Reported Harbour.
Set out for Australind.
The Grass-tree.
Correspondence with Mr. Clifton, etc.
Sail from Gage Road.
Examination of coast.
Reach Champion Bay.
Visit Mount Fairfax and Wizard Peak.
Arid nature of country.
Want of water.
Native Grave.
The Greenough river.
Natives.
Leave Champion Bay.
Koombanah Bay.
Naturaliste Reef.
Reach South Australia.
Port Adelaide.
Proposed Railroad.
Visit Mount Barker.
Encounter Bay.
Native fishing.
Return to Adelaide.
Sail from South Australia.
Portland Bay.
Squatters.
Tour in the interior.
Fertile country.
View from the Sugarloaf.
Visit Cape Bridgewater.
Sail for Hobart.
Liberality of Sir John Franklin.
Atmospheric changes.
Arrive at Sydney.
REPORTED HARBOUR.
Among the news that most interested us on our arrival at Swan River, was
the report of the discovery of a harbour on the west coast, near
Moresby's Flat-topped Range. In the Surveyor General's office I was shown
a map of that portion of Western Australia by Mr. Arrowsmith, "from the
surveys of Captain Grey," whose name the port bore; and the united
authorities of this talented explorer, and this celebrated geographer,
would have removed all doubt from my mind as to the correctness of the
report to which I have alluded, even if the alleged discovery had not
taken place on a portion of the coast unvisited by Captain King or
myself. In the colony, however, very different opinions were held; and it
was confidently maintained that Port Grey, although placed, by accident
or otherwise, twelve miles to the southward, was no other than the bay we
had previously visited, called by us Champion Bay. It is true I could
trace a resemblance between their southern parts; but they differed so
widely in their northern--Port Grey being represented in the chart, and
printed description, to be perfectly safe, and sheltered in that quarter
by a point and a reef--that I saw no grounds for giving credence to the
opinion industriously circulated at Swan River, that the reef and point,
or perhaps the whole port, had been fabricated by the land-jobbers at
home. Such an opinion, however, was quite a disinterested one on their
part; as an extension of the colony northwards, and the establishment of
a settlement near Moresby's Flat-topped Range, would have led to a result
much desired by them, the occupancy, namely, of the intervening country.
It was in the neighbourhood of the harbour, the existence or identity of
which was thus called in question, that Captain Grey had reported to have
seen a fertile district; and a company had actually arrived from England
for the purpose of forming a settlement there. Mr. Clifton, the Chief
Commissioner, however, on hearing the opinion prevalent in the colony,
did not think proper to risk the lives of the people under his charge, by
conveying them to a port that might be fabulous, and to a country the
fertility of which was absolutely denied; and the destination of the new
settlement was, accordingly, provisionally changed to the shores of the
Leschenault Inlet, which held out a prospect of solid, if not brilliant,
success, and possessed advantages, which, if not dazzling, were at least
exempt from the suspicion of being visionary.
Anxious to have further information on this subject through a personal
interview with Mr. Clifton, I accompanied His Excellency Governor Hutt
and the Surveyor General on a tour in the direction of the new
settlement, whilst the ship underwent a slight refit, and the men had a
run ashore. The survey of the Swan, from the entrance to Perth, was,
meanwhile, undertaken by Mr. Forsyth.
THE GRASS-TREE.
Leaving Fremantle, the first part of the road lay between low ranges of
limestone hills, and through quite a forest of grass-trees, gums
(Xanthorroea) some knobby, old and crooked, others erect and reaching the
height, occasionally, of perhaps seventeen feet, with their tufted and
overarching crests towering above those of smaller growth that were
scattered over the earth around.*
(*Footnote. These trees, called Blackboys by the colonists, from the
resemblance they bear, in the distance, to natives, attain, it is said, a
great age, and there is a vague report that when fifty years old they are
only a foot above ground.)
ROAD TO AUSTRALIND.
The road passes through the township of Pinjarra, on the fertile banks of
the Murray. Where it crosses the river, the first and only great affray
took place with the natives, whose blood on that unfortunate occasion
stained the waters of the reach that now slept in peaceful beauty, as if
strife had never polluted its banks.* Here we met Mr. Clifton, who
accompanied us to his new township of Australind, to plant the germs of
which, in the wilds of Western Australia, he and his worthy family had
left England and all the comforts of society. This interesting spot is
situated on the east side of Leschenault Inlet; the approach is laid out
with much taste, the road leading along the foot of a hill covered with
wood, whilst on the right is an open growth of trees, affording every now
and then a glimpse of the beautiful estuary, with its surface just
ruffled and glittering in the rays of the setting sun. I was much struck
with the beauty of the scenery during this evening's and the morrow's
excursion, having had no idea that there was such a fertile, well
watered, and heavily timbered district so near the coast in Western
Australia.**
(*Footnote. A spirited painting of this encounter I saw ornamenting the
walls of Captain Mears' cottage at Guildford.)
(**Footnote. Her Majesty's dockyards are now availing themselves of this
supply of excellent timber; and its proximity to the sea must greatly
enhance the value of this part of the continent.)
CORRESPONDENCE WITH MR. CLIFTON, ETC.
Having conversed with Mr. Clifton on the subject of the settlement he had
intended to make near Port Grey, and been made acquainted with his
reasons for doubting the existence of the harbour, and the fertility of
the surrounding country, as well as with his desire to have the question
satisfactorily set at rest, I requested him to write to me on the
subject; and on the receipt of his letter,* I communicated, also in
writing, with his Excellency, Governor Hutt, and the Surveyor-General,
Mr. Roe; the result of which correspondence was, that I determined to
examine that portion of the coast; and to afford Mr. Clifton the
opportunity of accompanying me, and with his own eyes convincing himself
of the policy or impolicy of the course he had adopted.
