28th August.
Our day's journey commenced at 7.0 a.m., and following the right bank of
the river to the east-south-east till 12.45 p.m., encamped in the bed of
the river, which was nearly half a mile wide from bank to bank, the
principal channel, eighty yards wide, was shallow and sandy, with a few
small pools of water at intervals. The side channels of similar
character, but smaller and without water. Beyond the bed the banks rose
abruptly about thirty feet, and then appeared to decline as it receded,
and no higher ground was visible. The soil was a sandy loam, thinly
timbered with small box-trees and scanty grass.
Latitude by Vega and b Cygni 18 degrees 1 minute 3 seconds.
29th August.
At 7.20 a.m. steered east through level box flats, the country gradually
becoming more open and better grassed, though very scantily; at noon
crossed some open grassy plains, and altered the course to north-east,
north-north-east, and north, and at 3.20 p.m. again came on the bank of
the river and encamped at a small pool of water; the rest of the channel,
which exceeded a quarter of a mile in width, being dry and overgrown with
large melaleuca and flooded-gum trees. The general character of the
country is a level plain about forty feet above the level of the river,
thinly wooded with box and a few bloodwood, acacia, and bauhinia trees;
the soil a brown loam, and the grass, though scanty, of good quality, but
at this season very dry.
Latitude by Vega 17 degrees 55 minutes 40 seconds.
30th August.
At 6.50 a.m. steered east-north-east through box flats and open grassy
flats, the course of the river nearly parallel to our route; at 10.10
came to a large tributary creek from the south. Its principal channel was
30 yards wide, with pools separated by dry banks, but two small side
channels existed with small running stream. After half an hour's delay,
we succeeded in crossing without further accident than resulted from some
of the pack-horses falling down the bank into the water and wetting their
packs, and getting a ducking myself, which wetted the chronometers.
Water-pandanus, fan-palm, and casuarina formed a belt of trees along the
bank of the stream, which bore quite a different character to that of the
dry sandy bed of the river above the junction. Continuing our route, at
12.5 p.m. came to a second running creek, but of smaller size. This we
crossed and followed down to the east till 1.5, when we encamped. Here we
observed that, though the water was fresh, yet it was affected by the
tide, which was now at the highest spring.
Latitude by Vega 17 degrees 52 minutes 35 seconds.