19th August.
At 6.45 a.m. steered south-east and soon ascended a rocky range of
altered sandstone and trap or basalt, thinly wooded with white-gum, tall
acacia, and grevillia, triodia, and treraphis superseding the grass; at
7.30 the aneroid indicated the greatest altitude (1300 feet) which we had
attained since leaving the Victoria River. From this point the view was
extensive to the north and south. Towards the interior the surface of the
tableland, not being so elevated as our position, appeared like a vast
level plain without any marked feature whatsoever. To the north the
country appeared to consist of low ridges of wooded hills gradually
decreasing in height as they receded. Southward our view was intercepted
by broken wooded hills of equal elevation with our position, while deep
ravines trending to the south intercepted our route. I therefore altered
the course to 200 degrees magnetic, and descended a rocky valley in which
was a small watercourse which enlarged into a considerable creek with
large rocky waterholes. The hills consisted of basalt and altered
sandstone, which dipped 20 degrees to 60 degrees to the north-west, and
by their outcrop formed parallel ridges which we passed with difficulty
and great risk to our horses; at 12.30 p.m. we extricated ourselves from
these ridges and entered a level valley extending thirty miles to the
north-east and south-west. Here granite rock was exposed on the bank of
the creek, which now trended across the valley to the south-east, with a
broad sandy bed from a quarter to half a mile in width, but quite dry and
overgrown with bushes; at 4.5 reached the hills which bounded the valley
to the south-east, and the creek entering a deep gorge which, by
concentrating its waters, had formed a fine pool, at which we encamped.
The country after leaving the basalt hills, where the valleys were well
grassed, was barren and useless sand, gravel, and rock.
Latitude by Vega 17 degrees 53 minutes 42 seconds.
20th August.
We left our camp at 7.0 a.m., and finding the valley of the creek
impassable, crossed the hills in an east-south-east direction, the
country consisting of steep sandstone ridges covered with triodia and a
few stunted eucalypti; at 3.0 p.m. we again attained the bank of the
creek and camped in a small patch of coarse rushes, as there was no grass
for the horses.
Latitude by Vega 17 degrees 58 minutes 7 seconds.
21st August.
Leaving this miserable spot with our starving horses, followed the creek,
which had now increased to a small river, to the east-south-east, and
after two hours' travelling reached a small patch of grass and camped at
8.20 a.m.; the bed of the river is nearly dry, only a few shallow pools
remaining in the sandy channel, which is ten to fifty yards wide, with
smaller side channels, altogether occupying a breadth of nearly 200
yards, dense clumps of melaleuca-trees growing in the intervening banks
of sand; large quantities of unio-shell, some five and six inches in
length, are found on the banks of the river near the camps of the blacks;
Bowman complains of an attack of scurvy, which causes pains in his legs
and swelling of the gums.
22nd August.
Although our yesterday's journey was only of two hours' duration, the
horses appeared very weak and fatigued when we started at 6.45 am, and it
was with great difficulty that Boco and Monkey could keep up with the
rest of the horses; we were frequently compelled to leave the bank of the
river and cross steep rocky ridges of sandstone rock; the country was
very rugged and barren, producing little besides triodia and a few
stunted gum-trees. The bed of the river increased to 400 yards in width,
consisting of sandy channels with narrow banks of sand covered with large
melaleuca-trees between them. At 1.5 p.m. camped in a small patch of dry
wiry grass; procuring water from a small pool in the bed of the river.
Latitude by Vega 17 degrees 59 minutes 2 seconds.