(*Footnote. From which the following is an extract: Your arrival at Gage
Roads, in her Majesty's surveying vessel, Beagle, under your command,
affords me an opportunity of soliciting your able assistance towards the
solution of a question of great interest, not only to the Western
Australian Company, whom I represent, but to this colony at large; and I
feel assured that your known zeal in the cause of Geographical and
Hydrographical research will induce you, if it be within your power, to
comply with the request which I now take the liberty to make. Under these
feelings I proceed to state to you, that the Western Australian Company,
after all their plans had been formed for founding their intended Colony
of Australind, in Leschenault inlet, were led under circumstances which
occurred, and information which reached them, to abandon that intention
and to determine to fix their settlement at a port discovered by Captain
Grey, designated in England by the appellation of Port Grey, and lying on
the North-West coast of this colony, in or about the latitude of 29
degrees south, within the limits of the district between Gantheaume Bay
and the River Arrowsmith, in which district her Majesty's Government had
permitted the Company to take possession of extensive tracts of land in
lieu of their property in other parts of Western Australia.
Upon my arrival, however, in March last, at Port Leschenault, with the
intention of conveying in the Parkfield, with the first body of settlers
and emigrants to the new district, the Company's surveying establishment
already employed in this neighbourhood, I received such communications
from his Excellency the Governor, and such information respecting the
supposed Port Grey, and the country in its vicinity, together with a
tracing of the partial survey made by you in Champion Bay, lying in
latitude 28 degrees 47 minutes South which is presumed to be identical
with Port Grey, that I was induced, after full consultation with his
Excellency, to unite with him in opinion, that it would be proper for me
to depart from my instructions, and to found the colony under my charge
on the spot originally contemplated in Leschenault Inlet, instead of at
Port Grey, which determination I accordingly carried into effect under
the Governor's sanction.
It naturally was my most anxious wish, as it would have been my duty, if
it had been practicable, to visit myself the supposed port, before I
took, in conjunction with his Excellency, a step involving so great a
personal responsibility, and so seriously affecting all the predetermined
plans of the company, settlers, and emigrants. I have since made every
practical endeavour, but without success, to obtain means of proceeding
to the district in question, in order to establish the fact by actual
observation and research, whether that district does or does not afford a
proper site for the establishment of a new settlement on an extensive
scale, or is totally inapplicable for it, according to the information
which led to the decision come to. And as the result of such examination
involves measures which may prove of very great importance to the local
interests of this colony, and even to the interests of the
mother-country, I venture to submit to your consideration, whether you
would not deem that inquiry of sufficient importance to justify your
proceeding to Champion Bay, in her Majesty's sloop, Beagle, under your
command, to ascertain fully the capabilities of the country in its
immediate vicinity, and to determine whether there be another harbour or
not at the place assigned to Port Grey on the map recently published by
Arrowsmith.
If your proceeding to that part of this coast should be within the scope
of the service assigned to you by the Lords Commissioners of the
Admiralty, or the importance of the solution of these questions, on which
such extensive interests and operations depend, should induce you to take
upon yourself the responsibility of going there, I earnestly request you
will allow me the honour of accompanying you, for the purpose of
fulfilling my duty to the Directors of the Company, and to the very
numerous body of persons interested in the formation of the intended
settlement under them.)
EXAMINATION OF COAST.
On the 12th, accordingly, we sailed from Gage Roads, and next morning
closed with the land in latitude 29 degrees 13 minutes South being
thirteen miles south of the position assigned to Port Grey in
Arrowsmith's map, before alluded to. From thence we followed the shore at
a distance of between three and five miles, in soundings of 7 and 12
fathoms; the first part trended North by West two miles, and then
North-West 1/2 West to Point Grey, lying five miles South by East of
Point Moore (a bight of that width being formed between) without any sign
of the sought-for harbour. The general appearance of the coast was that
of high sandhills, partly covered with vegetation; immediately in the
rear of which there appeared a range rather higher, and of a less barren
appearance; behind these again, at a distance of eight or nine miles,
rose a series of singular table-topped broken ranges, terminating
southwards in about latitude 29 degrees 5 minutes South. Mount Fairfax
and Wizard Peak are the most conspicuous objects in this range.
REACH CHAMPION BAY.
Owing to the water being very smooth, we found ourselves embayed on
approaching the point of the above mentioned bight, by a reef, the outer
part of which bore South 37 degrees West fifteen miles from Mount
Fairfax. The delay caused in clearing this danger, made it evening by the
time we reached Champion Bay, in latitude 28 degrees 47 minutes South,
from whence we had previously examined the coast northward for nearly
thirty miles. We had, therefore, now satisfactorily ascertained that,
excepting Champion Bay, there was no good anchorage on the coast between
the latitudes of 28 degrees 20 minutes South and 29 degrees 20 minutes
South.*
(*Footnote. For a description of Champion Bay, see above.)
From what I have said it will appear, that the point represented in
Arrowsmith's map, as sheltering the north side, has no real existence. It
is probable, that the following passage from Mr. Moore's Journal, may
have had some share in suggesting the contrivance.
"To the south of the tongue of land which forms the bay, there is also
another bay, which would be completely sheltered from all northerly
winds, so as to combine, between the two bays, perfect shelter at all
seasons of the year."
VISIT MOUNT FAIRFAX.
This point being set at rest, we proceeded with a large armed party at
daylight on the morning of the 15th, to examine the country. Landing, we
took an East by South direction for Mount Fairfax, the nearest and most
commanding point. About one mile and a half from the beach, we crossed
the dry bed of a stream, trending South by East about twenty yards wide,
with banks from twenty to thirty feet high, composed of reddish earth and
sand, having considerable portions of ironstone in it. A few small
tea-trees of the colonists grew in the sand that formed the dry bed of
the stream. Our course continued afterwards uninterrupted, over a
gradually rising plain, of a sandy scrubby nature, until reaching the
foot of Mount Fairfax, when we crossed another small watercourse,
trending South by West where, for the first time, we noticed a solitary
stunted casuarina. Mount Fairfax is the southern and most elevated part
of an isolated block, forming Moresby's Flat-topped Range. It rests on a
reddish, sandy, sloping plain, on which were occasionally noticed
fragments of quartz and ironstone, which latter formation is the
character of Mount Fairfax, and apparently of the neighbouring heights.
