, we fairly commenced the exploration of unknown country.
Following the river nearly north-north-east for fourteen miles it turned
abruptly to the east; we, however, held our course, which at four miles
further brought us to the foot of Mount Narryer, which we ascended, and
procured a valuable round of angles from its summit. This hill has an
altitude of 1,688 feet above the sea, and is formed by the eruption of a
coarse dark-coloured crystalline trap through a base of amorphous
sandstone, the direction of the range of which it forms a part being
nearly north and south. Skirting round the north end of this range, we
struck east over a stony plain, thinly grassed amongst open wattles, and
at five miles again came upon the Murchison some time after dark. The
pools here were somewhat larger than for many miles below, being from
sixty to eighty yards wide and half a mile in length, the water in them
becoming decidedly brackish; samphire, atriplex, and other salsolaceous
plants being abundant on the banks.
27th April.
We only advanced nine miles, owing to Mr. Moore and Dugel having to
return for one of the water-beakers, which had been torn off the
pack-saddle the previous night in a thicket. Towards our bivouac, which
was in latitude 26 degrees 23 minutes 38 seconds, the country near the
river improved much, the channel of the river becoming very shallow; the
water had spread over the flats for more than half a mile on either side,
large flooded-gum trees growing abundantly with a fine sward of grass
beneath, the soil being a rich brown clay loam. Gallinule and cockatoos
were in large flocks feeding on the grass seeds, which were now nearly
ripe.
28th April.
To latitude 28 degrees 7 minutes the river continued to come from north
by east through an extensive plain, bounded on the west by a low range of
trap and granite hills, at an average distance of six or seven miles,
while to the eastward only a few distant peaks were visible, flooded-gum
growing plentifully for more than a mile back from the river, on flats of
tolerably good pasture. Receding somewhat further from the river, the
country opens out into extensive plains yielding but little grass;
atriplex bush and thinly scattered stunted acacia and melaleuca trees
forming almost the entire vegetation.
29th April.
A few miles nearly north brought us to where a considerable tributary
joins the Murchison from the north, the river trending first north-east,
then east, and finally towards the afternoon it came from the southward
of east, our bivouac being only seven miles north of the previous night,
while we had made nearly eighteen miles of easting. The bed of the river
had gradually become more rocky as we ascended, gneiss with quartz dykes
passing through it and yielding a large quantity of salt, rendered the
running water of the river scarcely drinkable; the only fresh water was
found in the back channels filled by the late inundations. The ranges
which ran parallel to the river to the westward terminated some miles to
the north of the bend. Another range, apparently granitic and broken up
into detached peaks, commencing a little to the eastward of its
termination, runs east for about twenty miles at the distance of six or
seven miles from the north bank of the river.
To the eastward an elevated range with two conspicuous summits, which
were respectively named Mount Matthew and Mount Hale, terminated the view
in that direction, while to the south only a few detached peaks were
visible.
To-day we first observed a very beautiful convolvulus, which we
afterwards found to bear roots like a sweet potato, some of them more
than a pound weight and well flavoured, forming a very important article
of food to the natives. The flowers are numerous, and measure from two to
three inches in diameter, their outer edges of a dark lilac, deepening to
a rich purple at the centre, with a pale green convolute ribbing on the
outside, the stem and leaf of the plant resembling the kennedya. Mr.
Drummond, to whom I have described it, considers it an important
discovery, as by cultivation it might become a valuable addition to our
Australian esculents.
A small species of rock-melon was also found in great abundance about the
size of a pigeon's egg, somewhat bitter to the taste, but they were not
ripe; in other respects it much resembles the cultivated varieties.
The bed of the river at this night's bivouac had attained an elevation of
1,240 feet above the sea.