31st July.
Leaving the camp at 7.40 a.m., pursued a south-east course, soon leaving
the grassy flats of the creek and entering a melaleuca scrub; at 8.20
ascended the tableland by a gentle slope; the country was now sandy with
much bush of acacia, grevillia, and bossiaca, with triodia in the more
open part of the forest, which consisted of paper-bark gums. The
prevailing rock was ironstone conglomerate, and hard white sandstone
sometimes appeared; after 10.0 the country declined to the south, and we
passed through a belt of cypress scrub; at 1.15 p.m. altered the course
to east-south-east; crossed a rough sandstone ridge and came on a deep
valley with sandstone cliffs on each side; with some difficulty descended
the rocks and reached a small watercourse which was quite dry; but
observing some very green trees about a mile to the north-west at the
foot of the rocks, turned towards them and found a fine spring of water
flowing from the face of the cliff; selecting a suitable spot, encamped
at 2.30. Near this spring were several huts constructed in the rudest
manner by heaping branches together. From the summit of the hill the view
extended thirty miles to the north-east, but no marked features were
visible, the country only undulating slightly. The country too became
more open and travelling easier, but no other improvement has been
observed.
Latitude by a Trianguli Australis 16 degrees 17 minutes 5 seconds.
1st August.
At 7.30 a.m. left the camp and followed the valley to the south till
9.15, when a break in the sandstone cliffs which bounded the valley
enabled us to ascend the hills and pursue our course to the south-east,
crossing several ridges of sandstone, the strata dipping to the west, and
becoming more shaly as we proceeded. Descending into a valley with a dry
creek fifteen yards wide, the rocks on the south-east slope cherty
limestone alternating with thin beds of shale, the strata dipping 20
degrees to 30 degrees west. The summit had a thin horizontal bed of
ironstone conglomerate through which masses of white sandstone protruded.
This limestone country was well grassed, and thinly timbered with
eucalypti of small growth; at 1.20 p.m. altered the course to north-east
and followed down a gully in search of water; but though it gradually
enlarged to a considerable creek and we continued our search till 7.0, we
were compelled to encamp without water. I then walked down the creek two
miles, but only found one moist spot in which, by digging, a few pints of
water were obtained.
2nd August.
At 6.5 a.m. resumed our search for water, and following the creek
north-east for two hours reached a small muddy pool of rainwater, at
which we encamped. The country near the creek was very level, and
thinly-wooded low hills were visible in the distance to the south-east
and north.
Latitude by a Trianguli Australis 16 degrees 16 minutes 25 seconds.
3rd August.
The water at this pool near our camp being nearly consumed, and nothing
but thick mud remaining, we proceeded down the creek in search of a
better supply; but it was not until we had followed its dry sandy bed for
three hours that we attained our object, and encamped at a small pool in
one of the back channels, the principal bed of the creek being perfectly
dry. The country near the creek continues very level, and well grassed,
but distant rocky hills are visible in almost every direction. In
approaching the Gulf of Carpentaria heavy dews and fogs have become more
frequent in the mornings, when it is usually calm. About 10.0 a.m. a
breeze usually sets in from the eastward, varying from north to
south-east; at sunset it falls calm, but commences again at 8.0 p.m. and
blows moderately from the eastward for one or two hours; very thin misty
clouds are frequent, and render the heat oppressive when they prevail.
According to my reckoning, we are now only fifty miles from the
sea-coast, and therefore much nearer Dr. Leichhardt's track than I could
wish to traverse the country; but, however desirable a more inland route
might be, it is evident, from the small size of the watercourses hitherto
crossed, that we have been skirting a tableland which is doubtless a
continuation of the desert into which we followed Sturt's Creek, and the
small altitude of the country in which the watercourses trending towards
the Gulf take their rise precludes the existence of any considerable
drainage towards the interior.
Latitude by a Trianguli Australis 16 degrees 14 minutes 45 seconds.