Having completed our observations, which place Mount Fairfax 582 feet
above the level of the sea, we continued our journey to the south-east,
in the direction of Wizard Peak. Two miles, over a scrubby sandy plain,
brought us again to the Chapman or Greenough. Here, for the first time,
there was an appearance of fertility; but only in the valley of the
river, which was about a quarter of a mile wide.
With the exception of a few brackish pools, the bed, as where we before
crossed it, was dry, and formed of white sand, growing in which was a
small crooked kind of drooping gum, besides a species of wattle and
tea-tree. Its course was about South by West and appeared to come from
the valleys, formed by the ranges in the rear of Mount Fairfax, and north
of Wizard Peak. Continuing our journey, we proceeded over an undulating
plain, on the higher parts of which a reddish sand and ironstone gravel
universally prevailed; in the lower parts, and near the watercourses, the
soil approached a light mould, and produced the warran, so much sought
after by the natives. In all this district the vegetation was of the
worst description--the trees, which grew only in the valleys, were small
kinds of banksia, wattles, and drooping gums--not large enough to furnish
building materials.
ASCEND WIZARD PEAK.
In the course of the afternoon we reached the summit of that remarkable
and almost solitary pyramidal hill, Wizard Peak,* which we found composed
of large blocks of ironstone, having a most powerful effect on the
needle, and changing its direction in different places ten degrees. Here
we noticed two or three stunted xanthorrhoeas growing on the South-West
side of the hill; and a few small casuarinas, and wattles were thinly
scattered on its summit, which, by barometric measurement, was found to
be 715 feet above the level of the sea. Part of the range lying
immediately north was absolutely a mass of bare ironstone. This view was
very commanding--to the North-North-West and North-East lay extensive
valleys, all of which appeared through a spy-glass to be of the same arid
nature; for a few miles to the eastward, and a great many to the
northward, the formation of the country was of the same flat, broken, and
irregular character, but no part visible appeared to be of greater
elevation than that on which we stood; to seawards the appearance of the
country was that of an undulating plain, with patches of stunted woodland
widely scattered.
(*Footnote. Distant eleven miles from Champion Bay.)
APPEARANCE OF COUNTRY FROM WIZARD PEAK.
After attentively examining with my glass, resting on the ground, all
that lay within the extensive range of vision afforded by Wizard Peak,* I
could not help congratulating Mr. Clifton on his display of judgment, in
taking the responsible step I have mentioned; and it is to be deeply
regretted, that one so energetic, and so well adapted for the duty he had
undertaken, should have been totally abandoned by those who sent him out.
It was now clear that this part of the country was not fit for the
settler, being deficient in the three most necessary articles, water,
timber for building, and food for stock.** It was also now clear that the
opinion expressed at Swan River, regarding both the harbour and the
quality of the country was substantially correct. But it was not until it
became apparent to my own eyes, that I could believe anyone could be so
reckless as to induce a large number of individuals, including women and
children, by false, or at least exaggerated representations, to sever the
ties of kindred and of friendship, and become voluntary exiles to a far
country, in search of a new and more prosperous home; whilst in lieu of
the promised streams and fertile plains, nothing in reality awaited them
but sterility--the certain loss of property, and the imminent risk of
their lives.
(*Footnote. The reader will see my position, at this time, together with
the track of the Beagle's party, and that of Captain Grey's, laid down in
one of the charts accompanying this work.)
(**Footnote. Mr. Moore's description of the country near Champion Bay, is
as follows: "Judging by the eye at that distance, the entire space, as
far as we had any opportunity of seeing, after going a little way back
from the coast, on the slope to the hills, upon the hills, among the
hills, beyond the hills, and, in short, everywhere, as far as the eye
could discern, appeared a grassy country, thinly sprinkled with some low
trees or shrubs, perhaps acacias. If this be the case, and there be water
sufficient, of which there is no reason to doubt, this may certainly turn
out to be the finest district for sheep pasture that this colony can
possess." This testimony, one would have thought, was much too vague to
justify the expression of any decided opinion as to the capabilities of
the country. Mr. Moore judged entirely from a distant view with the naked
eye: he could not discern the nature of the trees, does not assert
positively that the land was grassy, is unable to speak with certainty as
to the existence of sufficient water, and ventures only to draw the
conditional conclusion that this district MAY turn out to be the finest
the colony can possess.
Mr. Bynoe, who accompanied me in my excursion over this part of the
continent, writes as follows respecting it: "There can be but one opinion
of the country in the vicinity of the supposed Port Grey, namely, that it
is comparatively sterile. All the soil passed over, during our two days'
journey, was of a sandy nature; and the gumtrees, particularly in the
open country, were stunted and gnarled. Isolated clumps, however, of a
taller, straighter, and smoother character, were met with in the dried
watercourses. Near Wizard Peak, the warran, or native yam seemed to grow
in great abundance, and to some considerable depth. There the soil could
be pretty well judged of; and the deeper the holes had been dug by the
natives to obtain the root, the more pure was the sand; it was only the
surface soil that held decayed vegetable matter. Twice during the trip,
near the bases of cliffs, I saw a few acres of alluvial deposit, two very
circumscribed beds, which were lost in the bottom of a watercourse,
sliding, as it were, gradually under the sand. Near Moresby's Range,
where the soil became freely mixed with ironstone and pebbles, the
vegetation was more stunted, consisting principally of a prickly bush,
mingled with coarse brown grass. During the whole time of our ramble, we
saw only three kangaroos, and five emus; and in some parts of the tall
scrub were wallaby tracks.")
Descending, we found the party left below in the dry bed of a watercourse
had failed in their endeavour to procure water by digging; we, therefore,
as we supposed, had no resource but to return, exhausted as we were, to
the brackish water-pools we had seen in the Chapman or Greenough.
NATIVE WELL AND BURIAL PLACE.
Happily, however, our dog discovered a deep hole under a drooping gum,
which proved to be a native well, and after clearing and digging deeper,
afforded our thirst relief. The soil through which this well was sunk was
a light alluvial deposit, based on sand six feet below the surface.
Numerous native paths and deep holes, from which the warran root had been
extracted, encircle this spot; some neighbouring huts of a superior
structure gave us snug quarters for the night; Wizard Peak bearing South
50 seconds East about a mile distant.
At break of dawn we resumed our exploration. The morning was dull and
cloudy, thermometer 59 degrees; on the previous day its greatest height
had been 85 degrees. Two miles from our bivouac, we fell in with a recent
native grave--a circular pit three yards in diameter, filled within a
foot of the surface with sand, carefully smoothed over. Small sticks,
some with red horizontal marks painted on them, and others scraped, with
the shavings tastefully twisted round, ornamented the edge of the grave;
a large semicircular fence fronted the south-east side; and the
neighbourhood bore evidence, in the shape of several destroyed huts, of
its having been deserted by the companions of the dead. After walking at
least five miles, we again made the Chapman or Greenough, above a mile
south of the point at which we before met it, and pursuing its usual
course between South and South-South-West. The bed was still dry sand,
but we found a small hole of brackish water in a hollow. Crossing, we
continued our west direction, and were surprised to find ourselves again
on the river; a line of red cliffs thirty feet high, forming the south
bend, had changed its course to the northward. We subsequently again
crossed two dry parts of it; from an elevation on the South-West side of
the last, Mount Fairfax bore North 50 degrees East and Wizard Peak South
58 degrees East.
RECOGNITION BEND.
Hitherto I had been in doubt whether this was the Chapman or Greenough of
Captain Grey; but here finding that a branch trended southwards, I was
convinced it was the latter, and gave this part the name of Recognition
Bend, as it further led to my discovering that Captain Grey had mistaken
the hills in Captain King's chart,* and that, therefore, his description
of the country refers to another portion; and it is only justice to him
to state, that considering he was travelling for his life, and the great
hardships he endured, it is surprising how the information collected was
obtained.
(*Footnote. This error Captain Grey candidly acknowledged in the
following letter to me, afterwards published by his authority in the
South Australian Register.
Government House, Adelaide, January 28th, 1842.
My dear Sir,
I have attentively read your letter to the Honourable the
Surveyor-General of Western Australia; I have also considered the
observations made by you to me, relative to the error you suppose I have
fallen into in mistaking the Wizard Peak of Captain King for the hill
named by him Mount Fairfax; and I find that I have certainly fallen into
this error, a by no means unlikely one, considering the very similar
character of the singular group of hills, called Moresby's Flat-topped
Range, and the circumstances under which I was journeying. Consequently
the country I have described as lying near Mount Fairfax, lies near some
other hill to the north of Mount Fairfax, and the country I have
described as lying near Wizard Hill lies near Mount Fairfax, being placed
from ten to twelve miles south of its true latitude.
The mistake arose thus: I carried Captain King's chart, and having only a
Kater's compass with me, on recognizing what I considered to be Mount
Fairfax, I assumed the latitude of that hill as laid down on the chart to
be my true latitude, and made an entry in my journal accordingly.
On substituting the name of Mount Fairfax for Wizard Hill, the
description of the small portions of the country traversed by us in
common, will be found to coincide almost exactly...I am, my dear Sir,
yours faithfully, G. GREY.
I need scarcely add, that Captain Grey having been obliged to assume his
latitude, none of his positions, during this harassing journey, can be
expected to be accurate.)
MOUTH OF THE GREENOUGH.
From this point we proceeded one mile west over a dry, arid plain,
covered with yellow and white everlasting flowers of small growth: a
little patch of woodland, consisting of a species of wattle and a very
small kind of gum, here delayed our progress. The ground beneath these
trees was entirely barren of vegetation; but emerging from them, we came
upon the only piece of grass of a useful nature seen in the route; it
was, however, quite parched, and occupied a space only of three or four
acres. From thence to the coast dunes, to reach which we made a detour to
the South-West walking over about six miles of country, all was scrub and
sand. On the low ridge, lying immediately behind the coast range of
sandhills, limestone occasionally cropped out. Embarking, we proceeded in
a boat to examine a small estuary, seen from Mount Fairfax, at the
northern part of the bay. This we found to be separated from the sea by a
low bank of sand, thirty feet wide and five high, over which the sea
appeared in gales to enter; but from the manner in which the sandhills
overlapped at the mouth, it was not possible to detect the entrance from
seawards. We landed and traced it for a mile in an east direction, until
we proved it to be the mouth of the Greenough; the water was entirely
salt, and the banks, in some places seventy feet high, were composed of
limestone. Near the head of this estuary we discovered the place where
Captain Grey crossed it, as described in the following extract from his
notes communicated to Lord John Russell, then Secretary for the Colonies.
CHARACTER OF COUNTRY.
"The character of the country again changed, and for the next two miles
and a half the plains were sandy, and covered with scrub. At the end of
another mile we reached a river, about twenty-five yards wide; it was
salt where we made it, and it was so shallow, that we soon found a place
where, by jumping from rock to rock, we could cross it. This river
discharged itself into a bay;* it ran rather from the South of East.
[East of South?] Four miles further, South by East, were sandy plains,
with scrub, etc."
(*Footnote. This was doubtless Champion Bay; but in our examination of
the coast, we did not see anything of the bay or harbour which Captain
Grey speaks of in his work (volume 2 page 35) about nine miles north of
the Greenough, and which he supposed to be Champion Bay, "since
denominated," he says, "Port Grey." According to the true latitude of
Champion Bay, the bay in question would be in about 28 degrees 38 minutes
South or nearly twenty-two miles north of the position assigned to Port
Grey in Arrowsmith's map, before alluded to.)
Thus terminated our exploration of this part of the country, called, by
Captain Grey, the Province of Victoria; and certainly all we had seen of
it deserved the character of sterility, which in some measure it appears
to retain further northward, as we learn from the report of Lieutenant
Helpman, who has recently visited it in the colonial schooner Champion.
We did not, on our route, fall in with any native, but on reaching the
boat, found that a party of five men had approached the beach, and held
friendly communication with Mr. Pasco, who, in exchange for a
handkerchief or two, had obtained from them a hunger belt, composed of
wallaby furs, a throwing stick, and a nose-piece of kangaroo bone. They
were entirely naked, and slightly scarred, but were not smeared with the
red pigment called wilgy, and had their hair knotted upon the crown of
their head, like the natives of the neighbourhood of King's Sound.
SAIL FROM CHAMPION BAY.
On the morning of the 16th we were again on our way southwards, with,
strange to say at that season of the year, westerly winds, which
prevailed for the three succeeding days.
KOOMBANAH BAY.
After touching at Swan River (where, finding His Excellency the Governor
still absent, an account of our cruise was left with the
Surveyor-General) we reached Koombanah Bay on the 27th. Mr. Forsyth, whom
I had sent overland, had completed the survey of this anchorage, and
Leschenault Inlet, which it joins in the south corner by a narrow boat
channel. The wreck of a large whale ship in the head of the bay shows the
folly of attempting to ride out the winter gales to which it is exposed;
but this may be remedied by a breakwater thrown out from Point Casuarina,
of which nature has laid the foundation in the reef that extends out
across the bay in the desired direction. The strong outset from the
estuary during the rainy season materially lessens the strain upon the
cables of ships caught there by a gale. The peculiarity in the formation
of this neighbourhood consists in some basaltic columns on the coast
close to Point Casuarina.
We devoted the 28th to making observations,* etc.; and I was surprised to
find that this part of the coast was laid down four miles too much to the
northward.
(*Footnote. These observations were made on the beach, midway between
Point Casuarina and the mouth of the estuary, which spot they place in
latitude 33 degrees 19 minutes 10 seconds South and longitude 0 degrees 7
minutes 00 seconds West of Swan River. From a sandhill, 190 feet high,
bearing South 11 degrees West, six-tenths of a mile from that spot, I
found that the highest part of the Darling Range, Mount William, bore
North 40 degrees 6 minutes East thirty-three miles, and was in height
1720 feet; and that Mount Leonard, another excrescence on this range bore
South 81 degrees 44 minutes East distant thirteen miles and seven-tenths,
and was of an elevation of 1270 feet; whilst the summit of Cape
Naturaliste bore South 65 degrees West and the visible extreme South 66
degrees 50 minutes West which confirmed the error I had before remarked
in the position assigned it in the chart, being four miles too far north.
All the above bearings are true. The rise of the tide, and the time of
high-water, are the same as at Swan River.
ARRIVE AT SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
Daylight, on the 29th, found us outside Koombanah Bay, running to the
westward before a light land breeze. From the offing, this part of the
western shore of the continent was much more prepossessing than any we
had before seen. The outline of the Darling Range, here approaching
within fourteen miles of the sea, and broken only by Mount Leonard and
the gorge of the Harvey, was sharply pencilled against the eastern sky
that glowed with the pure light of morning; whilst the country between
was clothed with trees of such magnitude that their verdant summits could
be seen, over the coast sandhills, stretching away in one sea of foliage
as far as the eye could reach.
The course we held led us within five miles of the north side of
Naturaliste Reef,* in 29 fathoms; the depth we found sixteen miles west
of it was 60 fathoms, and half a mile south of it 26 fathoms. It partakes
of the error in latitude previously discovered in Cape Naturaliste, which
is distant sixteen miles, and bears, when over the centre of it, South 2
1/2 degrees West (true).
(*Footnote. A circular patch of breakers half a mile in extent, with,
according to report, six and nine feet water on it.)
Being desirous of confirming our meridian distances along the south
coast, we visited for the purpose King George's Sound and South
Australia, at which latter place we arrived on the morning of January
26th, 1842. Since our former visit, a change had taken place in the
governorship of the colony; and though it was with great regret that we
learnt Colonel Gawler had left for England, we were glad he had found a
worthy successor in our brother explorer Captain Grey.
His Excellency and the merchants expressing a wish that the Beagle should
visit the port, no man of war having yet done so; and being anxious
myself to examine the capabilities of the place, as well as to complete
our survey of twenty-three miles of the eastern shore of Spencer's Gulf,
on the afternoon of the 29th the Beagle was running into Port Adelaide.*
The ladies of the Governor, the Surveyor-General, and others, honoured us
with their presence on the passage round.**
(*Footnote. Besides the light vessel off the bar at Port Adelaide, a
flagstaff close to the southward at the pilot station serves to point out
the entrance to strangers.)
(**Footnote. I have already given some account of this port; and here,
therefore, I need do no more than refer the reader to the accompanying
chart.)
PROPOSED RAILROAD.
It was the examination I made on this occasion of Colonel Gawler's
excellent road between the port and Adelaide, which convinced me that a
portion of it might easily be converted into a railroad, as there is
sufficient width for a single line of rails without detracting from its
present value. That such an undertaking would prove of great advantage to
the colony there can be no doubt; and it is equally certain that it would
be profitable to those engaged in it. The exports and imports of South
Australia are, year by year, rapidly increasing; and now that its vast
mineral resources have been discovered, and are in progress of
development, no bounds can be set to its probable wealth and prosperity.
A railroad would be sure to attract a large amount of traffic even at
present. As, however, the Port of Adelaide only admits vessels of
moderate draught, large ships must discharge part of their cargo outside,
or at Holdfast Roads; between which place and Adelaide a railroad might
also be carried without any difficulty, there being a complete level the
whole way.
VISIT MOUNT BARKER.
Being desirous of seeing a little more of this fertile part of the
continent, I left Adelaide accordingly, after sunset, on January 31st,
for Mount Barker,* and before sunrise next day visited its summit, nearly
1700 feet high, in order, if possible, to obtain a view in the clear
atmosphere of early morning of Lake Alexandrina, or Victoria, and the
river Murray. In this, however, I was disappointed, the weather being
hazy in that direction, so that nothing could be seen but the extensive
scrub on the eastern side of the river, stretching away like a
brown-coloured sea. Mount Barker, which may be recognised by a
saddle-shaped hill to the south of it, lies about thirty miles South-East
by East from Adelaide; the latter part of the road between is hilly; from
its foot a strip of very rich land, about one mile wide and three long,
extends to the south-west, in the direction of Willunga, on our way to
which I noticed several similar blocks. Following the southerly course of
the Finnis, at that time a dry rich flat, we entered a hilly picturesque
country with deep fertile valleys. Tracks of wild cattle were numerous on
the ridges, but we saw none, and were again disappointed by the haze that
prevailed throughout the day, of a view of the surrounding country. In
the evening we reached Willunga, distant thirty-five miles from Mount
Barker; though sight-seeing had taken us, during the day, over fifty
miles of country. This township is prettily situated at the western foot
of the hills on a woodland slope, bordered by the waters of the Gulf, at
a distance of about six miles.
(*Footnote. Named after the unfortunate Captain Barker by his friend
Captain Sturt.)
ENCOUNTER BAY.
Our party was to have been here joined by Governor Grey, who, however,
did not arrive till late next morning; when, after examining the slate
quarries in the neighbourhood, where the cleavage and quality equalled
any I have seen in Wales, we left for Encounter Bay, bearing nearly
south-east. The first three miles of the road lay over stony ridges; and
the next eighteen traversed the worst part of the province, a sandy,
scrubby, slightly undulating country, about five hundred feet above the
sea. We were glad to find ourselves descending from this wearisome
sterile tract upon some rich flats at the head of the river Hindmarsh,
named after the first governor of the colony. These we followed four
miles in a South-South-East direction, where meeting the river, its
tortuous course led to the southward for about five miles. Where it joins
the sea, in the north-western corner of Encounter Bay, a township, also
named Hindmarsh, had been laid out, which will, doubtless, be a pleasant
summer residence, as we felt a great change in the temperature; indeed
the evening was quite bleak, with a moderate breeze from seaward.
I was naturally much interested in this part of my journey, being anxious
to see if the shelter here existing merited the name, given in the chart,
of Victor Harbour; but the only protection, excepting for a small vessel
in the north-west corner, and from northerly and westerly winds, is under
a little island, where it is possible one or two vessels may lie. From
Hindmarsh I saw the entrance of Lake Alexandrina, among some sandhills at
the entrance of which Captain Barker was murdered by the natives; a
circumstance which gave rise to the name of Encounter Bay, and attached a
melancholy interest to the spot.
NATIVE MODE OF FISHING.
Here for the first time, I met a Murray River native among a party of
others. He was certainly the finest Australian in make I had ever seen,
being robust and stout, like a South Sea Islander. A German Missionary,
who had a native school at Hindmarsh, took us to see a curious method of
catching fish resorted to at this place, which, as it has not been
noticed by Mr. Eyre, I shall describe. A party of natives, each provided
with a large square piece of net, rolled up, with a stick at either end,
swam out to a certain distance from shore, and spread themselves into a
semicircle. Every man then relinquished one of the sticks round which his
piece of net was rolled, to his right-hand neighbour, and received
another from his left; when, bringing the two together, a great seine was
formed. They now swam in, followed by other natives, who, by throwing
stones and splashing the water, frightened the fish, and prevented them
from getting out.
VISIT RAPID BAY.
Leaving Encounter Bay, we for some distance followed the left bank of the
Inman, when the road turned off to the westward. The country was good in
patches, till we made a cattle-station of Mr. Hacks, near Yankalilla Bay;
when, instead of a succession of forested hills and dales, we passed over
extensive treeless downs, contrasting strikingly in appearance with the
woody country around. Here we pitched our tents for the night: and next
morning were deprived of the company of His Excellency, who was obliged
to return to Adelaide; whilst Messrs. Macfarlane, Burr, and myself, who
were mounted from the station, went to Rapid Bay, lying about fifteen
miles South-West by West. As there was some difficulty in catching the
horses, it was 10 A.M. before we got away. I was by no means pleased with
my mount; I had suspected that all was not right by an exchange of looks,
I caught the overseer and stockman indulging in, as I threw my leg over
as ugly a hammer-headed, standing-over brute as ever man crossed; but
with the aid of a severe bit and a sharp pair of spurs I kept him alive,
and he only came down twice during the journey, which, although over a
very hilly country, was performed in four hours. After taking some
refreshment, we started at 4 P.M. for Adelaide, distant nearly sixty
miles.
MOUNT TERRIBLE.
We crossed the Myponga; and led our horses down a winding path on the
almost precipitous side of Mount Terrible, well worthy its name, just as
the sun was shedding his last rays over the waters of the Gulf, that
stretched away westward, apparently, from our feet; the white sails of a
coaster here and there dotting the blue expanse. Hitherto the road had
been over a succession of hills and dales, with occasionally a patch of
pretty scenery; but from the foot of Mount Terrible a level,
lightly-timbered piece of country extended to the Unkaparinga, which we
crossed, passing through the township of Noarlinga, on its north bank.
After stopping to bait the horses, we continued our ride; but it was now
so very dark that I lost all the beauty of this part of the country, and
from the undulations in the road I could easily imagine that many a
pretty glen was veiled from us by the darkness. Getting off the track, we
became entangled among some high five-railed fences, from which we were
extricated by the sagacity of my horse, belonging to the mounted police;
on being given his head, he soon brought us back upon the road to
Adelaide, where we arrived about midnight, having ridden, since 10 A.M.,
nearly ninety miles. We had scarcely reached the town before a hot wind
set in, which lasted forty-eight hours, when a squall from seaward
relieved the gasping inhabitants: at one time the thermometer at the
public offices was 158 degrees.
SAIL FROM SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
We sailed from South Australia on February 7th, but it was not until the
forenoon of the 9th that we cleared Backstairs Passage, passing half a
mile from the reef fronting the east end of Kangaroo Island, in 16
fathoms; the south-eastern part of this island is a steep rocky shore,
with few sinuosities. Southerly winds brought us in sight of the land at
daylight on the 11th. The most remarkable features were Mounts Gambier
and Schanck; the summit of the latter, the least conspicuous, is flat,
with a hollow in the centre. According to my observations, it is in
longitude 10 degrees 29 minutes West of Sydney. The ship's position, just
before dark, was ten miles North 65 degrees West from Cape Bridgewater,
which is a hummocky cliff-faced point of land, separated from the main by
a low neck.
ARRIVE AT PORTLAND BAY.
February 12.
Finding ourselves still off this part of the coast, which was laid down
three miles too much to the northward, I resolved, for the better means
of determining this fact by observations on shore, to go to the nearest
anchorage, Portland Bay, where we arrived in the evening. I had another
object in visiting this place, namely, that of helping to determine the
141st meridian, which had been fixed on as the western boundary of the
colony of New South Wales.
The approach to this anchorage is remarkable, and cannot escape the
memory of anyone who has seen it; for the information of those who have
not, I give a woodcut.*
(*Footnote. Lawrence Isles lie off the point forming the south side of
Portland Bay.)
Our anchorage was in 7 fathoms, midway between the bluff on either side
of the settlement, which we were surprised to find had already assumed
the appearance of a town, lying in the western corner of the bay, on a
sloping grassy bank.
Here I met Mr. C.J. Tyers, government surveyor, who had laid out the
township of Portland. As he had also made an accurate survey of the Bay,
little remained for us except to test its qualities, which the prevalence
of easterly winds gave us an opportunity of doing. They at first caused a
little anxiety, as the anchorage was exposed in this quarter; but this
feeling rapidly subsided on our discovering the excellence of the holding
ground--mud with a coating of sand, out of which we had some difficulty
in weighing our anchors.
NEW SOUTH WALES BOUNDARY. SQUATTERS.
At Portland I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Mr. Stephen
Henty,* the leader of an enterprising family who had been the hardy
pioneers of civilization, in discovering and laying open the fertile
districts of this part of the continent, and under whose fostering care
Portland has risen from a mere whaling station to its present prosperity.
Such being the case, it is with regret that I am obliged to say that Mr.
Henty received no consideration from Government when the land was put up
for sale, being obliged to bid against the public for ground he had
brought under notice, and spent years of labour in getting into
cultivation.**
(*Footnote. My observations refer to this gentleman's new house, which
they place in latitude 38 degrees 20 minutes 45 seconds South and
longitude 9 degrees 36 minutes 22 seconds West of Sydney, by satisfactory
meridian distances to the latter place, and from South Australia.
Preferring Mr. Tyers' difference of longitude by triangulation to the
east entrance point of the Glenelg River, 37 minutes 29 seconds, which is
1 minute 27 seconds more than his chronometric measurement; the mouth of
the Glenelg will be 10 degrees 13 minutes 51 seconds West of Sydney. By
Mr. Tyers' triangulation, calculated by Captain Owen Stanley from Port
Phillip, Batman's Hill, with my longitude of the latter 6 degrees 16
minutes 17 seconds West of Sydney, the Glenelg is West of Sydney 10
degrees 14 minutes 02 seconds, which is 57 seconds less than Mr. Tyers'
calculation. The longitude of Sydney, by different observers, ranges
between 151 degrees 12 minutes 0 seconds and 151 degrees 17 minutes 0
seconds; but, as I myself believe 151 degrees 16 minutes to be within a
minute of the truth, the Glenelg will, accordingly, by my observations be
in 141 degrees 02 minutes 09 seconds East and therefore within the New
South Wales territory, the limit of which it had been supposed to mark.
If the 141st degree had been selected as the boundary of the colony, with
reference to the longitude of Sydney, there would not be much difficulty
attending its determination.)
(**Footnote. The squatter, who often at great risk locates himself in a
remote spot, and renders such essential service to the mother country by
finding new lands, yea new homes, for the surplus population, merits much
greater encouragement than he receives, particularly in instances similar
to that of Mr. Henty, whose station at Portland was, for years, hundreds
of miles removed from other occupied parts. This gentleman's case makes
it clear at once that something ought to be done for the squatter. His
comfortable house and garden he was obliged to leave to make room for a
street of the new township; but this would not have been very hard had he
been given an allotment in lieu; which, however, as I have stated, was
not done; and he was compelled to witness the labour of his hands
entirely swept away, and found himself, after years of toil, placed
exactly in the same position with those who came to enjoy the fruits of
his enterprise.
But the greatest hardship sustained by the squatter is the Special Survey
system, according to which, anyone desirous to become a purchaser to the
extent of twenty thousand acres may choose his land where he pleases. A
party clubs together and finds out spots, that have been improved by
squatters, with a view of purchasing them when able; many of these are
often included in one special survey block: and even if the squatter is
able to purchase the rich and hardly-won small patch he occupies, the
special survey party, generally a knot of jobbers, have the preference.
This is apparently for the benefit of the crown, twenty thousand pounds
being thus added to the revenue under the pound per acre system; but it
is certainly not advantageous to the country, as the large purchasers
seldom buy for occupation, but for sale; and the smallholder, the
squatter, is driven from the land in distress. I have seen instances of
persons being utterly ruined in this way. My own opinion is, that the
squatter ought to be allowed to purchase the land he occupies by private
contract from government; or that an allowance should be made him,
equivalent to his improvements.)
The detention we had experienced afforded me an opportunity of visiting
the country; and having just seen between two and three hundred miles of
the Province of South Australia, I was glad of the chance of comparing
these two parts of the continent. Accordingly, after making a series of
magnetical observations, and others for the errors of the chronometers, I
left Portland one morning in company with Mr. Tyers. Taking Mr. Henty's
road to the northward we soon passed the rich land surrounding Portland,
and entered a stringybark forest, eight miles in extent. Then crossing a
heathy tract we came to the Fitzroy, distant fifteen miles from Portland.
Here, as elsewhere, the presence of water improves the soil, for along
the banks of the river there was some good land. This was also the case
near a hill just beyond it, called Mount Eckersley. where I saw Sir
Thomas Mitchell's initials cut in a tree at the time when he explored
this country, and found to his surprise that Mr. Henty had a station in
Portland Bay.
EXCURSION INTO THE INTERIOR.
With the exception of the flats near the Crawford, twenty miles from the
Fitzroy, the road lies through a poor country, until it approaches Mr. J.
Henty's station, fifteen miles further. Here we appeared to have turned
our backs on the bad land; and entered a tract of country in which the
herbage is so excellent that an acre is capable of feeding one sheep,
whereas in other parts three or four are required.
From a pointed hill, called the Sugarloaf, fifty-eight miles from
Portland, I had an extensive view of this fertile district: the outlines
of those magnificent mountains, the Victoria and Grampian ranges, that
completed the distant part of the landscape, to the eastward, were
distinctly defined against the clear morning sky; whilst, in the
foreground, grassy round-topped hills, rose on either side of wide
valleys sparingly dotted with trees, marking the course of the streams
that meander through them, and the margin of the singular circular
waterholes, with sides so steep as to render it necessary to cut through
them to enable the cattle to drink, that were distributed around as if
formed by art, rather than by nature. Westward, I saw the winding course
of the Glenelg, and was told that some of the squatters had located
themselves on its banks, and that others were even talking of stations
(which they have since made) as far as the volcanic mountains, Schanck
and Gambier, where there is some rich country, recently visited from
Adelaide, by Governor Grey, who has discovered that the barrier of desert
between New South Wales and South Australia, is less marked than was
supposed; there being patches of good land intervening, so that at no
very distant day, we may hope to see the whole of the coast, from Port
Phillip to Spencer's Gulf, supporting a scattered white population.
I noticed that there was a vast superiority in the soil on the north-west
side of the hills; but saw none equal in richness to the five-mile patch
at Mount Eckersley.
The steep sides of a part of the valley of the Wannon, however, a few
miles to the eastward of the Sugarloaf, are very fertile, and being
clothed with patches of woodland, form extremely pretty scenery. The
rocks of this part of the country are chiefly trappean; in the immediate
neighbourhood of Portland, they consist of limestone, ferruginous
sandstone, and trap.
CAPE BRIDGEWATER.
After having extended our ride to above seventy miles, we returned,
having satisfied ourselves, from what we had seen and heard, that there
was a greater extent of good land here, than at South Australia; though
it was more scattered, and farther from the sea. On our way, we met a
party of natives; and seeing a bundle of spears leaning against a tree, I
rode up to examine them, but the owner instantly ran and seized them, in
a manner that confirmed the report I had before heard, to the effect,
that the settlers and the aborigines of this part, either through the
mismanagement of the one, or the evil disposition of the other, are not
on very good terms.
February 17.
I went this day to Cape Bridgewater, to make a sketch of the coast, and
visit some caves lying four miles north of it. These we found to be from
forty to fifty feet high, and of the same depth; the ceilings were
encrusted with stalactites and the mouths overlooked some pretty
freshwater lakes, three miles in extent separated from the sea by a
narrow chain of sandhills; upon these were a few swans, and a black and
white kind of goose, one of which Mr. Bynoe shot; it resembled the
species we had seen flying over the Albert in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
ARRIVE AT HOBART.
February 20.
A slight cessation of the easterly wind allowed us to leave Portland Bay
in the morning; but scarcely had we got outside, when it blew strong
again from the same quarter: accordingly, it being highly desirable that
I should consult with His Excellency, Sir John Franklin, before we
commenced the survey of Bass Strait, we proceeded direct to Hobart, where
we arrived on the 26th. The latitude of the south-west cape was
determined on the passage to be 42 degrees 35 minutes South: and a
running survey was made of the south coast of Tasmania.
Our stay in the Derwent, during which land and seabreezes prevailed,
afforded me an opportunity of comparing our compasses at the magnetic
observatory, established since our last visit by the Antarctic
expedition, and left in charge of Lieutenant Key and Messrs. Dayman and
Scott, officers belonging to it. This place His Excellency, who took part
in the observations made there, named after the leader of the expedition,
Ross Bank Observatory: I found it to be 20 seconds west, and 1 minute 10
seconds, north of the Beagle's observation spot in Fort Mulgrave.
Sir John Franklin, who has always taken great interest in the Beagle's
voyage, testified every wish to afford me assistance: and in the most
liberal manner placed at my disposal the colonial cutter, Vansittart, to
assist in the survey of the Strait. Messrs. Forsyth and Pascoe were
selected for the service, the former being in command. After giving the
Vansittart a slight refit, and a few alterations which were expedited in
a most praiseworthy manner by Captain Booth, commandant at Port Arthur,
she was to proceed to the scene of operations near Banks Strait. In the
meantime the Beagle sailed for Sydney to receive the stores we expected
from England.
ATMOSPHERIC CHANGES.
March 10.
This was our second day from the Derwent; but owing to the prevalence of
North-East winds we had not made further progress than to be at noon,
thirty miles east from Cape Pillar. The atmospheric changes during this
day were curious. The morning broke hazy, with a moderate breeze from
North-North-East, which gradually subsiding and veering at the same time
to East-South-East, left us becalmed for three or four hours; thick
impenetrable fogs meanwhile passed at intervals to the South-West; and
whenever this obstruction to our vision was removed, could be seen a dark
heap of clouds collecting, some of which detaching themselves passed
rapidly over our heads. About three P.M. there was the sighing of a
breeze from that quarter. The barometer, also, at this time, ceased
falling and stood at 29.57, being as much as two-tenths lower than what
it was an hour before, and having fallen since eight A.M. four-tenths.
The rapid depression of the mercury was quite perceptible to the eye.
Under reduced sail the ship, like the petrel with closed wing, waited the
coming blast. A dense fog enveloped us; but an hour after the barometer
had ceased falling, it lifted up and revealed a long sheet of hissing
foam crowning the troubled waters that were rolling, urged by the
tempest, tumultuously towards us from the south-west.
RETURN TO SYDNEY.
For a while the heavy reduced canvas still flapped with a lazy swag
against the masts; but suddenly it was filled by a violent gust; and the
Beagle was hurried swiftly onwards, careering over the waves like the
misty spectre in a storm. Two hours after (six P.M.) the barometer had
risen a tenth. We now expected our passage to Sydney to be short: but the
ill luck of foul winds again attending us, it was the fifteenth before we
arrived.